I have always been curious and I love gathering and sharing wisdom. And I love to talk. Not afraid to be in front of the room and deliver. Also been known to use my voice to advocate for others.
My father was in the military so I lived in numerous places and learned to adapt and to make friends quickly. Perhaps this is where my curiosity was born. Later while being in the military myself, I learned to motivate and lead in diverse environments. I appreciate the differences we all bring to the table and have been successful in weaving together viable teams that accomplish the mission.
Growing up and throughout my career, the accomplishments of women were not highlighted. Now I proudly accentuate the accomplishments of women by using #WomenRock. Even more surprising to me I am hearing about endeavors of people of color that were not taught to me in school. So now I use #MoreLearning to emphasize my increased knowledge.
Due to my curiosity about how things operate I have worked in various industries. My first real job was as a maintenance officer in the Army. Later I had leadership roles in transportation, then in the nonprofit arena, chemical manufacturing, airport security, and higher education.
In my current role as an independent scholar, I am able to implement my curiosity in ways that were frowned upon in previous institutions. More than twice, I have been told to keep my voice down and that certain topics were not acceptable for discussion and/or research. Soul-crushing episodes that I with the collaboration with others seek to rectify by conducting our research and presenting at various conferences. Stories and experiences matter.
For the next chapter of my professional life, I want to feed my curiosity, keep talking, and advocating for others. More specifically I desire an opportunity where I have: the ability to conduct workshops, continue with research with includes the areas of social justice, foster friendly and collaborative relationships, design and implement provocative conversations and programs, develop policies and procedures, the capacity to affect change within communities, with a big picture focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
Media Photos
She is a public speaker, author of Success by Association, Success by Acclamation, The Traits that built African American Women Leaders in the Area of Governance in South Carolina, an academic ebook, a frequent guest columnist in the Moxie section and book reviewer in the Post and Courier, former regular contributor to Living Roots magazine and a guest blogger on several sites.
SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS and PRESENTATIONS
- Walker, D. & Berger, HF. Speaker, (2022, February16) Follow-up Embedding a Racial Justice Lens into Research and IRB Review with Human Subjects—How to Be an Anti-Racist at Work Every Day, PRIM&R Conference, Virtual.
- Byrdsong, Q., Williams, J., & Walker, D. Speaker (2021, November 19). The Return of Data—Meeting Black Folx Where They are While Explaining the Research and the Importance of Returning the Results to Them, PRIM&R Conference, Virtual.
- Walker, D. & Berger, HF. Speaker, (2021, November 18) Embedding a Racial Justice Lens into Research and IRB Review with Human Subjects—How to Be an Anti-Racist at Work Every Day, PRIM&R Conference, Virtual.
- Walker, D. & Allen, E. (2021, November 3-4). Black Lives Matter in Research Working Group-Professional Focus [Moderators]. Black Lives Matter in Research symposium, Virtual.
- Sinclair, S.M. & Walker, D. (2021, October 28). “Feeling Like a Fake: Impostor Phenomenon as a Barrier to Success” [Invited Talk]. Idaho State University, Virtual.
- Macias-Moriarity, L. Z., Purnell, M., Sinclair, S. M., & Walker, D. (2021, September 30). “Impostor Phenomenon: The hidden thorn undermining success.” [Invited Talk]. APhA New Practitioners Network, Virtual.
- Walker D., Berger HF. Speaker, Driving Inclusivity and Justice in Human Ethics Review. Connect by Cayuse Global Conference, September 2021.
- Macias-Moriarity, L. Z., Walker, D., Sinclair, S. M., & Brown, K. (2021, July 19-22). “Yoga works! Community based participatory research improves student pharmacist mental health.” [Conference Poster]. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Annual Meeting, Virtual
- Purnell, M., Macias-Moriarity, L. Z., Sinclair, S. M., & Walker, D. (2021, July 19-22). “Impostor Phenomenon: The hidden thorn undermining student success.” [Conference Session]. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Annual Meeting, Virtual.
- Walker, D. & Hunt M.A. (2021, June 7-11) “Embedding a Racial Justice Lens into Research and IRB Review: Being Anti-racist in the Centering Black Lives” [Conference Poster}. National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE).
- Walker, D. (2021, April 15). Healthcare Disparities for African American Women. [Invited Talk]. South University School of Pharmacy, Virtual.
- Sinclair, S., Walker, D., Benton, R., Gomez, A. & Murray, S. (2020, April 1-40. “Gender, race, and mental health perceptions.” [Conference Poster]. Southeastern Psychological Association Conference, New Orleans, LA, United States http://www.sepaonline.com/conference/2020/2020-program-final-print.pdf (Conference canceled, submitted for online repository)
- Walker, D. & Sinclair, S. (2018). “The collaborative to advance equity in research: promoting study of women and girls of color”. [Invited Talk]. Presentation for Brighter, Future, Focused: A summit addressing the needs and potential of women and girls of color, The Sankofa Outreach Connection, Iowa City, IA.
- Walker, D. (2018, July 10). Healthcare Disparities for African American Women. [Invited Talk]. South University School of Pharmacy, Virtual
- Sinclair, S. & Walker, D. (2017). “Intersectional community engagement: dialogue for change”. [Conference Presentation]. Rethinking Community Conference, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC.
- Walker, D.C. (2012) Female State Legislators: Lived Experiences. ProQuest, UMI Dissertation Publishing
- Madueke, C., Walker, D., & Pierre-Louis, D. (2009). Transformational leadership model: Shared leadership and reciprocal influence or something less noble? Leadership & Organizational Management Journal, 2009(2), 16-39.
OTHER PRESENTATIONS and COURSES
- Say Our Names: A Diversity & Inclusivity Course for Yoga Teachers (2020)
- Seven Ways to Add More Joy in Your Life (Oct 2018, FOCUS Women and Business Conference, Mobile, AL)
- Pilgrimage to Sacred Spaces: Commemorating Selma (Aug 2018)
- Panelist on the Black Women’s Equality Day brunch (Aug 2018)
- Judge for the National Distinguished Young Woman Competition (formerly the Junior Miss Pageant) (June 2015)
- Leadership South Carolina (May 2014-2018)
- Stand Up, Step Up, And Stomp: My Ideas on Empowering Women and Eliminating Racism (April 2013)
- Handling Criticism with Dignity and Grace (March 2013)
- Networking with a Purpose (February 2013)
- Effective Communication (January 2013)