ABSTRACT
As one of several African American women whose education, experiences, and career accomplishments in the field of public administration and affairs distinguishes her, Dr. Audrey L. Mathews stands out as particularly noteworthy. Born on the Southside of Chicago, Illinois on December 24, 1934, it is probably no quirk of fate that she would spend her formative years growing up in the city’s Ida B. Wells housing project (the first housing project built in the United States) given her life-long commitment to public service. She identifies “activist, mentor, and teacher” (Mathews, 2015) as those characteristics which best describe her work in the field of public administration. In 1980 she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from West Coast University in Los Angeles, California. Mathews continued her education and received a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree focusing on Organizational Behavior and Management in 1991 from California State University, Northridge and a Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) degree from the University of Southern California in 2002.
