Cindy Shain, director of the Kentucky Regional Community Policing Institute at Eastern Kentucky University, was named the winner of the Women Leading Kentucky’s Martha Layne Collins Leadership Award at its annual conference Tuesday in Lexington.
Before joining EKU, Shain was a deputy chief in the Louisville Police Department.
“Cindy is a strong leader — both professionally in a traditionally male-dominated field and through her volunteer activities,” said Janet Holloway, executive director of Women Leading Kentucky. “She is great examples of how women can impact the workplace and the community.”
The Martha Layne Collins Leadership Award was created and presented to former Gov. Martha Layne Collins in 1999 for her contributions to the commonwealth and its people. This award recognizes a Kentucky woman of achievement who inspires and motivates other women through her personal, community and professional lives.
Shain has overseen approximately $4 million in federal grant projects from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services since 1999. She is a founding member of the Louisville Human Trafficking Task Force and also served on one in Lexington. She previously chaired fund-raising efforts for the Louisville Police Department’s Fund for the Arts Campaign, where she oversaw a 300 percent increase in donations, and helped with the Louisville Jaycee’s Haunted House. Shain also has been a board member for Seven County Services, participated in international law enforcement efforts and actively mentors students.
“In my many travels throughout the world, there is one quality that is not as well developed in other countries — the spirit and engagement in volunteerism,” Shain said. “Giving back to your community is not as important a concept outside the United States. And from traveling, I have gained an even greater appreciation for my own country, state and hometown. Part of that appreciation is what motivates a desire to give back to my own community.”
Her career began by circumstance. After going to college at Chaminade in Hawaii and studying for a year in France, Shain wanted to become a foreign services officer. The federal government had a hiring freeze in 1975, so she applied for a civil service job in Louisville. There were openings on the police department, so Shain applied for the training class, where there was only one other female recruit. She stayed for 24 years.
Her early mentors were men, and she also found role models in professional associations such as the International Association of Women Police and National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.
“Women need to seek mentors — find other women they admire and ask for their counsel,” Shain said. “You’re never too old or established to have a mentor. I have several friends I still rely on for advice.”
Women Leading Kentucky is a nonprofit organization that provides inclusive, professional environments to recognize and foster education, mentoring and networking. No membership or dues are required. Programs and services promote the importance of developing relationships built on respect and mutual support, not business cards or sales leads. For additional information, visit www.womenleadingky.com.
