Stephanie Baker, M.A., (she/her) leads Institutional Capacity-Building at LCI. She designs training materials and resources, and leads training and coaching efforts with administrators and executives to build capacity in education partnerships to collaborate for equitable systems change. In this role she builds on 45 years of experience as an educator/administrator, including as Deputy Superintendent of a K-12 school district where she led Strategic Plan priorities and improvement efforts and advocated for inclusion and equity for all students. Her expertise is undergirded by a BS in Elementary Education from Oakwood University, an MA from Chicago State University, and California Administrative Credential certification from CSU/Fullerton.

Stephanie has 45 years of experience as an educator/administrator and learning leader in private and public PreK-12 settings, retiring in 2018 as the Deputy Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer of the Pomona Unified School District. She has served as a teacher, K-8 and middle school assistant principal and principal, as well as in director roles in professional development and state and categorical programs. Under her site and district leadership, many instructional initiatives and programs for strengthening both student and adult learning were successfully implemented, garnering numerous recognitions and awards for students, staff, schools and leadership. She implemented leadership development programs for new, aspiring, and experienced administrators, including the Great Leaders for Great Schools federally-funded grant program and the creation of the Pomona Administrator Clear Credential Program (PACCP), an approved California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) program to enable school administrators to achieve their California Tier II Administrative Clear Credential.

Stephanie's work focuses on school and system improvement, professional learning, leadership development, executive coaching, coach training, and network collaboration. She currently serves as a Senior Associate for Lead Learner Associates, providing executive coaching to secondary site administrators in Southern California's Inland Empire,  and certification training to coaches. As an Executive Consultant for Leadership Associates, she facilitates a series of leadership development workshops for assistant superintendents. With a focus on equitable access and opportunity for all, Stephanie serves on numerous local, state, and national educational and civic committees and has received recognition from various organizations, including the California Association of African American Administrators and Superintendents (CAAASA).

Stephanie highlights that the most inspiring part of her job at LCI is that she gets to continue her advocacy and support of equitable access and opportunity for underrepresented and marginalized students and the institutions that serve them to create systems that can build and sustain their success. As such, one of her main goals at the Institute is to ensure that individuals and communities are uplifted in ways that promote personal and communal well-being and positivity.