Steve Majors

PhD (ABD), MPA, RPCV

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Resume

Steven Majors

816.726.9978

majors.s@neu.edu                

6 Niles Street, Brighton, MA 02135  USA

 

Objective

To earn employment in the field of community development or political/policy analysis

 

Summary of Qualifications

· Grassroots experience in addressing the various implications of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa

· Ability to effectively communicate with people of diverse backgrounds and objectives, including training facilitation

· Educated and experienced in community development, research and public policy analysis

· Experience in successfully working with business, political, government and community leaders

· Proficient in the use of information technology to convey a wide-range of ideas in various settings

 

Education

Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

                 3.88/4.0 GPA; PhD Candidate

                 PhD in Public and International Affairs (Dept. of Political Science)

                 Sept. 2004 – present

 

Rutgers University, Camden, New Jersey, USA

                 3.96/4.0 GPA

                 Master of Public Administration (MPA);  earned: Sept. 2004

                 Focus: International Public Service and Development

 

Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri, USA

                 3.4/4.0 GPA

                 Bachelor of Arts (BA); earned: August 2001

                 Major: Political Science, Minor: Public Administration

 

Work Experience

Teaching and Research Assistant (T/RA), Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.; Sept. 2004 – present

- Assist professors in undergraduate courses of Quantitative Methodology ( -- including teaching skills in interpreting statistics and using SPSS -- Fall, ’04); American Government (Spring, ’05); and Comparative Politics (Fall, ’05; Spring, ‘06)

 

United States Peace Corps Volunteer, HIV/AIDS NGO Capacity Building Program, July 2002 – August 2004

- Training (PCT) in NGO capacity building and isiZulu language and culture; July 2002 – September 2002

- Worked as a member of the University of Pretoria Centre for the Study of AIDS (CSA) team; Sept. 2002 – Aug. 2004

· Assisted the Co-ordinator of the Witbank satellite office in various activities supporting CSA’s mission to increase the effectiveness of communities to cope with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  Responsibilities included:

· Building capacity of local organizations, including facilitating training workshops in strategic planning, business planning, grant proposal-writing, monitoring and evaluation, program planning and project budgeting; also providing training for US Embassy-sponsored capacity-building program

· Developing and editing tri-annual newsletter (AIDS Communiqué) and writing articles for other publications for use in advocacy and information-sharing

· Facilitating the creation of the Emalahleni HIV/AIDS NGO Forum, a community association of HIV/AIDS-related not-for-profits promoting NGO advocacy and networking

· Facilitating the drafting of the Forum’s Constitution as Chairman of the Constitution Committee

· Serving as a Member of the Forum's first Executive Committee and re-elected in November 2003

· Chairing the Working Group on Children's Issues, attempting to address the needs of orphans

· Organizing the Emalahleni Conference on the Welfare of Children, including authoring its resulting report

· Organizing the community-wide Emalahleni World AIDS Day, coordinating with local govt. and NGOs

· Statistically analyzing the data from two large field studies, conducted by the South African Department of Health, to understand why pregnant women attend antenatal clinics late in their pregnancies and assessing whether local children are receiving proper nutrition.

· Facilitating HIV/AIDS-related training workshops, including UP-CSA Basic HIV/AIDS Information and HIV/AIDS Peer Counseling Training Courses – training over 300 community volunteers

· Supervising and training volunteers to carry out HIV/AIDS and peer counseling training courses

· Performing organizational evaluations / reviews; including for South Africa’s office of international NGO, ICA

· Representing the Centre for the Study of AIDS (CSA) in seminars and meetings, including the South African Public Service Commission’s Citizen’s Forum for Service Delivery

 

Administrative Intern

City of Kirksville, Kirksville, Missouri, USA; May 2000 – August 2001

· Assisted the City Manager and Economic Development Director in various projects.  Responsibilities included:

· Producing and editing newsletter circulated to over 200 business operators in City

· Newsletter won the Missouri Dept. of Economic Development’s “Best Newsletter Award” of 2001

· Staffing the Downtown Improvement Committee, charged with revitalizing the central business district

· Helping to create and manage annual “Autumn Festival”; event to market central business district

· Creating “Downtown Business Brochure” as marketing tool for Central Business District

· Working with City Public Information Officer to produce television program covering civic affairs

· Researching and helping to apply for Community Development Block Grant to revitalize low-income housing

· Researching and surveying land use within the City for planning and zoning purposes

· Redrafting and researching City assets for City's official “Statistical Profile”

· Participating in several meetings on behalf of the City, including the Highway 63 Transportation Committee

· Working with TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Commission, charged with increasing industrial development

· Researching and fieldwork for City annexation project

 

Recent Publications and Presentations

· Article on the effects of HIV/AIDS in the workplace and on employee benefits recently published in three publications of the South African Government Employees Pension Fund; a circulation of over two million people

· Academic paper on the effects of HIV/AIDS on the civil service and employee pension benefits presented at the HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Research Symposium, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, June 29-30, 2004

· Academic paper entitled “Strengthening Democracy through Increasing the Effectiveness of Civil Society Advocacy: Deepening and Capacitating South African Civil Society to Represent the Interests of the Poor Living with HIV/AIDS” presented at the Northeastern Political Science Association Annual Conference, Boston, November 11-13, 2004

· Academic paper entitled “Explaining the Difference in State Responses to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic: The Cases of South Africa and Uganda” presented at the Thirteenth Annual Graduate Research Conference in African Studies, Boston University, Boston, March 18-19, 2005

· Reviewer for the American Political Science Association’s undergraduate journal

 

Additional Job Skills

· Proficient in several computer software packages including: SPSS, Web development software, and Microsoft’s Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, Internet Explorer and Publisher

· Studied French for six years: including two semesters of coursework at university

 

Awards and Honors

· United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Young Professionals Program Finalist, 2005

· Teaching Assistant Excellence Award, nominated, 2005

· Presidential Management Fellowship Semi-Finalist, 2005

· Pi Alpha Alpha (international public administration and public affairs honor society), inducted, 2005

· Pi Sigma Alpha (international political science honor society), inducted, 2000 (local president, 2000-2001)

· Order of Omega Honor Society, inducted, 2000

· Truman State University New Student Leader Award, 1999

· Truman State University Student Senator of the Year Award, 2000

· Truman State University Student Senate Newcomer of the Year Award, 1999

 

Activities and Memberships

· Poli-Tea, Treasurer, 2004-present (Northeastern’s political science graduate student association)

· US Peace Corps-South Africa Diversity Committee, 2003-2004; including diversity training for new Volunteers

· American Model United Nations Staff Member, 2000-present

· Missouri American Legion Boys State Counselor and Staff Member, returning Boy’s Nation alumnus, 1998-present

· Aide and campaign strategist to freshman Missouri State Representative Bob Behnen, 2000-2001

· Selected as Missouri’s youngest-ever member of a delegation to a Republican National Convention, Phil., PA, 2000

· Truman State University Student Senator, 1998-2001

· Academic Affairs Comm. Chmn. and Student Rep. to the Undergraduate Council & the Div. of Social Sciences

· Truman Leadership Forum, Chairman of the Board of Directors, 1999-2001

Steve Majors

PhD (ABD), MPA, RPCV