THOMAS A. WALKINGTON, D.P.A.

16555 Klamath Terrace  Lakeville, MN 55044  e-mail: tawalking@gmail.com  612-859-7939

http://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaswalkington

Profile: Forward thinker, innovative strategist, collaborative leader and team member. Demonstrate effective
leadership and organizational management in public, nonprofit, and post-secondary education. Develop and lead
frameworks to strategically plan and manage the organization effectively and budget for results. Work effectively
within large, complex organizations to identify strategy, develop, implement and measure progress and
performance; coaching and mentoring leaders and managers to improve results in an ever changing
environment.

Summary of Skills:
 Systems thinking and problem-solving
 Strategic thinking, planning and management
 Change management
 Organizational effectiveness
 Large-scale project management
 Communication and facilitation
 Collaboration and teamwork

Career History ~
Senior Consultant, Weidner Inc. June 2009 –
Member of Weidner consulting team specializing in strategic planning and management,
performance measurement, change management, leadership development and coaching.

President, New Strategic Directions LLC, Management Consulting Feb. 2008 –

Independent management consultant working with governing boards, senior leadership teams
and stakeholders in public and nonprofit organizations to think strategically, identify strategic intent;
clarify mission, vision and values, execute strategy and measure progress and performance.
Leadership development and coaching.
 Development of Balanced Scorecard for Administrative Services, University of Minnesota, Carlson
School of Management.
 Participated in development of Communities of HOPE, a holistic program for social change starting in
the metro Detroit area. A multi-sector, multi-organization collaboration focused on breaking the cycle of
poverty in low-income, government-subsidized housing in the Detroit Metropolitan area using
innovative, state of the art-technology for on-line collaboration and strategic management with
www.insightformation.com.
 Participated in the development and implementation of cross-organizational, cross-community Balanced
Scorecards to address major public health issues in selected communities in collaboration with
www.ResultsThatMatter.net and www.insightformation.com using on-line meeting technology to
manage the complexity of a multi-sector collaborative process to make measurable gains in community
health.

Strategic Management Coordinator July 2000 – Feb. 2009

Hennepin County Research, Planning, & Development; Business Intelligence Program, Minneapolis, MN
Largest unit of local government in Minnesota: Six lines of business, 8,500 FTEs, $1.6 billion annual budget.
Recognized by County Administrator for development of enterprise strategic management
framework. Received Administrators Award “Celebrating Excellence” for Balanced Scorecard
Change Agents Team:
 Strategic Management Coordinator; provided leadership in the development and implementation of
enterprise-wide, results-based, customer focused strategic framework: Hennepin Results:
o Principal architect of integrated strategic management framework using the Balanced
Scorecard approach to identify enterprise-wide strategic goals, objectives, metrics, targets
and initiatives to achieve desired results; monitor and report progress and performance.
o Led senior leadership in the identification of strategic direction, overarching goals, key
results and strategic objectives to achieve desired results for the county as a whole.
o Led the implementation of strategic management framework across the organization.
o Led strategic teams in the identification of key performance measures(KPI) to
monitor progress and performance of organizational strategy to achieve results.
Thomas A. Walkington D.P.A. Résumé 2

(Career History, continued)

o Consulted with lines of business, departments and divisions to develop scorecards and
strategically manage their work.
o Led cross-organizational, cross-functional teams in the identification, assessment,
and selection of an enterprise-wide business intelligence system.
o Led integration of balanced scorecard with enterprise performance measurement
application to improve data-driven decision-making and reporting across the organization
to improve results.
o Team leader; Hennepin Community Indicators Report.

Adjunct Faculty ~
University of Electronic Science and Technology China (UESTC), Chengdu, P.R. China Oct. 2009 –
Adjunct Professor, School of Political Science and Public Administration:
 Conduct graduate-level seminars on public policy and administration and sustainable
community development
 Develop and present seminars on leadership, management and sustainable community
development.

