Dr. Barker is a diversity professional and scholar with 18+ years of experience providing expertise, training and development, and program design for diversity and inclusion. His trainings and consultations have included both higher education and corporate organizations interested in building capacity for bolstering diversity and inclusion, developing diversity-minded teams, and/or developing a more inclusive work environment.

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Education

• PhD (Educational Leadership & Research with concentration in higher education) – Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

• MBA (Business Administration) – Webster University, St. Louis, MO

• BSIE (Industrial Engineering) – University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

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Professional Roles Held in Education

• Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion - University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Associate Professor of Practice - University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer -- Westminster College, Salt Lake City, UT

• Sr. Director for Education, Operations, and Initiatives for Diversity & Multicultural Affairs (Division of Workforce Strategy, Equity & Engagement) - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Clinical Assistant Professor (School of Education) – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Director for Educational Equity (Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach) – Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

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Other Professional Roles

• Cost Analysis and Regulatory Manager, SBC Services (now AT&T) -- St. Louis, MO

• Outside Plant Engineer, Southwestern Bell Telephone (now AT&T) -- Little Rock, AR

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Current and Past Associations & Memberships

• American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U)

• National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education

• Arkansas Alumni Association Black Alumni Society Board

• Alpha Phi Alpha - Lifetime Member
• University of Arkansas' Libraries Campaign Committee

• KeyBank Utah Advisory Board

• National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE) – National Advisory Council

• American Educational Research Association (AERA)

• Alpha Phi Omega – National Diversity Committee

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Awards and Recognitions

• Leadership Triangle, Goodman Fellow, 2016

• Utah Business, Forty Under 40, 2018

• Leadership Utah, 2018

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Select Publications

Articles (Refereed Articles)

• Felder, P., & Barker, M. J. (2013). Using Bell’s concept of interest convergence: A framework for understanding the African American doctoral experience. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 8, 1-20.

• Barker, M., & Avery, J. A. (2012). The impact of an institutional leadership initiative on Black male engagement and persistence. College Student Affairs Journal, 31(2), 73-87.

• Barker, M. (2011). Racial context, currency, and connections: Black doctoral student and white faculty advisor perspectives on cross-race advising. Innovative Education & Teaching International. 48(4), 387-400.

• Barker, M. (2007). Cross-cultural mentoring across institutional contexts. Negro Educational Review. 58(1/2), 85-103.

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Edited Book

• Felder, P., Barker, M. J., Gasman, M. (2020).  Sankofa: African American perspectives of race and culture in US doctoral education, Albany, New York, SUNY Press.

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Book Chapters

• Gardner, S. K., & Barker, M. J. (2014). Engaging graduate and professional students. In S. R. Harper & S. J. Quaye (Eds.), Student Engagement in Higher Education: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Approaches for Diverse Populations (2nd). New York: Taylor & Francis.

• Albert, K. A., & Barker, M. J. (2012). Balancing act: A case on re-centering diversity in the midst of social and economic fluctuations. In C. Clark, M. Brimhall-Vargas, & K. Fasching-Varner (Eds.), Occupying the Academy: Just How Important Is Diversity in Public Higher Education? (pp. 38-49). Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield.

• Barker, M. (2012). An exploration of racial identity among Black doctoral students involved in cross-race advising relationships. In J. Sullivan and A. Esmail (Eds.), African American Identity: Racial and Cultural Dimensions of the Black Experience. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

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