Melissa A. Walker, Ph.D.

Wichita State University Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs

Associate Professor

Full Vitae

Dr. Melissa Walker arrived at the Hugo Wall School with 20 years of fundraising, strategic planning and program evaluation experience. Since joining the faculty in 2006, she has played a leading role in the integration of nonprofit content in the MPA. Her primary teaching responsibilities include the capstone course, human resource management as well as fundraising and financial management in nonprofit organizations. Dr. Walker's policy research explores the intersection of the public and nonprofit sectors; in particular, how funding arrangements affect service delivery. Dr. Walker has evaluated services for uninsured individuals who have diabetes, services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities funded by Medicaid and, most recently, a drug court.

Primary Teaching Areas

Decision Making in Public and Nonprofit Organizations (capstone); Human Resources; Strategic Planning; Fundraising and Financial Management

Experience

  • Associate Professor, Wichita State University, 2006-present

  • Lecturer, University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, (Financial Management of Nonprofit Organizations, Evaluation of Social Programs and Social Policy, Organization Design and Strategy), 2001-2006

  • Visiting Assistant Professor, Roosevelt University Department of Political Science and Public Administration, (Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations, Introduction to Public Service in the United States, Research Methods, Practicum and Thesis), 1994 - 2006

Degrees

  • Ph.D., Public Policy, University of Chicago, 2005
    • Dissertation: "Substance Abuse Treatment: An Organizational Perspective"
  • M.P.A., Harvard University, 1992
  • B.A., Sociology, Northwestern University, 1976

Publications

Walker, Melissa A. Payment and Delivery of Case Management for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities. December 2014.

Walker, Melissa A. & Sipult, Linsey F. Nonprofit Sales Tax Exemption: Where Do States Draw the Line? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. December 2011.

Walker, Melissa A. & Osterhaus, Jason E. Medicaid Fee for Service Reimbursement and the Delivery of Human Services for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities or Severe Mental Illness: Negotiating Cost. Journal of Health and Human Service Administration. Spring 2010.

Walker, Melissa A. Program Characteristics and the Length of Time Clients are in Substance Abuse Treatment. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research. June 2008.