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs, Masters of Public Administration: 2007–
 Transforming Public Policy. Examination of the Policy Change Cycle; issue identification, problem
formulation, stakeholder analysis, identification of a range of solutions, implantation and evaluation
 Strategic Planning and Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. Examination of the
Strategy Change Cycle; develop strategic plans and strategically manage the public or nonprofit
entity; issue identification, goal identification, stakeholder analysis, strategy formulation and
implementation.

Carlson School of Management Human Resources and Industrial Relations (HRIR): 2006 –
 Strategic Alignment of Human Capital using the Balanced Scorecard Approach

Hamline University School of Business, St. Paul, MN 2003 –

 Advanced Organizational Theory and Leadership, DPA Core course
 Strategic Management and Planning, cross-listed graduate elective
 Organizational Theory and Behavior, core MPA course
 Dissertation and Thesis Advisor
Consultant ~ 1997 – 1999
MDA Leadership Consulting. Minneapolis, MN
Human resource and organizational development firm consulting in organization, team, and
individual effectiveness. Regional and national clients in business, government, non-profit, and healthcare:
 Lead consultant, leadership and management development program for social service agency.
 Team leader, post-merger integration of organizational values for leading health care system.
 Lead consultant, asset-based management state department of human services.
 Member, executive leadership assessment team.

Regional Director of Operations ~ 1988 – 1996

Twelve-State Midwest Region, The Nature Conservancy, Minneapolis, MN
The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA, the world’s largest conservation organization with
more than $1 billion in conservation assets; 275+ offices in North and South America, and Asia.
Recognized by Chief Operating Officer for developing and nurturing “the best” administrative teams
in the organization:
Managed regional office; planning, budgeting, finance, grants management, human resources,
information technology, and office management functions. Four direct reports, 12 indirect reports:
 Managed regional growth from 12 field offices to 32, increasing FTEs from 125 to 265.
 Managed funds of $100+ million USD including operations, grants, and fund development.
 Managed all Human Resource functions including recruitment, selection, and termination.
 Consulted to senior managers on alignment with organizational mission and vision, policy,
organizational improvement and performance management.
 Developed and facilitated human resources training programs.
 Facilitated leadership development, management training and executive coaching.
Thomas A. Walkington D.P.A. Résumé 3

(Career History, continued)

 Selected as a member of world-wide change team assessing strategic direction and alignment
of organizational systems, processes, staff, style, structure, and strategy with shared
mission and vision. Led eight-member, world-wide redesign team for human resources operation.

Assistant Director 1985 – 1988

University of Minnesota, Raptor, Research, and Rehabilitation Center, St. Paul, MN
Internationally recognized center for raptor research, rehabilitation and education: U of M Raptor,
Research and Rehabilitation Center:
 Provided leadership and management for strategic direction, planning, budgeting, organization
and staff development Raptor Research and Rehabilitation Center
 Managed day-to-day operations
 Board management, development and relationship management including fund raising
 Developed and led programs show-casing raptors in their natural environment
 Developed volunteer corps of more than 200
 Project manager; construction of state-of-the-art raptor research and rehabilitation center
Education ~
 Doctor of Public Administration (DPA), Hamline University, St. Paul, MN May 2000
Concentration in organizational change and leadership. Dissertation topic: The role of
values in the pre-combination decision-making phase of the merger between Fairview
Health System and University of Minnesota Hospital
 M.S. Forestry, Outdoor Resource Management and Planning, Southern Illinois University, Dec. 1976
Carbondale, IL. Concentration in regional planning and park management
 B.S. Recreation and Park Administration, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Il. Mar. 1975
Minors in soil and water conservation, and physical geography,
Project Manager, Horn Environmental Education Center
Professional Development ~
 Leadership and Management Academy, Hennepin County, MN 2005
 Inside Out Coaching and Peer Coaching, Hennepin County 2004
 Appreciative Inquiry Consultation, Taos Institute, Taos, NM 1999
 Mini-MBA Non-Profit Management, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 1989

