Vicki L. Baker

Recognized as a “Top 100 Visionary” in Education by the Global Forum for Education and Learning (2020-2021), Vicki is at the forefront of innovation and strategy in faculty and leadership development. A faculty member and Fulbright Specialist Alumna (Utrecht, Netherlands; Lugano, Switzerland), Vicki’s goal is to help faculty members, colleges, and universities thrive.

She is the E. Maynard Aris Endowed Professor in Economics and Management at Albion College, where she serves as Associate Dean, Strategic Partnerships & Innovation and Chair of the Economics & Management Department. Prior to joining the academy as a faculty member, Vicki worked at Harvard Business School (Executive Education) and AK Steel Corporation. She earned her PhD (Higher Education) and MS (Management & Organization) from Penn State University, MBA from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and BS from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She holds a certificate in Human Resource Management (Villanova University) and is a Certified Professional in HR through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Vicki’s books and monographs include Charting Your Path to Full: A Guide for Women Associate Professors (Rutgers), Success After Tenure: Supporting Mid-Career Faculty (Routledge/Taylor & Francis), Developing Faculty in Liberal Arts Colleges (Rutgers), Managing Your Academic Career: A Guide to Re-envision Mid-Career (Routledge/Taylor & Francis), A Toolkit for Mid-Career Academics: Cultivating Career Advancement (Routledge/Taylor & Francis), and a New Directions in Higher Education volume, Bridging the Research-Practice Nexus: Resources, Tools, and Strategies to Navigate Mid-Career in the Academy (Wiley). She has written over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, invited opinion pieces for higher education news media outlets, case studies and blogs on the topics of faculty and leadership development and higher education.

Vicki’s work has been featured in national/international media outlets including WalletHub, Times Higher Education, Hechinger Report, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, USA Today, New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Huffington Post. Through her consulting firm, Lead Mentor Develop, LLC (co-Founder with Laura Lunsford). Vicki regularly consults with industry and higher education institutions on the topics of leadership, faculty development, change management, and mentoring. Vicki has conducted workshops, scholarly presentations, and keynote addresses at professional associations including the Association for the Study of Higher Education, the Council for the Advancement of Higher Education Programs, the American Educational Research Association, the Council for Independent Colleges, and the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD).

Her teaching and scholarship have garnered attention within and outside of her institution. She has been recognized as the Arthur Anderson Teacher of the Year, Phi Beta Kappa Scholar of the Year, Student’s Choice “Professor of the Year,” Arthur Anderson New Teacher of the Year, Most Valuable Professor, and “Professor of the Week” by the Michigan Colleges Alliance (MCA). Most recently, she was named as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, which identifies and prepares faculty, staff and administrators for senior positions in college and university leadership. Vicki was also a “Best Article Award 2012” Top 3 Finalist– Personnel Psychology and Highly Commended Winner for Excellence from the Emerald Literati Network (Journal of Managerial Psychology). Her work has been funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the National Science Foundation. Vicki enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and their dog. She participates in interval training three days a week and is an avid reader.