Session I: Introduction to R

Dr. William Forrester serves Walden as core faculty in the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA). His primary responsibilities include serving on doctoral capstone committees, teaching courses, and serving as the chief academic officer's designee for the SPPA.

Dr. Forrester retired from the Memphis Police Department in 2024 as the accreditation manager at the rank of sergeant. He was awarded with the departments unit citation in 2011, received the Ridgeway Station Officer of the Month Award in October 2013, and the Executive Administration Officer of the Year Award for 2022. Dr. Forrester is a Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) Scholar with the National Institute of Justice and a former Policing Fellow with the National Police Institute

From 2016 to 2023, Dr. Forrester served as a commissioner on the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, which is the administrative body responsible for setting the standards for the training and certification of the state's law enforcement officers. While on the commission, he served two years on both the Informal Disciplinary Hearing Committee and the Rules Committee.

Dr. Forrester has experience teaching at the secondary and postsecondary levels. He was the band director at Wooddale High School for the 2007-2008 school. He taught in the undergraduate Criminal Justice Program at Southwest Tennessee Community College in 2014.

Dr. Armstrong is Associate Dean of Student Success in the College of Health Sciences and Public Policy. As Director of Public Heath Practice & Continuing Education, she oversees approval of affiliation and learning agreements, supports complex student cases, and provides leadership support to the Field Experience Office. As Director of Continuing Education, she oversees accredited professional development programs as an approved provider for both NCHEC and CPH, to ensure all offerings meet national competency standards, maintain compliance with credentialing requirements, and support the ongoing growth of the public health workforce through high‑quality continuing education opportunities. Other responsibilities include program assessment, faculty mentorship, course development, academic program reviews, curriculum and policy reviews, and most importantly, helping develop students into health professionals. She has been with Walden since 2010 and has taught courses including: HLTH 1000 Concepts of Health Promotion, HLTH 2115 Aging across the Lifespan, HLTH 2110 Behavioral and Cultural Issues, HLTH 4205 Research Methods & Analysis, HLTH 4340 Fitness & Wellness, and HLTH/PUBH 4900 Capstone. She has a Ph.D. in Health Studies, Master’s degree in the Arts of Teaching with an emphasis on secondary health and physical education, and a B.S. in Health and Exercise Science.

Prior to joining Walden, Dr. Armstrong served as Department Chair of Health and Exercise Science at another college, receiving the American Alliance of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance’s Young Professional Leadership award. She also helped implement Partners in Wellness, a cancer prevention program for the underserved population in northwest Louisiana. As a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and running coach, Dr. Armstrong founded YOUth FIT and Kids on the Run, community programs that mentor kids in achieving and maintaining fitness. Her research interests include college health and wellness, athletes and depression, youth fitness, exercise adherence, cancer prevention, and online pedagogy. She has led a national radio tour on childhood obesity and family fitness, published in the American Journal of Health Education and the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, and she is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences on health education priorities for online learners. In 2021, Dr. Armstrong received the ATHENA International Leadership Award from her local Chamber of Commerce.