Richard J. Gelles is former dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. He currently holds  the  Joanne and Raymond Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence. He was the founding co-faculty director of the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research. Gelles is the author of 28 books  and more  than  100 articles,  chapters, and
papers, including The Violent Home, the first systematic  investigation to provide empirical data on domestic violence,  and,  most  recently, Out of Harm’s Way: Creating an Effective Child Welfare System.

Gelles received his A.B. from Bates College, an M.A. in sociology from the University of Rochester, and a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of New Hampshire.