School of Public Policy and Administration

The professional activities of Walden University's alumni are having a significant impact on their organizations, disciplines, and communities. Here are some recent highlights:

Gregory Parker ’09, who earned a Master of Public Administration degree and is a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration student specializing in Homeland Security Policy and Coordination, was elected to the Comal County Commissioners Court (Texas) in Nov. 2004, and re-elected in Nov. 2008. He was the first African American elected to a Comal County office, the youngest person to win election as a county commissioner, and the only African-American Republican county commissioner in the state of Texas. In Sept. 2008, he was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Texas Commission on State Emergency Communications, where he leads the state’s initiative for Next Generation 9-1-1.

James W. Beeks Sr. ’08, who earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration, participated in a panel discussion on “Institutional, Structural, and Cognitive Aspects of Policy Formulation and Implementation” at the 2008 Southeastern Conference for Public Administration held Sept. 24-27, 2008, in Orlando, Fla. His presentation was titled “The Yoo 2003 Torture Memorandum, Abu Ghraib, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Judicial Charismatic Leadership Model.”