Dr. Walker comes to UAB from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock (UALR), where he is currently serving as Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice. He has been a faculty member at UALR since 1990 and has been chair since 2011.
Dr. Walker received his B.S. in Personnel Management and Computer Science from the University of Arkansas in 1984, and his M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, in 1988. He completed his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University in 1992.He began teaching at UALR while completing his doctoral degree, and has held numerous positions at the institution and within his department over the past 25 years. He has held a joint position in the university’s Department of Health Policy and Management and has also coordinated the doctoral and graduate programs in the Department of Criminal Justice. Through his administrative and leadership positions, he has developed and implemented a strategic plan and strengthened the governance procedures for the department, increased the recruitment of underrepresented minority students, increased the number of female tenure-track faculty, increased grant and scholarship funding, designed and revised curricula for graduate degrees, and mentored faculty who were awarded for excellence in teaching, research, and service.
Dr. Walker has been extremely successful in obtaining grant funding, securing more than $9 million from the Department of Justice, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the State of Arkansas, the City of Little Rock, and others. His own area of research focuses on social and environmental influences on crime and the study of non-linear dynamics as they relate to criminal behavior and activity.
D. Walker is the past President of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and has served as the editor of several journals and publications. He is the author of eight books and more than 60 articles and book chapters.
"Dr. Walker's experience, particularly in securing grant funding and growing undergraduate and graduate programs, is highly valuable to the department and the greater college," says Dean Palazzo. "I am looking forward to partnering with Dr. Walker to grow our already-successful department into one that is national leader."
