After serving as Interim Department Chair since January 2023, Professor Rod K. Brunson has been appointed chair of the UMD Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, effective July 1.

“[Dr. Brunson] brings extensive leadership experience both administratively and in his discipline so I am confident he will serve his CCJS colleagues and the College well,” Dean Susan Rivera said in an announcement about the appointment.

“I am deeply honored to have been appointed chair, especially given the illustrious history of CCJS,” Dr. Brunson said. “Furthermore, I look forward to leveraging growth opportunities through College and University strategic initiatives.”

Dr. Brunson, who joined the department as a full professor in 2021, emphasized his commitment to maintaining and enhancing existing strengths, as well as prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“We will work tirelessly to ensure that CCJS remains a premiere destination for rigorous methodological, policy, and theoretical expertise,” he said. “I will insist on demonstrating commitment to excellence through diversity into all facets of departmental activities.”

Dr. Brunson’s research scholarship informs criminal justice policy and crime control practices.  Professor Brunson is also a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology.  His scholarship appears in the British Journal of Criminology, Criminology, Criminology & Public Policy, City & Community, Evaluation Review, Preventive Medicine, Urban Affairs Review, and the Journal of Research, Crime and Delinquency.