Professional Accomplishments ~
 Advisor, Performance, Accountability and Transparency- Growth and Justice Center, 2010 –
St. Paul, MN
 U.S. Coordinator, 2009 International Conference on Strategic Management Engineering June 2009
Engineering; Environment and Crisis Management, Sichuan University School of Business,
Chengdu, P.R. China.
 Board member, Association for Strategic Planning, Minnesota Chapter 2009 –
 National board member, American Society of Public Administration 2009 –
 Executive Chairperson, 2008 International Conference on Public Administration (ICPA) Sept. 2008
Co-sponsored by American Society Public Administration, China Public Administration
Society and Russia Society of Public Administration. Hosted by University of Minnesota
Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Minneapolis, MN
 U.S. Coordinator International Conference on Strategic Management, Entrepreneurial April 2007
Strategy, Innovation and Sustainable Development, Sichuan University School of Business,
Chengdu, Sichuan Province, P.R. China

Presentations and Publications ~

Walkington, T. (2009). Hi – Tech Entrepreneurism at its Best and Worst? In D.C. Menzel, Ethics Moments
Government: Cases and Controversies. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Walkington, T. (2009). Sustainable Community Development: Strategic Planning and Management,
Key Lecture, 2009 International Conference Public Administration, University of Electronic Science
and Technology, China, School of Political Science and Public Administration, Chengdu, Sichuan
Province, PR China, October 22, 2009.
Walkington, T. and Karen Harrington (March 2009). Best Practice: Development and Implementation
of the Balanced Scorecard, Minnesota Association for Strategic Planning, University of St Thomas
St. Paul, MN.
Thomas A. Walkington D.P.A. Résumé 4

(Presentations and Publications continued)

Walkington, T. (2007). From Theory to Practice: Transforming the Way We Work In Hennepin County, MN.
In Zhu Xiao-ning & Zhao Shurong (Eds.), Proceedings of 2007 International Conference on Public
Administration (3rd) Vol. 1 UESTC Press.
Walkington, T. (2007). Creating Public Value through Strategy-Aligned Management: A Case Study of
Hennepin County, Minnesota. In Jie Xiaowen & Jay Ebben (Eds.), Proceedings of 2007 International
Conference on Strategic Management Vol. 1 (pp. 825-836). Chengdu, PR, China: Sichuan University
Press.
Walkington, T. (2006). Public-Oriented Service Delivery, Using the Balanced Scorecard to Focus on
Results and the Customer to Improve Service Delivery and Outcomes for the Customer. Presented at
3rd Sino-American Conference on Public Administration, Renmin University, Beijing, China.
Walkington, T. (2006). Integrating the Balanced Scorecard Approach with Strategic Management in Local
Government. Presented at Advanced Learning Institute: Performance Measurement for State and Local
Government, Denver, CO
Walkington, T. (2005). Separating Hype from Reality: The Role of Organizational Change in Promoting
Better Public Sector Performance. Presented at ASPA 66th National Conference, Milwaukee, WI.
Heggeness, M., Buschman, P., & Walkington, T. (2004). 2002 Community Indicators Report: Aligning
Community Indicators with Government Mission, Vision and Overarching Goals. In M. Joseph Sirgy, Don
Rahtz & Dong-Jin Lee, (Eds.), Community Quality-of-Life Indicators: Best Cases (pp.111-131).
The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Professional Affiliations ~
 American Society of Public Administration and Minnesota Chapter
 Association for Strategic Planning and Minnesota Chapter
 Academy of Management
 Strategy Management Society
 Minnesota Council on Quality

Veteran, U.S. Navy ~

 Active Reserve, Aviation Storekeeper 2nd Class (PJ), NAS, Glenview, IL 1972 – 1975
 U.S. Navy Special Operations – Antarctica VXE-6 Para-rescue team 1969 – 1971
 Aviation Storekeeper 3rd Class, NAF, El Centro, CA 1967 – 1969

OAE (Old Antarctic Explorer-Association)