Council Members

The Council is led by co-chairs The Honorable Val Demings (FL-10), Representative from Florida’s 10th District and serving on the House Judiciary Committee, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Law Enforcement Caucus, and Yale Law School Professor James Forman, Jr., a Pulitzer Prize Winning Author and a prominent national figure in the discourse of justice reform.

Council Co-Chairs ▸

Congresswoman Val Butler Demings

Congresswoman Val Demings represents Florida’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She received a B.S. in Criminology and M.P.A. from Florida State University.

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James Forman Jr.

James Forman Jr. is the J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He attended public schools in Detroit, New York City, and Atlanta, then Brown University and Yale Law School. Forman began his legal career as a staff attorney at Washington D.C.’s Public Defender Service.

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Current Council Members ▸

Dr. Shon F. Barnes

The Police and Fire Commission hired Shon F. Barnes Ph.D., as the Madison, Wisconsin Police Department’s Police Chief in December of 2020. Chief Barnes is...
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Rev. Jeffrey Brown

Rev. Jeffrey Brown was one of the key architects behind the “Boston Miracle,” which saw the violent crime rate among youth plummet by 79% over...
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Rod K. Brunson

Rod K. Brunson is a professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. He is a widely sought-after speaker...
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Ralph A. Clark

Ralph Clark serves as the President and CEO of ShotSpotter, Inc., a publicly traded (NASDAQ SSTI) SaaS-based precision policing solutions company bringing the power of...
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Jerry L. Clayton

Jerry L. Clayton has served as criminal justice professional for 34 years. He is currently serving his fourth term as the Sheriff of Washtenaw County....
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Warrick Dunn

Warrick Dunn is a former NFL running back and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Dunn is well known for his philanthropic endeavors and success as...
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Dr. Robin S. Engel

Robin S. Engel, PhD, a nationally known and highly respected criminologist, has served as a Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati (UC)...
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Michael S. Harrison

Michael S. Harrison is the Commissioner of the Baltimore, Maryland, Police Department’s. Before coming to Baltimore, Commissioner Harrison served in the New Orleans, Louisiana, Police...
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Maurice A. Jones

Maurice A. Jones was appointed CEO of OneTen in March of 2021. OneTen is a coalition of leading chief executives and their companies who are...
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Dr. Tarrick McGuire

Tarrick McGuire began a career in public service with the Arlington, Texas, Police Department in 2003. During his tenure, he has served in multiple positions...
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Mary Beth O’Connor

Mary Beth O'Connor: Founder and managing partner Ironbound Film and Television Studios and Lucky VIII films. In 2015, O'Connor joined RKO Pictures under its chairman...
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Bill Taylor

William Taylor began his professional career in the insurance industry in 1975. In February 2012, Mr. Taylor formed Miravast, an investment management firm that specializes...
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Ronald Weitzer

Ronald Weitzer received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1985, and is currently professor emeritus at George Washington University. He is a...
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Special Advisor to the Council ▸

Connie Rice

Connie Rice is renowned for her unconventional approaches to tackling problems of inequity and exclusion. For example, she has teamed up with conservatives on education issues and the Los Angeles Police Department to support the Watts gang truce. Rice has received more than 50 major awards for her leadership of diverse coalitions, and her nontraditional…

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Furthermore, the Foundation has appointed Dr. Andrea Headley as the Visiting Scholar on Policing, Race, and Crime, a new position that will consider and address the issues of police reform as it relates to race. Dr. Headley is currently serving as Assistant Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. She is a scholar of public management, criminal justice policy, and racial equity. In her role as NPI’s Visiting Scholar, Dr. Headley will be supporting the Council and providing expertise in conducting policing and crime research and analysis in cases where race is a major factor.