Prior to this appointment he served as the Associate Director of the African American Studies Program at the University of Houston. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Fontana, Walker co-founded Leadership Excellence, a non-profit organization, was the executive director of the Tijuana/San Diego Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity; and Dramatik Afrikan Produktions, a partnership with award-winning playwright Rickerby Hinds designed to bring the theater to inner-city youth. Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from San Diego State University, a masters in History from the University of California, Riverside and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston.