Delrice Adams is a social service and public health administrator with over 25 years’ experience in management of non-profits and local government agencies. Her areas of expertise include criminal justice, violence prevention and racial equity. Ms. Adams has a wealth of experience in grant administration, program development, community and stakeholder engagement, and policy and planning implementation. Ms. Adams has been appointed as the Executive Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA), nominated by Governor J.B. Pritzker and confirmed by the Illinois Senate.

As Executive Director of ICJIA, she is responsible for the direction of the agency, determining agency priorities, and administering resources and programs needed to meet agency goals. She will also serve as liaison to the governor, General Assembly, ICJIA Board members, and state and national criminal justice officials and organizations. Prior to ICJIA, Ms. Adams served as Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council (JAC), where she was responsible for overseeing the public safety agenda for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. In that role, Ms. Adams was tasked with coordinating criminal and juvenile justice reform efforts in Cook County while preserving public safety and promoting fair and equitable access to justice. Ms. Adams also managed the counties grants for program services to address violence prevention, recidivism reduction and restorative justice.

Prior to Cook County, Ms. Adams worked for the City of Chicago Department of Public Health Office of Violence Prevention and Behavioral Health. As a Public Health Administrator, she oversaw the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) portfolio of Restorative Justice and Violence Prevention Initiatives for the office and coordinated multiple community partners and stakeholders as a committee lead for Healthy Chicago 2.0; the City’s 5-year Strategic Plan. Ms. Adams also served as a Local Office Administrator for the Illinois Department of Human Services, where she developed service delivery strategies and workforce programs to advance welfare reform efforts.

Ms. Adams is a 2019 Chicago United for Equity (CUE) fellow. She is a certified Trauma- Informed Trainer (CDPH, 2018). She is also a trained Circle Keeper. Ms. Adams received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.