Executive Director, PLACE: Professional Learning and Community Education | Affiliate Faculty, Departments of Curriculum & Instruction and Theatre & Drama | Director, School of Education Improvisation Initiatives
Office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE)
Lisa Barker is Executive Director of the School of Education’s office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE), Director of the School’s Improvisation Initiatives, and Affiliate Faculty in the Departments of Curriculum & Instruction and Theatre & Drama. She earned her doctorate in curriculum and teacher education from Stanford University and her MA in Educational Theatre from New York University. Lisa is curious about how the principles and practices of improv can inform leadership and learning, and she is energized by helping people develop interpersonal agility — active listening, flexibility, collaboration — in service of advancing justice and joy.
Talks:
WORKSHOP: Improv for Community & Connection
Through interactive exercises and collective conversation, this workshop invites participants to practice the principles of improvisational theatre—listening actively, failing cheerfully, and working hard to help others feel safe and look good—and discuss how these principles apply to our professional and personal contexts.