When Vonda Bell began looking for a graduate program, she knew she needed one that could fit the demands of her career. What she found at Troy University became more than a convenient path to a degree, it became the foundation for a career centered on people, leadership and the belief that human resources can make a lasting difference.
Nearly three decades after earning her master’s degree in human resource management from TROY, Bell is a recognized leader in federal human capital management and a 2026 Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), a prestigious honor that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of public administration.
Today, she serves as Chief Human Capital Officer at the Farm Credit Administration where she leads the Office of Agency Services and oversees human capital, workforce development and operational functions. Her more than 27 years of federal service have included leadership roles with the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General and the Department of the Interior.
People are also reading…
As a senior at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Bell attended a campus career fair and shared her resume with the organizations in attendance. About two weeks later, she returned home from class to find a message on her answering machine with a tentative job offer in human resources from the Department of the Navy.
She accepted, graduated and began her federal career in December 1999.
“When I got there they said to our group, ‘We really want to invest in you all, and we are willing to offer tuition reimbursement if you decide to go to graduate school,’” Bell recalled. “I did my research and settled on Troy University. They had created this niche for people who needed it, like me, federal employees moving around.”
TROY’s online master’s program in human resource management offered the flexibility she needed without compromising academic rigor, she said. Bell was working full time, raising her son and had recently moved from Huntsville to south Mississippi when she began the program.
“There were days I still remember just laughing to keep from crying,” she said. “But I loved every minute of it. TROY deepened the passion I had for HR and helped me understand that it is not just an administrative function, it’s a strategic discipline. And when used properly, it can transform organizations. It has helped me so much along the way as I’ve dealt with complex agency or organizational issues.”
Bell first learned about the NAPA Fellows roughly 16 years ago when several federal executives she admired were selected. True to nature, she began researching the organization and regularly turned to NAPA’s extensive library for information on human capital, organizational effectiveness and public administration.
“I started looking at some of their materials, and they have this amazing library,” she said. “I love research, so I was always referring to their materials. It became a key part of my reference library and a resource that would help me get my day-to-day job done.”
Fourteen years after first learning about the fellowship, Bell was approached by a NAPA Fellow who asked if she was interested in being nominated.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather,” she said. “I had been monitoring NAPA for so long. When the opportunity came to me, I was grateful and could not believe it.
“I immediately thought about my foundation—my graduate program—how much it taught me and how it’s a big reason why I’m able to perform the way I do in my job today, because I had that strong foundation.”
The nomination process included rounds of interviews and voting, then she began receiving LinkedIn requests from others associated with NAPA. Eventually, she received the news.
“It was all shrouded in mystery,” she laughed. “Then they contacted me and said, ‘You’re in. You got elected.’”
After 16 years of using the NAPA library as a reference, she’s now able to contribute her own bodies of work to help further the field.
“It’s a really full-circle, very proud moment,” Bell said. “It’s especially meaningful to be able to share the moment with Troy University because my education there is the foundation upon which so much of my federal career has been built.”
When asked what’s next for her, she said she plans to do what she’s always done and “get to work.”
“I’m going to immediately roll my sleeves up and get to work. NAPA Fellows continue to do amazing things, and I look forward to continuing to utilize the research skills that TROY instilled in me,” she said. “I’m looking forward to taking everything I’ve learned, both in the classroom and in the office doing the actual work, and keeping my word to NAPA and contributing.”
While her professional accomplishments continue to grow, her time away from work is centered on something much closer to home: her family.
Bell moved to the Arlington, Virginia, area in 2003 and enjoys exploring the museums and history of the area. She also spends time with her granddaughter, who is now a college student. There is no hesitation about where she hopes her granddaughter’s education might eventually lead.
“I’m absolutely going to encourage her to go to Troy University for graduate school,” she said.
And to other human resource professionals considering TROY for their graduate program, Bell says, “Go for it.”
“Troy University has offered this program for decades. It is tried and true,” she said. “My hope is that when people see this accolade, they will make that connection: this person is a Troy University graduate, who is now a NAPA Fellow, and their Troy University education led to a deeper passion for HR.
“I was able to apply it throughout my public service career, and it had an impact. I didn’t have to sacrifice my education because I was a new, entry-level federal employee. I was able to get accepted into a rigorous program that taught me everything I needed to know and is a key cornerstone of my success.”
