Mardis tapped to lead Durham Police Department

When Greensboro officials selected an out-of-state candidate to lead the city’s police department earlier this year, some community members warned that another city would recognize the experience and relationships Assistant Chief Stephanie Mardis had built during more than two decades of service.

Now, Durham has.

The City of Durham announced Mardis’ appointment on August 10. Her last day with the Greensboro Police Department is August 17, and she is expected to begin leading the Durham Police Department on September 8.

Mardis’ selection as Durham’s next police chief has left some of her strongest supporters celebrating her achievement and mourning the loss of a leader they considered deeply connected to the community.

“Greensboro has lost a tremendous soul,” said Dr. Irish Spencer, founder of Families Against Senseless Killings (FASK). “And what I mean by soul, she was the soul of this community linked to the police department. I don’t know how many cities in this country have ever had community people fighting to hire a police chief. Durham has got themselves a jewel.”

Spencer has worked alongside Mardis in the community for years and considers her a trusted partner and dear friend. Their relationship became especially personal after Spencer’s son was murdered in 2016.

“She was with me the entire time after my son was murdered,” Spencer said. “She’s been by my side ever since. And we have tried to do everything to educate our community against violence and make them aware of their self-worth.”

Spencer said Mardis’ years of service to Greensboro will not be forgotten.

“Personally, she’s a dear friend and a person that believed in FASK,” Spencer said. “I’m going to miss her, but I know I can go right down the road and see her.”

Community members are planning a celebration in Mardis’ honor, with details to be announced soon, Spencer said.

Mardis’ departure comes only months after Greensboro City Manager Trey Davis announced in March that he had hired Kamran Afzal, the former police chief of Dayton, Ohio, to lead the Greensboro Police Department following a nationwide search.

Davis’ decision drew scrutiny from residents who believed Mardis was the right person for the position. Her supporters pointed to her extensive experience within the department, her relationships with residents and her regular presence at community events. Residents rallied outside Greensboro Police Department headquarters and urged city officials to reconsider the decision.

Deena Hayes-Greene, who was among the outspoken advocates for Mardis during the search, said Durham’s decision validated what Greensboro residents had already recognized in the veteran officer.

“I can’t believe she’s leaving us, but she has to take those opportunities,” said Hayes-Greene, chair of the Guilford County Board of Education. “They saw her value.”

Hayes-Greene described Mardis’ departure as “a terrible loss” and connected it to broader concerns about policing, public safety and the importance of having law enforcement leaders who are connected to the communities they serve.

Afzal acknowledged Mardis’ contributions in a statement from the police department following the announcement.

“Her many professional accomplishments include more than 24 years of dedicated service and sacrifices to our police department and to this community,” Afzal said. “We are especially grateful for her numerous contributions over the years, her leadership and mentorship, her compassion, and her legacy for engaging and building community.”

“We wish her continued success and happiness in this next chapter,” he added. “She has earned this opportunity, and I’m excited to see all the great things ahead for her.”

Mardis will take more than 24 years of law enforcement experience to Durham. During her tenure in Greensboro, she developed programs intended to strengthen criminal investigations, support families affected by homicide and improve departmental transparency.

Her work includes founding the Police and Community Alliance for Peace Forum, establishing Greensboro’s Criminal Investigations Division Academy and Advanced CID Academy for detectives, and designing the department’s first body-worn camera audit and compliance system.

Mardis is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Senior Management Institute for Police, N.C. State University’s Administrative Officers Management Program and Leadership Greensboro. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Bennett College and a master’s degree in public administration and public policy from Liberty University. She also received a criminal justice education certification from the University of Virginia.

Mardis serves as a commissioner on the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and holds leadership positions with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

As she prepares to leave Greensboro, Mardis said she is excited to build relationships with Durham residents and members of its police department.

“I’m excited to get to know the community personally,” Mardis said. “I’m especially excited to meet all the men and women of the Durham Police Department and just join the team.”

Originally from Tampa, Florida, Mardis said Greensboro became home as she built her career, raised her family and formed lasting relationships within the police department and community.

“Greensboro will always have a special place in my heart,” Mardis said. “I’ll miss the connections, just being in that close proximity with the community and my colleagues in the agency.”

She credited the Greensboro Police Department and the community with helping her to develop the skills to lead Durham’s police force.

“I will always be indebted to the city of Greensboro because it has shaped me, molded me and prepared me for this next chapter in my life, and I’m just so grateful for that,” she said.

She also praised Durham’s collaborative efforts to reduce violent crime and gun violence, noting that Greensboro and Durham use similar approaches to address violent crime, gun violence, homelessness and mental health crises. She said she hopes that her experience could help strengthen cooperation between the two departments and create more opportunities to exchange successful strategies.

“I look forward to bridging that gap even further so we can address violent crime and improve the quality of life for everyone in the state ultimately,” Mardis said. “I can definitely serve as a bridge to further any type of partnerships that we can have with Greensboro.”

Mardis will become the third Black woman to lead the Durham Police Department. She follows C.J. Davis, who served from 2016 until 2021, and Patrice Andrews, who was appointed in 2021 and retired in early 2026.

Mardis said she understands the significance of that representation, particularly for children and others who may envision themselves in leadership positions. Her own aspirations, she said, were shaped by seeing powerful women making a difference in their communities.

“Representation absolutely matters,” Mardis said. “All of my dreams and aspirations that I’ve had for myself, they were birthed through who I saw as role models and powerful women who were in the communities making that change.”

While proud to accept that responsibility, Mardis said she wants her leadership to remain inclusive and accessible.

“I’m especially proud to be that role model,” she said. “I also want to be a welcoming person that everyone feels like they’re represented and seen and heard by me.”