Albert Shields

Albert Shields

Degree: 2007, MPA

Job Title: Director of Business and Economic Development, University of Delaware

For Albert Shields (MPA ’07), every day provides challenges in the public policy arena and, with them, new opportunities to serve the public. 

Albert Shields is currently the director of business and economic development in the office of Government and Community Relations at the University of Delaware (UD). Some of his primary responsibilities include advocating for university priorities with state and local governments, developing strategic partnerships with the business community, and helping to move forward the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship efforts.

Prior to his role with UD, Albert served as deputy chief of staff in the Office of Delaware Governor John Carney. In that role, he led the administration’s efforts to create and implement the Governor’s legislative and policy agendas. In addition, Albert served as the governor’s top advisor on economic development initiatives. Prior to this position, he spent six years working for then-Congressman Carney, most recently as deputy state director. He has also served as legislative aide to Delaware’s Speaker of the House, and held several positions on statewide political campaigns. 

During his time at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, Albert worked for the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) as a Research Assistant interning with the Delaware Department of Education and in then-Lt. Gov. Carney’s office. Shields also worked outside of the classroom at DOE for three semesters with education administrators, teachers, superintendents, and activists who he credits for reinforcing and bringing new insight into what he was being taught in the program. “I took the most from the experiences that emphasized real-world applications,” Shields insists.  “Dr. [Arno] Loessner’s Public Finance class, Eric Jacobson’s class on Public Economics, and Dr. [Jeffrey] Raffel’s Case Studies class were all very effective at addressing real problems and situations.” ​

Shields expresses gratitude to IPA’s Ed Freel, who helped him get his summer internship with then-Lt. Gov. Carney, which led to his first job and the positions he has since held. “I wouldn’t have the position I do today without Ed’s guidance,” Shields says.

He highly prizes one of the great intangibles of his graduate education in the Biden School and, specifically, in the Institute for Public Administration.  He says, “The most valuable and lasting experiences for me are the relationships. Many of the students and faculty members whom I met while at IPA are involved in public service in Delaware, and I continue to work with them today.” 

Albert is a graduate of the University of Delaware’s Masters in Public Administration program and lives in Wilmington with his wife and daughters. ​