Irshad Altheimer serves on the Board of Directors and as a Research Associate at The Family and Youth Institute. He holds a PhD and Master’s in Sociology from the Washington State University, and Bachelor’s from Alabama State University. He is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and the Deputy Director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives (CPSI) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

Dr. Altheimer’s research examines the macro-level criminological theory, gun violence, corrections, and criminal justice policy in attempts to better understand dispute-related and retaliatory urban violence. Dr. Altheimer is a co-principal investigator on a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant that seeks to reduce gun violence in the city of Rochester, NY. He was also awarded the 2014 W.E.B Dubois Fellowship by the National Institute of Justice. He has presented his work nationally and has published articles in a variety of journals.

Since accepting Islam, Dr. Altheimer has been a community organizer serving the American Muslim community for the last 15 years. His most recent efforts include founding the Barakah Muslim Charity, which serves the poor and needy in the greater Rochester area. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the RIT Muslim Students Association.