Dr. Baker is a visionary and accomplished educational leader with over 30 years of proven success at every level of K-12 public education.
TOANO, VA, March 11, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. S. Scott Baker has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
A visionary and accomplished educational leader with over 30 years of proven success at every level of K-12 public education, Dr. Baker was recently given the opportunity to leverage his diverse K-12 experience to make a meaningful contribution to higher education as an Executive Professor for the College of William & Mary School of Education. Since August 2022, he has focused his efforts on co-coordinating the Masters of Educational Leadership program as well as teaching courses each semester in critical leadership preparation areas such as Educational Law, Instructional Leadership, and School Division Finance. In helping to recruit students to the program where they are engaged in rigorous academic study and relevant field experience, Dr. Baker is able to pursue his passion for preparing tomorrow's educational leaders.
In March 2022, Dr. Baker began working as an Executive Manager for the consulting firm, Berkley Group. Since January 2023, he has served as Berkley Group's Director of Public Education. He leads a team of Executive Managers to support and guide school divisions with critical projects such as strategic planning development and implementation, executive coaching, instructional program reviews and needs assessments, and administrative and school board retreats. This work enables Dr. Baker to pursue another passion, which is to work alongside K-12 educational leaders in developing processes that stimulate continuous improvement during this unprecedented era of challenge and complexity.
Prior to serving in his current positions, Dr. Baker served in school and district leadership roles for 25 years, including a 10 year tenure as Superintendent of Spotsylvania County Public Schools in Virginia. His educational background includes earning a Bachelor's degree in English with a minor in Theater from Radford University in 1991, a Masters in Educational Leadership and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Virginia in 2010.
Among his professional accomplishments, Dr. Baker was named the King William County Public Schools Sallie Mae First Year Teacher of the Year in 1993 and Teacher of the Year in 1997, was honored as the REB Distinguished Educational Leader by the Community Foundation and Hanover County Public Schools in 2007, and in 2019, he was named VDOE Region III Superintendent of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. Beyond individual awards or accolades, Dr. Baker is most proud of honors or distinctions that reflect the achievement of the entire organization he has been fortunate enough to lead. This includes recognitions such as Spotsylvania County Public Schools being twice recognized as one of the best places to work in the state and nation by Forbes. This reflects Dr. Baker's intentional focus on developing a culture of teamwork that nurtures individual and organizational growth and sustainable capacity.
Looking to the future, Dr. Baker intends to work alongside his colleagues to continue making the Master of Education program at the William & Mary School of Education the premier training ground for Virginia's future public school leaders. Additionally, he envisions the public education division of the Berkley Group growing and thriving to become a leading trusted partner for public schools throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond. Finally, he plans to further contribute to the field as a writer and speaker. Profoundly influenced and inspired by his late father, a former superintendent, he firmly believes that the best leaders prioritize the needs of students, staff, and the community above their own. Fundamentally, this means putting "first things first" and a fervent dedication to the principles of systemic continuous improvement that extends beyond one's tenure. As a result, he strives to continue growing and impacting the quality of educational leadership.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Marquis celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2023, and Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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