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Timothy M. Bray, PhD Director Dr. Timothy Bray serves as director of the Institute. As the only research institute to be established by a grass roots community building organization, the Institute retains a flavor that makes it unique among its peers. IUPR truly believes that the fruits of research must serve the underserved by motivating the caliber of sustainable change necessary to improve quality of life and build a better world. The Institute continues to build friendships in the communities we serve, helping residents realize their visions of lasting change. Dr. Bray is also on the faculty of the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he teaches in the political economy and criminology programs. He teaches graduate and upper division courses in quantitative methodologies and structural correlates of social disorganization. He also mentors graduate students, and involves graduate and undergraduate students in the research work of the Institute. Dr. Bray serves on the Board of Directors of the North Texas Housing Coalition and the Executive Committee of the Urban Institute's National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, In addition, he advises a number of local organizations on issues of equity and sustainability. Dr. Bray received his Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Prior to earning his doctorate, Dr. Bray served as an Assistant Bureau Chief with the Illinois State Police, where he headed the strategic and operational research units. Upon leaving the State Police, Dr. Bray was awarded the Achievement Medal for his innovative approach to solving contemporary and traditional policing issues.

Robert D. Rooks, MSW Associate Director Robert Rooks is Associate Director of IUPR. Along with his focus on ensuring that the Institute’s research is driven by community needs, Mr. Rooks is also Community Engagement Director and project manager of dfwIDEA, an upcoming comprehensive community information resource centered around a website—dfwIDEA.org—which is a next-generation replacement for the Institute’s present Dallas Indicators system. Along with his work at IUPR, he is also a Fellow at the Open Society Institute, a private operating and grantmaking foundation which aims to shape public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Rooks served as consultant and advisor to organizations including the Drug Policy Alliance, Open Society Institute and ACLU of Mississippi.  Mr. Rooks was also the executive director of A Better Way Foundation in New Haven, CT. He has served as an adjunct professor teaching social movement theory at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and St. Joseph’s College, and has also taught research methods at Central Connecticut State University. Mr. Rooks received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Prairie View A&M University, where he also minored in Business Administration. He later received his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut, with a major in Community Organization and a substantive area of Urban Issues.