Marshall A. Baker, PhD, Vice President of Postsecondary Success, is an experienced and passionate educational leader who is focused on improving educational systems as a mechanism to bridge equity gaps, build vibrant communities, and support families in creating a life of choices.
Marshall is an educator at heart with extensive experience in public schools, charter schools, alternative education, career and technical education, and higher education. His passion for education all began at Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, a Big Picture school, where he served as a science advisor. He often refers to the 15 students in his advisory as his inspiration and motivation to continue the work of pursuing educational excellence and equity. Marshall grew his knowledge and experiences as a secondary principal. As a faculty at a R-1 Research University, he trained hundreds of teacher aspirants, led district-wide professional development, published over 20 journal articles, and secured over 4 million dollars in federal grants – all focused on the role of experiential learning in transforming school systems. Most recently, Marshall was the Chief of Staff of a charter organization codifying a model to improve postsecondary outcomes for rural Texas.
At MAYA, Marshall focuses on improving postsecondary outcomes for all students. This includes building equitable pathways from high school to college, partnering with institutions of higher education to increase student retention, assisting schools in analyzing postsecondary outcomes to create strong college and career strategies, and consulting school districts in designing experiential school models that connect regional workforce needs to college and certificate programs of study. Continuous improvement is at the heart of this work turning data into actionable and equitable strategies. Marshall utilizes the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle of continuous improvement to support partners in achieving results for those we serve.
Marshall attended the University of Florida, where he received both his bachelors and masters of science degrees in education. He received his PhD from Oklahoma State University where he worked extensively with Dr. David and Alice Kolb, founders of the Experiential Learning Theory. Marshall lives in Stillwater, OK where he loves to fly fish, bike challenging gravel roads, and camp with his wife and two boys. He currently serves his community as an elected member of the Stillwater Public Schools Board of Education.