~ RGVRC Affiliate Scholar ~

Joshua Horwitz, JD, is the Dana Feitler professor of the practice in gun violence prevention and advocacy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. He works to reduce gun violence by utilizing public health research and health equity analysis to build advocacy campaigns that meet critical opportunities in the policy development process. With over 30 years of experience, Horwitz is a key leader in firearm policy development and education. He and a small group of colleagues developed the extreme risk protection order (ERPO) policy, which is now law in 21 states and the District of Columbia. As a result, he is now the principal investigator of the national Johns Hopkins ERPO Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University, a Department of Justice-funded training and technical assistance hub that provides support to states implementing extreme risk protection orders. Horwitz has also developed many policy translation reports, including the newly released “Alcohol Misuse and Gun Violence: An Evidence-Based Approach for State Policy” and the original report from the Consortium for Risk-Based Firearm Policy, “Guns, Public Health, and Mental Illness: An Evidence-Based Approach,” which identified ERPOs as a needed policy tool. He has also testified before numerous state legislatures and the US Congress. Horwitz is the co-author of Guns, Democracy and the Insurrectionist Idea, published by the University of Michigan Press in 2009. He received his BA from the University of Michigan in 1985 and his JD from The George Washington University in 1988.

Cory V. McCray is the senator of Maryland’s 45th Legislative District, covering parts of east and northeast Baltimore, a seat he won in 2018.

McCray’s foray into politics commenced in 2014 when he was elected to represent the 45th District in the Maryland House of Delegates. His tenure as a freshman legislator was nothing short of extraordinary, with prominent news outlets like Center Maryland recognizing him as one of the most effective in the entire state.

McCray’s approach to public service is rooted in a profound commitment to hearing the concerns of his constituents and finding practical solutions. McCray passed the Action and Power Apprenticeship Act when they asked for better jobs. The legislation expanded funding for apprenticeships that lead to family-supporting careers. During his tenure in the legislature, he has spearheaded the passage of over sixty bill proposals with broad subjects such as raising the minimum wage, transportation funding, protecting the environment, increasing snap benefits for families, and greater access to public libraries.

Beyond his tireless work in the community and the capitol, McCray finds solace and joy in his family life. He cherishes every moment with his loving wife and four children in northeast Baltimore.

McCray remains deeply committed to his local union and steadfastly endeavors to enhance opportunities for a better life for men and women throughout our city and state. His story is one of triumph against all odds, an inspiring narrative of transformation and unwavering dedication to the betterment of Maryland and its people.

Silvia Villarreal is the director of research translation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Gun Violence Solutions. She aims to bridge the gap between research and policy by translating research into evidence-based reports. Villareal is also the managing director for the Consortium for Risk-Based Firearm Policy where she coordinates a group of experts to craft gun violence policy solutions from a public health perspective. She has led development of several reports on firearm policy, including “Racial Equity Impact Assessment Framework for Gun Violence Prevention” and “Alcohol Misuse and Gun Violence: An Evidence Based Approach for State Policy.”

Jaclyn Schildkraut, PhD, is the executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium. Prior to this appointment, she served as an associate professor of criminal justice at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego. A national expert on school and mass shootings, Schildkraut’s work focuses on the effectiveness of policies aimed at prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery. Her most recent research, conducted as part of the largest study in the nation to date, examined the effects of school lockdown drills on participants and their skill mastery. In addition to being published in a book and multiple journal articles, the findings of this research are being used by school districts to help improve their emergency response plans. She also has conducted and published research examining the impacts of mass shootings on survivors, which led to her providing an expert report for Canada’s Mass Casualty Commission charged with investigating the April 2020 mass casualty event in Nova Scotia. Other recent projects have considered perceptions of armed teachers and policy responses to mass shootings.

Schildkraut is the co-author of Mass Shootings: Media, Myths and Realities (2016); Columbine, 20 Years Later and Beyond: Lessons from Tragedy (2019); and Lockdown Drills: Connecting Research and Best Practices for School Administrators, Teachers, and Parents (2022). She served as the editor on two additional volumes—Mass Shootings in America: Understanding the Debate, Causes, and Responses (2018) and Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law (3rd edition; 2022), and has two additional books under contract. Her research related to mass and school shootings also has been published more than 40 scholarly articles that appear in journals such as the American Journal of Criminal Justice, Homicide Studies, Journal of School Violence, Victims & Offenders, School Psychology Review, Educational Policy, Security Journal, and Crime Prevention and Community Safety. Schildkraut’s research and expertise are regularly sought after by local, national, and international news outlets, including CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Associated Press, Reuters, BBC News, and The Telegraph (UK).