About Dr. Uchida
Dr. Craig D. Uchida is the president of Justice & Security Strategies, Inc. where he leads a team overseeing research projects that innovate cities, counties and foreign nations, as well as leading nonprofits and foundations.
A former senior executive within the U.S. Department of Justice, he has shaped policy, programs, and funding impacting violent crime, homeland security and social services at a variety of major organizations.
Academia. Dr. Uchida has been affiliated with the University of Maryland, George Mason University, and the Naval Post-Graduate School. He has authored numerous journal articles, government publications, and monographs. He has co-edited two books on drug enforcement and police innovation and co-authored a book that assessed the security of the nation’s dams, published by the National Academy of Science.
Experience. Dr. Uchida started his career in criminology as Director of Research at the National Institute of Justice and later as Assistant Director for Grants Administration and Senior Policy Adviser for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) in the U.S. Department of Justice. At the COPS Office, he and his staff were responsible for developing and implementing the grant making process that involved grant awards and grant monitoring of the $3.4 billion to over 9,000 law enforcement agencies with more than 65,000 officers. His efforts at the COPS Office resulted in two major US Department of Justice Awards – the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award in 1995 and the JustWorks Award for innovation in government in 1997.
In 2007, Dr. Uchida was selected by the Department of Defense to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference that toured the Middle East. He was one of 45 business people selected to meet members of the US Central Command and tour military bases in Djibouti, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.
Community Leader. Dr. Uchida is active in numerous Asian-American organizations locally and nationally. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, the Co-Chair of the Japanese American Network in Washington, DC, and the Treasurer of the Washington D.C. Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, the oldest Asian civil rights organization in the country. In 2013, he received the Chairman’s Award from the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation for his leadership in raising the nation’s awareness of the Japanese American community’s contribution to the history and life of the nation.
Education. Dr. Uchida received his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany and holds two Master’s degrees, one in Criminal Justice and one in American History.
Dr. Uchida lives in Silver Spring, MD.
