Melissa Barker

Dr. Melissa Barker has a diverse range of work experience. Dr. Melissa is the Founder & CEO of The Phoenix Project since January 2018. Dr. Melissa has also served as a Mentor at SXSW since March 2021 and as an Executive Member at Dreamers & Doers® since October 2021. In 2018, they became the San Francisco RSA Ambassador & Fellow for The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). Dr. Melissa was a Member of the Board Of Directors at STAND! For Families Free of Violence from January 2018 to November 2019. Prior to that, they worked as the Associate Director of Student Engagement at the University of California, Berkeley from August 2013 to March 2017. Dr. Melissa was also involved in Leadership Studies at Saint Mary's College of California from 2012 to 2014. In addition, they have experience as a Special Projects and Policy Analyst Intern at the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and at the California Research Bureau, where they conducted research and policy analysis. Dr. Melissa also interned at the Vice Chancellor Office for Equity and Inclusion, Staff Diversity Initiatives, where they conducted research on veterans' needs and assisted with data analysis and office tasks.

Dr. Melissa Barker has a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, which they obtained from 2009 to 2012. Following that, from 2012 to 2014, they pursued a Master's degree in Leadership Studies for Social Justice at Saint Mary's College of California. Later, they completed their Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Administration, General, also at Saint Mary's College of California, from 2016 to 2021. Additionally, in 2020, Dr. Barker participated in Startup School at Y Combinator, although no specific degree or field of study is mentioned for this program.