Meet Cardra Burns: Academic Director of Public Administration

From a young age, Dr. Cardra Burns’s heart has pulled her toward public service. That pull has led her to more than 20 years of experience as a public administrator which she now brings to Wake Forest School of Professional Studies as the Academic Director for the Master of Public Administration program.

Originally, Cardra’s life plans involved providing a different type of service to the community.  

“I went to school to be a nurse,” she said. “But I realized that type of care was not for me, so my junior year I changed my degree to nutrition.”

Cardra graduated from Georgia Southern University with a B.S. in Nutrition and Food Science. This degree propelled her into the public administration space. After college, she began her career working as a nutritionist for the WIC program, which provides supplemental nutrition education and resources to women, infants, and children up to five years old. 

“In that role, I saw a lot of health disparities and how the system wasn’t necessarily working for our program participants,” Cardra recalled. “That further ignited my desire to make a change.”

She realized she wanted to do more than help individuals – she wanted to bring a positive impact to entire communities. This passion sparked her journey as a public administrator with Cardra holding positions at local, county, and state agencies. 

In 2020, she worked for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and was entrenched in COVID-19 operations, including leading the state’s testing and vaccine deployment operations. Her work during this time period led to her promotion to be the department’s Deputy Secretary of Operational Excellence

Cardra’s profound love for her blended family led her to prioritize them more after coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she and her family moved to Rockville, Maryland, but she knew her work with the NCDHHS wasn’t finished. The department supported her transition to a remote role as Chief Transformation Officer, where she leads the adoption of innovative technologies, improves operational efficiency, and ensures inclusive, forward-thinking solutions that meet the evolving needs of stakeholders.

“At the NCDHHS, there’s an opportunity to make impactful change,” she said. “We touch every point of a person’s life. I love being a part of something bigger than myself.” 

Alongside her professional journey, Cardra continued to keep a hand in the academic world where she could continue to increase her own knowledge. While working, she earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Walden University. Cardra also earned a Doctorate of Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems Management from Walden University. 

She stepped into her first adjunct professor position in 2008, once again driven to serve. Only this time she wanted to serve people closer to her. 

“The push to begin teaching was actually my family,” Cardra recalled. “They were facing some financial challenges, and I knew I needed to help. I wanted to find additional employment that was not only fulfilling but also something I could do while in school and working my full-time job.”

That desire for supplemental income to help her family was the basis of what’s become a lifelong commitment to service and supporting the next generation of public administration leaders. Cardra has served as an adjunct or associate professor at Baker College, the University of Arizona Global Campus, and Lander University.

“It really brings me joy to see students grow and become confident and capable,” she said. 

“To prepare the future of public administrators, we need to focus on adaptability, critical thinking, and empathy. This is more important than ever coming out of the Covid pandemic. 

She’s excited for the opportunity to do this at Wake Forest SPS where the focus isn’t only on preparing students academically but also preparing them to be passionate and innovative leaders. 

“I also love that one of the program’s key differentiators is its focus on leveraging emerging technology, which equips future public administrators with the tools and knowledge to work smarter and more efficiently. By embracing these innovations, we prepare our students to tackle complex, real life challenges”, she said. 

The Master of Public Administration started its first cohort of students in fall of 2024. The online program focuses on helping professionals develop an interdisciplinary approach to shaping impactful change in communities. 

Whether or not someone is new to the field, looking to advance their career, or making a pivot, Cardra’s advice for them is the same: “It’s easy to feel like you need to have all the answers, but the best learning comes from showing up as your authentic self, staying open to new ideas, and being willing to collaborate. That’s when the best decisions are made.” 

Connect with Cardra on LinkedIn. 

Expand your understanding of public administration with an online Master of Public Administration degree from Wake Forest University’s School of Professional Studies (SPS). Learn more today.