Office of the Executive Director
The agency’s executive director, who is appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of theIllinois Senate, is responsible for the direction and administration of ICJIA staff. The executive director determines staff priorities and administers resources and programs needed to meet agency goals. The executive director also serves as liaison to the governor,General Assembly, ICJIA members, and state and national criminal justice officials and organizations.
Delrice Adams is a justice warrior with over 25 years of directing social service and public health reform efforts. On January 4, 2021, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker appointed Delrice to lead the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). ICJIA spearheads and informs on public safety policies, research, and best practices. In this role, Executive Director Adams leverages her expertise in criminal justice, violence prevention, and racial equity to support the agency’s work. Her expertise informs and enhances public safety priorities, equity grant administration, and evidence-based solutions to violence prevention.
Executive Director Adams institutes a transparent and straightforward approach to the work. Equity, fairness, and opportunity are the priorities of every grant program and policy administered by ICJIA.
A visionary leader trained in trauma-informed approaches, Executive Director Adams co-chairs a first-of-its-kind cross-governmental violence prevention advisory group with county and city officials. She also chairs or administers various state boards and commissions, such as the Ad Hoc Victim Service and Prevention committee, Domestic Violence Pretrial Working Group, and Violent Crime Reduction Taskforce. Nationally, she is the Chair of the National Criminal Justice Association’s Board of Directors Equity in Criminal Justice Funding and Budget Committee.
Previously, Executive Director Adams held progressive leadership roles at the Cook County Justice Advisory Council and the City of Chicago’s Department of Public Health Office of Violence Prevention and Behavioral Health. She was responsible for the restorative justice and violence prevention initiatives in these roles. A trained peace circle keeper, Executive Director Adams’ successes are grounded in her love for and strong ties with the community.
In July 2022, Executive Director Adams was selected into the highly competitive National Criminal Justice Association Leadership Academy for Executives where she represented the great state of Illinois. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago.
Vanessa M. Morris is an Authority Administrative Assistant for the Federal and State Grants Unit and Office of the Executive Director.