Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie, Ph.D. lives with her husband Keith and their two children in the Deforest Park Neighborhood in North Long Beach. They chose Long Beach for its unique character, its people, and its energy. With a lifetime of experience as a leader, an advocate, and an effective representative, Joni Ricks-Oddie looks forward to bringing her passion for public service to the work of the Long Beach City Council.
Raised in the Midwest in a family that modeled service to the community, Joni Ricks-Oddie has brought her life experience, professional experience, and enthusiasm for building brighter futures to everything she does. For more than a decade Joni Ricks-Oddie has been actively engaged in civic leadership in Long Beach, serving on the North Long Beach Neighborhood Alliance, Uptown Property and Business Improvement District, Citizens Police Complaint Commission, and the Long Beach Planning Commission where she currently serves as Chair. She understands the value of advocacy, engagement, and effective representation and has seen first-hand the impact policy decisions have on people’s lives.
Joni’s professional life is devoted to academics, science, and research. As Director of the Center for Statistical Consulting at UC Irvine, she focuses on Biostatistics and Epidemiology. She understands the importance policy plays in addressing public health, community health, and the sustainability of our planet. As your Councilmember, she will be a fierce advocate for the quality-of-life priorities that protect our residents, strengthen our neighborhoods and help our community thrive.
Joni Ricks-Oddie graduated with honors from the University of Iowa, earning a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. She earned her Master’s degree in Public Health/Epidemiology from the University of Michigan, and her Ph.D. from UCLA in Epidemiology. As a mother of two young children, she understands that their futures depend on the decisions we make today. In everything she does, Joni brings a lens of equity and respect, working with underserved and disenfranchised communities conducting research, and delivering concrete plans to improve health outcomes. She has worked with the LGBTQ community on STI/HIV outreach, communities of color with kidney disease, and women experiencing domestic violence and food insecurity.
Diligent and determined, Joni always shows up prepared, ready to work, and grateful for the opportunity to make a difference for our community — every day.
