Patty Dobbs Hodges

Executive Vice President

Chief Operating Officer

Member of the IIR Board of Trustees

Patricia "Patty" Dobbs Hodges is a senior vice president and the chief of field engagement and impact with the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR). In this role, she utilizes her broad law enforcement and federal and local government experience to lead IIR’s delivery of large-scale events for clients, maximizing partner engagement, attendee experience, and field impact through platinum-level service and white-glove delivery. She also oversees the Center for Violent Crime Reduction (CVCR) and the Center for Justice and Public Health Initiatives (CJPHI). In addition, Ms. Dobbs Hodges will facilitate and promote IIR’s impact in the field.

Ms. Dobbs Hodges is responsible for providing strategic direction and enhancing partnerships across program areas, maintaining client relations, and facilitating collaboration and coordination with partners and providers in the criminal justice community. As a former sworn law enforcement officer, she combines intimate knowledge of the concerns and needs of the law enforcement community with her extensive experience in developing and delivering national training and technical assistance (TTA) programs for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure that IIR-managed programs continue to prosper and provide exceptional service and benefit to the public safety community.

Previously, Ms. Dobbs Hodges served as the director of IIR’s CVCR to support the DOJ, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), a flagship violence reduction initiative that provides an innovative framework and infrastructure support for DOJ to enhance its support of state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecution authorities in cities struggling with high rates of violent crime. Ms. Dobbs Hodges provided overall strategic management and oversight of the design, delivery, and quality of PSP resources and services delivered by IIR, including the PSP website, TTA delivery, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, Communities of Practice, the PSP Virtual Academy, and the annual PSP Summit.

Ms. Dobbs Hodges also led IIR’s Center for Law Enforcement Safety and Wellness (LESW), which includes the VALOR Officer Safety and Wellness Program and the National Suicide Awareness for Law Enforcement Officers Program. She was instrumental in pursuing national certification for training curricula, standardizing training curricula across programs, and successfully converting all classroom training to virtual and hybrid training. She led the VALOR Program through a successful program revamp, incorporating the latest adult-learning theory, neuroscience on behavioral change, and technology into training and resource delivery and utilizing performance metrics to maximize positive results from officers’ changed behavior. In addition, Ms. Dobbs Hodges has served as a senior research associate on many of IIR’s national-level law enforcement projects.

Prior to joining IIR, Ms. Dobbs Hodges was a BJA branch chief, directly supporting the development and management of various federal grant programs, including the Policing Hiring Supplement (precursor to the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services), Violence Against Women grants, and the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program. She was responsible for program administration and management, including compliance monitoring. During her tenure at DOJ, Ms. Dobbs Hodges received the U.S. Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the National Performance Review Hammer Award, and the Just Works Award for her contributions to department programs.

Previously, Ms. Dobbs Hodges served as a grant administrator for the District of Columbia Office of Grants Management and Development and was responsible for various grant programs including the Weed and Seed Program. She also served as a police officer for the city of Norfolk, Virginia.

Ms. Dobbs Hodges earned a master of science degree in justice from American University, Washington, DC, and a bachelor of arts degree in law enforcement from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.