GENE WALKER-DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF ED.

GENE WALKER - Bio

Dr. Eugene 'Gene' P. Walker is a native of Thomaston, Georgia and has been a resident of DeKalb County since 1969.

Dr. Walker received his Ph.D. in History from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, in 1978; a Certificate in Southern History from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, in 1968, a Masters of Arts Degree in History at Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia, in 1969; and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science at Clark College, Atlanta, Georgia, in 1958.

In addition, Dr. Walker was honored with the Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship at Duke University, and the Experienced Teacher Fellowship Program at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Walker taught History and Social Studies at Drake High School in Thomaston, Georgia, from 1958 to 1967. During that time he was also Head Football and Basketball Coach. In 1969, he served as Professor of History, as well as Assistant Football and Basketball Coach at Clark College.

From 1981 to 1985, Dr. Walker served as Vice President of Personnel and Community Relations at DeKalb College. From 1985 to 1989, he served as Executive Vice President at the DeKalb Technical Institute. In 1989, Dr. Walker served as Associate Superintendent for the Administration of Affirmative Development and Community and System Services for the DeKalb County School System.

In the area of public service, Dr. Walker was elected State Senator for the 43rd Georgia Senatorial District. He served in that capacity from 1984 to 1992. During that time, Dr. Walker served on the following state Senate Committees: Banking and Financial Institutions, Governmental Operations, Urban and County Affairs.

Dr. Eugene Walker was the first person of color to hold the position of Majority Whip of the Georgia State Senate and also served as Chairman of the Georgia Reapportionment Committee, which is assigned once every 10 years to provide equity, fairness and projections of the State of Georgia constituency.

In January 1995, Dr. Eugene Walker was appointed by Governor Zell Miller and approved by the Board of Department of Juvenile Justice as the Commissioner. In this position, he was responsible for providing supervision, detention, and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and coordinating prevention and intervention for youth at risk. He served in this capacity until April 1999 when Governor Roy Barnes appointed him to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, until December 31, 2006.

Dr. Walker also belongs to and holds office in various criminal justice professional organizations, including the American Correctional Association, the Georgia Correctional Association, the national Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, the Parole Association of Georgia and the American Probation and Parole Association.

From 2001-2009, Dr. Walker served as chairman of the Development Authority of DeKalb County, the Private Hospital Authority of DeKalb County and the Senior Residential Care Authority of DeKalb County. Dr. Walker is also chairman of the Georgia Chapter of Westcare, a national organization that manages the operations of children's shelters.

Dr. Walker has received numerous community and civic awards. He is married to Patricia Carter Walker. They have 3 children and 5 grandchildren.

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