Anita Barker Position: Director of Athletics Institution: California State University - Chico

Anita Barker is in her sixth year as the director for the university's 13 intercollegiate sports and Chico State's recreational sports programs. Barker has successfully worked to build on the prior success of the program and continues to focus on improving the department's fund raising and marketing efforts to offer more athletics grant-in-aid to deserving student athletes. In the 2004-05, Barker directed the athletics department to its highest standing in the Directors' Cup with a third-place finish. That was the second of three consecutive top-10 finishes for the Wildcats.

A priority of Barker's is to improve the student-athlete experience at Chico State. That is being accomplished in part through a new focus on the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).

Prior to her current position, Barker served as the University's associate athletics director alongside Don Batie. As associate athletics director, Barker served as the senior women's administrator, supervised staff, and developed departmental policy and procedures. Barker has worked in the athletics department since 1990, when she was hired as the assistant athletics trainer.

She began working in athletics administration in 1995, when she was appointed the assistant athletics director and senior women's administrator. In 1997, she was promoted to associate AD.

Barker graduated from Ohio Northern University in 1985 and received her master's degree from the University of Arizona in 1987. She has worked at all three divisions in the NCAA.

Barker and her husband, Scott, Chico State's head athletics trainer, have two children, Luke and McKena.