William Shields

Degrees

MA, American Government American University
BA, Journalism (magna cum laude) American University

Bio

Bill Shields became Executive Director of the American Society for Public Administration, the largest and most prominent professional association for public administration, in January 2014. He brings to the position more than 15 years of executive and management experience in the non-profit sector, most recently as Vice President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the nation''s leading public policy organization dedicated to ensuring that people with the lowest incomes have affordable and decent homes. In this role, he was responsible for the organization’s operational, financial, membership, outreach and fund development functions.

For more than a decade, Shields held senior management and research positions at the National Academy of Public Administration, a congressionally chartered organization established to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent organizations. As Vice President and Director of Communications, he worked extensively with the Academy’s 500 elected Fellows, the nation’s top leaders in the study and practice of public administration. He served on research teams studying organization and management issues at the Departments of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation. He edited more than 50 Academy panel reports on issues ranging from federal compensation issues to FBI reorganization.

Shields also served as Director at the Chief Executives Organization, a non-profit organization of 2,000 chief executives around the world, and in the Executive Office of the Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. He received his M.A. in Government and B.A. in Journalism from American University, where he has been an Adjunct Professor since 2000. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and daughter.