[1] The focus of her career has been understanding and fostering the growth of local and regional economies throughout the world.
Until 2021 she also served as the Dean of Extended Studies and as an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology.
[2] Walshok was a co-founder of the San Diego nonprofit CONNECT, which encourages entrepreneurs and startups, and is credited with emphasizing its bottom-up organizational structure.
[4] Much of her work focuses on the development of regional innovation clusters, drawing from her experience and connections within San Diego, particularly "how globalization and rapid changes in technology are affecting the social dynamics and economic challenges of regions across America.
In May 2002, she was decorated with the rank of Knighthood, First Class, of the Order of the Polar Star by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, "in recognition of her significant contribution to the development of entrepreneurship in Sweden".