Wendy Hunter-Barker

Bio

Wendy Hunter Barker is an accomplished executive leader with 25 years of experience in strategic planning, institutional administration, and programmatic management within higher education. She is known for driving organizational success through mission-focused leadership, innovative initiatives, and her deep commitment to enhancing university culture through diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Adept at building cross-functional teams, forging strategic partnerships, and enhancing institutional reputation, Hunter Barker is currently the Assistant Dean of Strategic Operations and External Relations at the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego.  In this role, Wendy provides leadership, risk analysis, and experienced planning related to academic, operational, and strategic dimensions of operating the Rady School. Her portfolio includes oversight of strategic planning, marketing and communications, executive education, corporate relations, event management, the centers of excellence, accreditation and equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.  She is a key leader on policy and process mapping, campus collaboration creation, and represented the school as one of four Change Leaders co-directing the UC San Diego Changemaker Institute from 2021-2024.

Prior to joining Rady in 2020, Wendy served for nearly seven years as the assistant dean for Academic Programs at UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. She began her time at UC San Diego with a 14-year term at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) where she served in a number of roles including international relations coordinator, internal communications manager for the Vice Chancellor, deputy director for finance and operations, and finally director of Institutional Initiatives.   At SIO, her portfolio also included alumni relations, business development, external relations coordination, international relations, and institutional proposal development.

Wendy received her BA with honors in political science and international relations from UCLA and a Masters in international peace and conflict resolution from American University in Washington, D.C.  She is currently finishing an MBA at the Rady School of Management.