Marc Barker has been named assistant vice president for Safety and Risk Services and chief resilience officer for Colorado State University. He is well-known around campus for leading CSU’s military and veterans’ programs and as director of the Adult Learner and Veteran Services office. He also has been co-chair of the university’s Pandemic Preparedness Team for the past 10 months.
“I look forward to serving the CSU community in this new role,” Barker said. “Safety and Risk Services will utilize an interdisciplinary approach to reduce the university’s vulnerability to events that could prevent us from achieving CSU’s core mission of academic excellence, research, service and engagement.”
Barker brings deep experience to his new position, including leadership roles in higher education and a broad safety and security background in the U.S. Army and private industry.
“We’re thrilled to have Marc take on this important role for CSU during an especially difficult time, as both higher ed and our entire world continue to grapple with the pandemic,” said CSU President Joyce McConnell. “Having worked with Marc daily these past months, I am well aware of his excellent skills and his talent for planning and managing complex responses to extraordinary challenges. He’s both a team-builder and a team player.”
Barker sees his role as one rooted in building and maintaining relationships. “The pandemic has shown us the importance of leveraging the phenomenal talents that exist within our community to mitigate risk, big and small,” he said. “Since March of 2020, the people of CSU, faculty, staff, and students have responded in unprecedented ways. While we cannot predict when a crisis, emergency or new risk will present itself, I feel confident that CSU will be prepared to meet it.”
Safety and Risk Services is a new unit resulting from an organizational restructure and encompasses several departments that currently reside within University Operations, Environmental Health, Risk Management, and the Policy Office, and will incorporate the CSU Police Department and Emergency Management that currently report to the President’s Office.
This position will also have oversight for the newly formed Clery Compliance Office and serve as the University’s Chief Resiliency Officer. Barker’s first day in this new position is Dec. 21. He will continue to serve as co-chair of the Pandemic Preparedness Team and management of all future Campus Emergencies, such as the pandemic, will be the direct responsibility of this position. A search to fill Barker’s previous leadership position with the Adult Learner and Veteran Services office will begin in January.
