Strathmore's Roundtable Biography for
Paul J. Wilkinson, Ph.D.

	Paul J. Wilkinson, Ph.D.
Biography	Dr. Paul J. Wilkinson was born and raised within a district of the City of Los Angeles entitled Eagle Rock. He is the eldest son of parents who emigrated from Northern Ireland when they were in their mid-thirties with less than $200.00 between them, which meant that money was always tight as he was growing up. As a child, he had a severe speech impediment, but with the encouragement of his parents, he excelled academically in his high school years. This resulted in him achieving several scholarships to attend college, then graduate school. During the course of his varied career, he always maintained a part-time teaching position at local universities or colleges. Realizing that his true calling was higher education, he returned to school to complete a doctorate in Computer Science from a world-class university, the University of Durham in England. Since the U.S. and U.K. have drastically different educational systems, this was challenging, enlightening and now very beneficial for his students. He enjoyed his time at Durham University immensely, and wishes to return to the city in the land of the Prince Bishops. Dr. Wilkinson's research interests are based upon his personal experiences. One of these research interests in the incorporation of the computer sciences into the field of law enforcement. This includes the use of computers for suspect identification, tracking of suspects or vehicles, informatics and routine applications such as records management. His other research interests include computer science education, telephony over the internet and human-computer interfaces. As a child, Dr. Wilkinson's parents imbedded within him a strong moral and ethical code. It has been said by his students that he does not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those that do within his classroom. Additionally, realizing that students need challenges and topics they can relate to in order to succeed, all of his programming classes involve the creation of computer games. Using this technique, he has been able to incorporate professional level graphical engines such as OpenGI and Qt into what normally would be introductory programming classes. Several of his students have been employed, while still an undergraduate, with companies that produce video games for computers and hand-held devices. Holding an Extra Class Amateur Radio license, Dr. Wilkinson has been involved with organizations that support public safety and community events such as the Rose Parade which he has supported for 20 years. Currently he is active with his college's amateur radio club and with the campus police on establishing the use of amateur radio within their disaster preparedness plans. Within his other hobby, photography, he has received several awards for his photographic work. Despite currently suffering from a painful, disabling medical condition, Dr. Wilkinson is heavily involved with his students' success, the academic programs and community of his college, managing a consulting practice and several civic organizations.
Industry	Education
Title	Professor
Expertise	Computer Science, Software Engineering
Current Organization	Pasadena City College
Type of Organization	College
Major Product	Higher education
Area of Distribution	National
University/Degree	A.S., Engineering Physics; B.S., Computer Science; B.S., Mathematics, Loma Linda University; M.S., Applied Mathematics, Univ. of California; Doctor of Philosophy, Univ. of Durham, UK
Born	April 21, 1958, Glendale, California
Honors & Awards	International Executive Guild's Who's Who; Lexington Who's Who Among Executives & Professionals; Commanding Officer's EEO Employee of the Year, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach; Exceptional Service Award, U.S. Navy (5 times); California State Assembly Certificate of Recognition in honor of work with youth organizations; Award of Merit, Young Cinematographers Society; Certificate of Recognition, U.S. Air Force Association; National Dean's List
Affiliations	ACM; ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education; IEEE; IEEE Computer Society; Reserve Police Specialist, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Dept., 1995-97; Tournament of Roses Radio Amateurs (TORRA), 1991-present; Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks; Numerous Masonic Organizations including Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Shriners) and Scottish Rite Masons
Hobbies & Sports	Amateur radio, photography
Career Accomplishments	Wrote and managed a worldwide maintenance contract for Navy computer systems which save the Navy over $1 million; EEO Employee of the Year
Work History	Numerous teaching and instruction positions at University of California, Chapman University, California State University, Riverside Community College District, Pasadena Area Community College District, Los Angeles Community College District, Glendale Community College District, 1982-2001; Member of the Technical Staff, TRW Ballistic Missiles Division, San Bernardino, CA, 1982-85; Mathematician, Naval Warfare Assessment Center, Corona, CA, 1985-91; Senior Programmer Analyst, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA, 1991-93; Systems Project Leader, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA, 1993-95; Systems Project Manager, (Jan. 1997-May 1997) & Systems Project Leader, June 1995-Jan. 1997, Transit Police Support & Webmaster, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 1995-97; Division Information Systems Supervisor, California State Univ. at Long Beach, 1997-98; Long-Term Substitute Mathematics Teacher, Westridge School for Girls, Pasadena, CA, 1998-99; Independent Consultant, P.J. Wilkinson & Associates, Los Angeles, CA, 1998-2000; Manager of Information Services, Ribet Academy College Preparatory School, Los Angeles, CA, 2000-01; Associate Professor of Computer Science, Pasadena Area Community College District, CA, 2001-present
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