Will Walker, Ph.D.
Director of Public Policy and Community Partnerships

Will Walker is Director of Public Policy and Community Partnerships.  Will is the primary staff member responsible for the coordination and implementation of educational programs designed to leverage parental and community support for school improvement initiatives.

Dr. Walker began his career as an Assistant Professor of Religion, Race and Politics at the University of Vermont, and then worked as a Program Officer with Public/Private Ventures, a research and program development organization that designs and evaluates youth programs. At P/PV Will was responsible for providing technical assistance to collaborations between community-based organizations, schools and justice agencies in Denver, Fresno, Oakland, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Prior to assuming this role, Dr. Walker was a Program Officer for Public/Private Ventures, a research and program development organization that seeks to increase the effectiveness of social policies and programs for youth and children.  As a Program Officer, Will was responsible for monitoring, evaluating and providing technical assistance for community-based organizations and public agencies, including schools and juvenile halls, who collaborated in order to provide education and mentoring services to high-risk youth in Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Oakland.

Will’s work at P/PV built on his efforts with the Princeton Regional School District to create several after-school program sites to provide supports for underserved Latino and African American K-12 students. He also developed and administered a mentor program, which linked area businesses to social service agencies and directly to economically disadvantaged students, and their families.  For three years, Will also facilitated the “Walking Together” program, a summer-long series of inter-group dialogues between Black, Latino, and Jewish students.

Will has also conducted research and/or created curricula in the areas of cross-cultural leadership, after-school program development and community partnerships for the Rockefeller Foundation, California Endowment, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. and  On Track Program Resources. 

Dr. Walker earned his Master and Doctoral degrees from Princeton University in Religion, Ethics and Politics.