Prince William County Hires Director for Office of Community Safety

Prince William County is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Tauheeda Yasin as the Director of the Office of Community Safety (OCS), following a comprehensive national search. Her appointment is effective immediately. 

Yasin has served as Acting Director of OCS since January 2025. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Director and Community Safety Administrator of OCS. During this time, she has managed county-wide safety initiatives, multi-agency coordination and public engagement strategies, including early-stage development of Community Violence Intervention and Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programming for the county – integrating public health, law enforcement and social services. 

In her role as director, Yasin will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of coordinated community responses to safety concerns; developing and maintaining safety dashboards to support evidence-informed decision-making; developing community risk mitigation strategies that enhance community resilience and address root causes of safety concerns; and leading strategic planning efforts to ensure community safety initiatives are proactive, responsive and sustainable. 

Prior to coming to Prince William County, Yasin was an American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Community Engagement Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, where she led a statewide judicial mapping initiative, developed city coordination mapping to enhance understanding of the safety ecosystem, and developed tools for violence prevention and safety asset mapping. She also worked for the Network for Empowered Aid Response; served as an instructor and Ph.D. researcher for George Mason University; served as an associate dean and professor for Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria Campus; and worked as a learning and knowledge consultant for the World Bank Group.  

“Dr. Yasin brings an exceptional combination of academic insight, community engagement and strategic leadership to the Office of Community Safety,” said County Executive Chris Shorter. “Her deep commitment to collaborative, data-informed approaches to public safety has already made a meaningful impact in Prince William County, and I am confident that under her leadership, the Office will continue to advance innovative solutions that foster a safer and more resilient community for all.”  

“I’m honored to lead the Office of Community Safety and to continue working alongside our dedicated partners and community members,” said Yasin. “Together, we have an opportunity to build a more connected community where every resident feels safe, heard and supported. I look forward to deepening our ecosystem-wide approach to safety, aligning cross-sector collaboration, data-informed strategies and community voices for long-term solutions that strengthen community resilience and well-being.” 

Yasin holds a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, a Master of Science in Education from Long Island University and a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from George Mason University. 

She currently is an EMS volunteer with the Buckhall Volunteer Fire Department and serves as an affiliate faculty for George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government, where she teaches graduate-level public policy and data analytics.  

For more information about the Office of Community Safety, visit pwcva.gov/ocs.