Johnny Rice II DrPH, MSCJ

Dr. Rice serves as Department Chair and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Coppin State University in Baltimore, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). He is also a Research Fellow at the Bishop L. Robinson Sr. Justice Institute where he is leading a student research team exploring the factors that influence young black men to possess firearms.

Before joining Coppin, he worked as a senior program associate at the Vera Institute of Justice in their Center on Victimization and Safety. He has spent the past 23 years providing leadership, technical assistance, and support to organizations that serve low-income fathers and families in the areas of child welfare, youth development, and criminal justice in efforts to create safe and stable communities. Before joining Vera, he worked as a public administrator for the Maryland Department of Human Services (formerly the Department of Human Resources). At DHR, he served as the state administrator for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Program, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) Domestic Violence Program, the Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Program, and federal and state-funded Responsible Fatherhood programs. His portfolio also encompassed Emergency Food and Homeless Services programs.

Previously Dr. Rice held the position of Chief Operating Officer and Director of the nationally recognized Men's Services Responsible Fatherhood Program at the Center for Urban Families in Baltimore. At CFUF, he assisted in developing a partnership with the House of Ruth Maryland Gateway Project, cited by Health and Human Services as one of the first collaborations in the nation between a responsible fatherhood service provider and a domestic violence abuser intervention program. Dr. Rice has served in the role of consultant, speaker, workshop presenter, and faculty member for the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), Futures Without Violence, Office of Family Assistance (OFA), and other recognized governmental, social justice, and fatherhood organizations. He formerly served as Board President for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV). Dr. Rice is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Baltimore Alumni Chapter "The Benchmark". He resides in Maryland and is a proud husband and father.

Additional Background (Early Career):

Dr. Rice's past employment experience covers a significant cross-section of diverse areas. While employed as a foster care worker for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services Mr. Rice was given the task of the reunification of families. He would often assist in devising treatment plans for parents in efforts to strengthen the fragile family unit. He has worked at a secured residential treatment center as a youth counselor providing structure and guidance for adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges who were deemed suicidal, homicidal, and AWOL risks. As an addictions counselor within the Maryland correctional system, Dr. Rice worked with incarcerated inmates teaching classes in Moral Problem Solving and Relapse Prevention. Working in corrections exposed Dr. Rice to low-income noncustodial fathers who were in need of a comprehensive array of support services (i.e., ongoing substance abuse treatment, domestic violence counseling, child support issues, and access and visitation concerns). He actively pursued resources to meet fathers’ needs. Before entering Human Services, Dr. Rice was employed in various capacities in the field of safety and security in the private sector.