Devon Clunis

Biography:

DEVON CLUNIS served for 29 years in the Winnipeg Police Service (1987 to 2016) and was its Chief of Police from 2012 to 2016, the first Black police chief in Canadian history. Born in Jamaica in 1963, he came to Winnipeg at the age of eleven. Over his career he worked in uniform patrol, traffic, investigation, community relations, organizational development and operational command, and he also served as the Service's chaplain. He completed a Master's Certificate in Municipal Leadership at York University's Schulich School of Business.

After retiring from the police service, Clunis worked internationally as a consultant in leadership and organizational assessment, as president of Clunis Consulting Inc. from 2016 to May 2025. From October 2020 to December 2021 he was Ontario's Inspector General of Policing, helping to establish the province's Inspectorate of Policing, the first of its kind in Canada.

In 2016 he received the Lieutenant Governor's Award for the Advancement of Interreligious Understanding. Clunis is the author of the memoir ONE: A Story of Hope in Our Time and, since January 2025, the founder of ONE – Story of Hope. With his wife, Pearlene, he is the co-author of the children's book The Little Boy from Jamaica (2017). He speaks widely on policing, community safety and leadership and serves on the Terra Bay Advisory Committee of the Schroeder Foundation.

Sources: his LinkedIn profile; Schroeder Foundation, Advisory Committee page; Toronto Metropolitan University, Criminal Justice Firsts; Speakers Bureau of Canada.

Activities:

Publications: