Glenda Deese is a retired State Trooper Major, who joined the Alabama Department of Public Safety, now known as ALEA as a State Trooper Cadet in 1980. She became the first African- American woman to complete the Trooper Cadet program. This is only one of the many accomplishments in her career with Public Safety. 
She was promoted to Trooper in 1981 and served in the Highway Patrol Division, assigned to the Selma Post. She served in the Safety Education and Narcotics Unit before transferring to the Alabama Criminal Justice Training Center. While assigned to the Training Center, she was promoted to Corporal in 1988, where she served as the Assistant Basic Training Commander of the Training Center. Promotions continued at the Training Center and as Sergeant, she assumed responsibility for the Basic Police Training and later as a Lieutenant, she served as Assistant Commander of the Training Center.
In 1997, Deese was the first woman again to be promoted to Captain and Appointed as the State’s Chief Driver License Examiner and two years later she was the first woman promoted to Major and named Chief of the Department’s Administrative Division. In this position she managed the Department’s budget, personnel, payroll, grants, legal, public Information, planning and research, and executive security functions.
November 1, 2003, Alabama’s Governor Bob Riley appointed Glenda F. Deese as Assistant Director (Lt. Col.) of the Department of Public Safety again a first as she became the first woman to hold this position.
In this capacity, she assisted Colonel Mike Coppage with the Departments budget, personnel administration and directing the day to day activities and operations of the department.
Upon Governor Riley’s re-election Deese resumed her rank of Major and was designated as Special Projects Coordinator under Colonel Chris Murphy. In this capacity she was once again given the privilege to oversee and improve the day to operations and personnel of the Alabama Criminal Justice Training Center.
She retired in 2007 from that position after initiating the idea to move the training center to George Wallace Community College, Selma, AL.
Since retirement she has served as a consultant for the city of Selma providing guidance to the Mayor and the Police Department during the selection process of a police Chief in 2008.
After completion with the City of Selma, in 2010 she received her realtor’s license in Alabama. In 2011 she was called to be the assistant Chief of Security at the Southern Poverty Law Center, again becoming the first woman to ever serve in this position. Her duties included the training of personnel, managing the security team and ensuring safe measures for the work place and its principals. After serving in this position for almost two years, she left the public sector and began to pursue her passion.
In 2015, she has formed The Glenda Davis Deese Foundation, a Mobile Youth Leadership Academy for youth ages 12-17 years old. She has provided volunteer hours, personal funds and has made a commitment to the youth in her state to share the knowledge, and expertise that she has learned over 35 years and that has proven to work toward guiding them to a successful future.
Currently she is also the sole owner of Deese and Associates LLC a licensed speaker’s bureau in Alabama.
A native of Selma, Alabama Glenda Deese holds a degree in Business Management from Concordia College Selma.
She is the proud mother of three successful Children.