Dorothy Walker was born in 1930 in Stockton, California and raised in Angels Camp, California, where her family moved when she was five years old. She went to grade school in Angels Camp and was an active singer and pianist in several musical groups. She attended UC Berkeley from 1948 until 1950, when she left after getting married. She moved to Chicago in 1953 and returned to Berkeley in 1960 and subsequently completed her Bachelor’s degree. From there, she worked for the city of Berkeley and UC Berkeley until she retired in 1992. In her work for the City of Berkeley Ms. Walker helped desegregate Berkeley public schools, limited high-speed car traffic in residential neighborhoods, and was involved in three downtown plans. As a UC Berkeley employee she radically transformed parking on campus, helped acquire the Clark Kerr Campus, and with her appointment as Assistant Vice Chancellor of Property Development in 1989 she was the first woman administrator "chancellor" on campus. She has been active in her retirement, serving on many local committees.