Our Team

BILL GIBBONS

Executive Director, Public Safety Institute

Bill Gibbons

Bill Gibbons became Executive Director of the Public Safety Institute (PSI) at The University of Memphis in September of 2016, as well as President of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission.

Before joining the PSI and Crime Commission, from 2011 through August 2016, Gibbons served in Governor Bill HaslaHaslam'snet as Commissioner for the Department of Safety and Homeland Security and chaired a subcabinet of all state executive branch departments and agencies involved in public safety to develop a single, consistent state agenda to combat crime.

Gibbons began his state government career in 1979 as a special policy assistant to former Governor Lamar Alexander and then returned to private law practice in 1981. He rejoined state government in 1996 when Governor Don Sundquist named him District Attorney General for Shelby County to fill an unexpired term. Gibbons was then elected to a pair of eight-year terms in 1998 and 2006 and served approximately 14 years.

Before serving as District Attorney, Gibbons was a partner in the law firm of Evans & Petree.

The Crime Commission is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that facilitates bringing public and private leaders and agencies together to focus on comprehensive crime prevention, intervention, and reduction practices in Shelby County. Spearheaded by the Crime Commission, Operation: Safe Community is a crime plan with goals and objectives to meet the crime challenge. In addition to other assignments, the Public Safety Institute (PSI) serves as a research arm to evaluate each objective of the Operation: Safe Community crime plan individually.

Gibbons chaired Operation: Safe Community from 2009 to 2015. He has also served on the Board of Directors for the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI), and the U.S. Department of JustiJustice'sdinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Gibbons also served in part-time elective positions on the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission.

Born in El Dorado, Arkansas, Gibbons holds both undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University.

He is married to United States Court of Appeals Judge Julia S. Gibbons. They have two children.

Linda H. Russell

Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
Public Safety Institute

Linda Russell joined the Public Safety Institute (PSI) and Memphis Shelby Crime Commission in September 2016. The Crime Commission is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as a facilitator to bring public and private leaders and agencies together to focus on comprehensive crime prevention, intervention, and reduction practices in Shelby County. Spearheaded by the Crime Commission, Operation: Safe Community is a crime plan with goals and objectives designed to meet the crime challenges. In addition to other assignments, the Public Safety Institute (PSI) serves as a research arm to evaluate each objective of the Operation: Safe Community crime plan individually.

Before joining the PSI and Crime Commission, Russell served in Nashville, Tennessee, as the Special Policy Advisor for the Department of Safety and Homeland Security beginning in February 2011 under the administration of Commissioner Bill Gibbons. In that capacity, she served as the chief staff assistant to the GoverGovernor'sic Safety Subcabinet. Before her position with the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, she worked in administration at the Shelby County District Attorney General's office for over eight years.

Russell, a native Memphian, received her education in Memphis and began her government career in the Internal Revenue Service Computer Division. A year and a half later, Russell accepted a position in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and served 19 years with the federal government.

Amaia Iratzoqui

Research Director/Associate Professor

Dr. Amaia Iratzoqui, associate professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, is the Public Safety Institute's Research director. Dr. Iratzoqui specializes in research around the gendered causes and consequences of victimization, including domestic and intimate partner violence. Her recent work explores the implications of gender and victimization within Memphis and Shelby County through partnerships with agencies, including the Memphis Police Department, Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center, Family Safety Center, CasaLuz, Kindred Place, and other domestic violence-serving organizations.

Before becoming research director, Dr. Iratzoqui partnered with the Public Safety Institute to assess the effectiveness of domestic violence services in Memphis and Shelby County. As research director, she works to connect faculty with practitioners within and around Shelby County to (1) conduct research and evaluations addressing crime and crime prevention, including assessments of various steps under the latest local Safe Community Action Plan (2022-2026) and (2) identify and pursue additional grant opportunities.

James C. McCutcheon

Associate Professor/Senior Research Developer

Dr. James McCutcheon has joined the Public Safety Institute as Senior Research Developer. Dr. McCutcheon, an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Memphis, is a dedicated expert in applied criminal justice work, particularly in projects that directly benefit the community. His expertise spans crime mapping, feasibility and evaluative studies, and real-time crime analysis, all of which support Memphis in its efforts to address pressing issues in public safety.

Dr. McCutcheon collaborates closely with local agencies and non-profit organizations on applied research, grant projects, and community-oriented initiatives to streamline processes, improve practices, and provide actionable insights. He has previously collaborated with the Memphis Police Department on the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) to test backlogged rape kits, as well as on a program developing law enforcement-based victim services (with Dr. Amaia Iratzoqui, PSI Research Director). In his role as Senior Research Developer, he will be 1) assisting the Research Director in writing and serving as investigator on grants; 2) training new Research Associates; and 3) overseeing data collection and analysis to provide data quality assurance and an additional resource for project reports and publications.

Max Helms

Senior Research Assistant

Max Helms, Lead Research Assistant, received a MasteMaster'see in Criminal Justice from The University of Memphis and a BacheBachelor'see in Criminal Justice from Austin Peay State University. He joined the Public Safety Institute (PSI) in July of 2017.

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and has worked in multiple cities across Tennessee, he has a background in security, loss prevention, data analysis, and mapping.

He is married to Brianna Siebert, the Membership and Volunteer Manager for the Memphis Botanic Garden.

Madeline R. Arriaza

Research Assistant

Madeline is an alumna of Emory University, where she specialized in the intersection of public health and religion. Her thesis work was done in Nairobi, Kenya, exploring HIV/AIDS medication stigma among urban African adolescents and young adults. Madeline’s professional portfolio includes advancing public health implementation projects through coordinated, programmatic data collection and research design development, particularly in the context of the rural Mississippi Delta. She has been working with the Public Safety Institute (PSI), coordinating the Shelby County Domestic Violence Community Response through funding from the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs and other PSI projects, including a gun violence prevention grant at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Madeline is a certified Results-Based Accountability professional and brings specific expertise in the areas of qualitative research methods.

Education

M.P.H., Global Health, 2018, Emory University

B.A., Urban Studies, 2016 Rhodes College