Vern White is a sitting Senator in the Senate of Canada and was an International Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Previously he has served as Police Chief for the city of Ottawa, Canada.

Vern has also worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, moving through the ranks from Constable to Assistant Commissioner and has served in three provinces and three territories, spending almost 19 years in the three northern territories. He has also worked for the Durham Regional Police Service and the Ottawa Police Service in the role of Chief of Police between 2005 and 2012.

He has been an Adjunct, visiting or part-time professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and as a visiting fellow at the Australian Institute of Police Management. He is presently an adjunct professor at Charles Sturt University.

Vern has extensive background in all avenues of policing, both operational and administrative. 

Vern has been Guest lecturer at the University of Alaska, St Mary's University, Dalhousie University, Charles Sturt University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Simon Fraser University, Carleton University, University of Ottawa, Chinese People's Public Security University and The Indian National Police Academy.

The varied policing and police leadership experience he brings to ASPI are areas of expertise that he will be sharing with governmental and non-governmental organisations while with ASPI.