Dr. Robert E. Baker became the interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development in April 2020 and returned to his position as professor and director of the School of Sport Recreation and Tourism Management and the Center for Sport Management within the College of Education and Human Development in July 2022. He first joined George Mason University in 2005 as an associate professor and program coordinator for sport management. He is a member of the college’s Executive Team and Leadership Team. Prior to his arrival at Mason, he served as chair of the Department of Sport Sciences at Ashland University. He has had abundant school-based experience in Virginia and Pennsylvania as a teacher, coach, and administrator. He also served in intercollegiate athletic administrative positions in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio.
Dr. Baker earned his doctorate in Higher Education from the College of William & Mary, and both his M.S. in Sport Administration and B.S. in Secondary Education from the Pennsylvania State University. He has served as president of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), as a founding commissioner of the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), and a founding board member of the World Association of Sport Management (WASM). Dr. Baker is a recipient of NASSM’s Distinguished Sport Management Educator Award and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Outstanding Achievement in Sport Management Award.
Dr. Baker’s research has focused on sport for development and peace, sport analytics, professional preparation in sport management, and sport leadership and coaching. In addition to dozens of books, book chapters and refereed articles, and an array of national and international presentations, Dr. Baker has served as the principal investigator on over seven million dollars in grants. While at Mason, he was principle investigator of the Sport Diplomacy Initiative, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of State that employed sport as a vehicle to promote intercultural understanding. Over 1200 participants from 81 countries participated in the sport-based experiences, breaking down barriers, enhancing intergroup understanding, and yielding a greater awareness of the impact of sport in development and diplomatic processes.
Dr. Baker’s wife, Dr. Pamela Hudson Baker, is also a tenured faculty member at George Mason University.
