Public Administration Faculty

Jonathan Delgado MPA’20
Senior Economic Development Associate, City of Bridgeport

Jonathan Delgado serves as a senior economic development associate for the City of Bridgeport's Office of Planning & Economic Development. In this role, he works with developers, business owners and the local community through the administration of various city programs and initiatives. Previously, Delgado served as assistant director for community-engaged research at Fairfield University's Center for Social Impact, where he worked with staff, faculty, and students to design and implement research projects with community partners. Delgado received his bachelor of general studies degree from the University of Connecticut, and his master of public administration degree from Fairfield University.

Melissa Quan, EdD
Director of the Center for Social Impact, Fairfield University

Melissa Quan, EdD, is director of the Center for Social Impact at Fairfield University where she has worked since 2002. As director, Dr. Quan leads the strategic growth and development of academic community engagement. Dr. Quan completed her master’s degree in education at Fairfield University in 2005 and earned a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2021. The International Association of Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement recognized her scholarship with the Dissertation Award in 2021. Dr. Quan has several publications that focus on professional development within the field of higher education community engagement, institutional change, and community-engaged teaching and learning. Dr. Quan is an alumna of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (1998-1999) and currently serves on the board of directors with RYASAP (Regional Adult and Youth Social Action Partnership). She is a recipient of the Lucy Katz Woman of the Year Award (2016) and the Martin Luther King Jr. Vision Award (2012), both from Fairfield University, for her commitment and work to promote social justice. She lives in Fairfield, Conn., with her husband, two children, a parent, and a pup.

Tom Sobocinski
Principal Grant Writer at CT Grant Writers

Thomas Sobocinski started writing grants when he took a grant-funded position in Hartford, CT (1992) that required him to submit one or more grants each year in order to maintain the program and keep his job; a great incentive. Since then, he has worked for a number of agencies and has written grants that have been awarded more than $141 million. His writing expertise has supported social services, educational and workforce training programs for under-served populations such as job seekers with disabilities, homeless veterans, and low-income older workers, as well as incumbent workers and apprentices in high-growth industries such as advanced manufacturing and healthcare. Sobocinski has provided training for the public at the request of Congressman Jim Himes and has provided grant writing and training for the State of Connecticut Department of Labor.

He is a Fairfield University double alumnus, graduating with the Class of 1972 with a degree in sociology and a master’s degree in corporate and political communication in 1978.

Sobocinski, who has been teaching grant writing to both undergraduate and graduate students at Fairfield since 2008, has experience that encompasses historical and political development, academic-community partnerships, and project assessment in order to provide students with comprehensive grant development services.

Rev. Charlie Stallworth, DMin
Former Connecticut State Representative & Senior Pastor

Rev. Charlie Stallworth, DMin, a former five-term Connecticut state representative for the 126th District, Bridgeport, joined Fairfield’s fully-online Master of Public Administration faculty two years ago, and teaches public policy and administration courses to both graduate and undergraduate students.

As a state representative, he cosponsored legislation concerning veteran’s issues, school bullying, education, public health, human services, prison reform and meeting children’s special needs. Dr. Stallworth is the former commissioner on the Bridgeport Board of Police Commissioners as well.

Presently, Dr. Stallworth serves as senior pastor of the East End Baptist Tabernacle Church, in Bridgeport, and is the author of the devotional series, Before You Give Up, Consider These Things. He’s also been selected, multiple times, as one of the “100 Most Influential African Americans” in the State of Connecticut.

Dr. Stallworth received his bachelor of arts degree in bible and pastoral ministry from Selma University; earned his master of divinity degree from Vanderbilt University, School of Divinity, and earned a master of sacred theology degree from Yale University, Yale Divinity School; and received his doctor of ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Bieu B. Tran, MBA, MPA, MLitt, CAMS, CFE, CGSS, ECoP® EAR & ITAR
Export Control Officer, University of Connecticut and UConn Health

Prof. Bieu Tran earned his MBA from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, MPA from CUNY-John Jay College of Criminal Justice, MLitt in Political Philosophy from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland), and his BA from the University of Connecticut. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, RI. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the University of Connecticut and is an ABD candidate for the DBA at Grenoble Ecole de Management, an AACSB-accredited business school based in France.

Together with his teaching at Fairfield University, Prof. Tran has taught over 35 graduate and undergraduate courses at a variety of universities in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York, including 1 MBA and 3 MPA programs. His career spans both the public and private sectors, as well as service in all levels of government. Prof. Tran’s proudest professional accomplishment has been his service as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. A veteran of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, he is honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to serve alongside the nation’s finest Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Guardians at home and abroad.

Currently, Prof. Tran is the Export Control Officer for the University of Connecticut and UConn Health, managing the entire export and sanctions compliance portfolio for all areas within the university, including more than $375M in annual research enterprise.