Alicia Petersen is a former college professor and public policy analyst. She has taught graduate courses in Urban Planning, Economic Development, Housing and Public Policy at East Carolina University, Howard University, Morgan State University, The University of the District of Columbia and the University of Southern California in Japan. She has also held positions in college administration with Northern Virginia Community College and Los Angeles Community College in Japan.
Alicia served as a political appointee under President Bill Clinton at the Department of Agriculture. In this position she did a lot of work with minority Black farmers and assisted with the development of a National Rural Policy report for the White House. She later worked as a Special Assistant to Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, and currently serves as Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute. In this capacity she has responsibility for overseeing the day to day operations of the Institute, providing support to the Board of Directors, facilitating the implementation of Institute’s strategic policies and coordinating the primary activities of the Institute which include the “Boot Camp”, Tunica, CBCI Regional Forums, political debates, and special projects.
Much of her professional career has been devoted to developing programs and policy for underserved communities in rural areas and distressed neighborhoods in cities.
Under President Jimmy Carter’s administration she served as the national director for the Area Development Assistance Program that provided grants and technical assistance to states, cities, and non-profit organizations for planning and economic development. She has also served as Acting Director and Deputy Director for two public housing authorities.
She is a member of the American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters. She serves on the advisory boards of the American Cancer Society of Columbia, Maryland, and is membership chair for the “High Tea Society”, a mentoring organization for young underprivileged girls between the ages of 10 and 18. In her free time she mentors three young women. An active member of her church, she has chaired the economic development committee and worked with the youth outreach ministry.
Alicia has a B.A. in Sociology from Cheyney University, Cheyney, Pennsylvania, a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C. and a PhD from the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.
