Walsh previously served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief Strategy Officer at Hawai‘i Pacific University (HPU), the largest private, non-profit institution in Hawai‘i. 

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At HPU, Walsh delivered significant growth by strengthening access and affordability, modernizing academic programs to emphasize career-relevant skills, and accelerating strategic industry partnerships. Her leadership resulted in the launch of thirty new degree programs in high-demand fields, fueling significant increases in undergraduate and graduate enrollment.

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Walsh also spearheaded the development of a pioneering 90-credit, three-year bachelor’s degree, one of the first of its kind in the western United States, creating a more affordable and efficient path to degree completion while maintaining academic quality. In addition, under her guidance, HPU’s grant portfolio achieved a 155% increase in active projects and a 400% increase in total funding.

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She holds an M.A. in politics and a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University and a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Riverside. Walsh’s scholarly work includes authoring Three Strikes Laws (Greenwood Press, 2007) and publishing peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on higher education, criminal justice policy, constitutional law, political philosophy, and American politics.