Biography

Mary Walshok received her B.A. from Pomona College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Indiana University. Currently she is the associate vice chancellor for Extended Studies and Public Programs and professor of sociology. A thought leader on aligning workforce development with regional economic growth, she is the author of Blue Collar Women, Knowledge Without Boundaries, Closing America’s Job Gap and the forthcoming Invention and Reinvention: The Evolution of San Diego’s Entrepreneurial Economy. As an industrial sociologist she has researched various American regions for the U.S. Department of Labor, NSF, and Lilly Foundation. Walshok is active on numerous community and national boards and is co-founder of CONNECT, one of the most admired innovation cluster development organizations in the world.