Lisa Barker

Director of Strategic Initiatives for the School of Education | Affiliate Faculty, Departments of Curriculum & Instruction and Theatre & Drama | Director, School of Education Improvisation Initiatives

School of Education

Lisa Barker is Director of Strategic Initiatives for the School of Education, 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 improvisational theatre can be applied in professional learning, and she is energized by helping people develop interpersonal agility — active listening, flexibility, collaboration — in service of advancing justice and joy. 

Workshops:

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.