Thank You, Barbara Walker! Wake Forest Senior Administrator Retires
11/19/2020 1:00:00 PM | General
Barbara Walker, who has dedicated the past 21 years to serving Wake Forest Athletics’ student-athletes, coaches and staff, has announced that she will retire from Wake Forest University on January 8, 2021.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Following an impactful 21 years as Wake Forest Athletics Senior Women's Administrator and a member of Athletics' senior leadership team, deputy AD Barbara Walker has announced that she will retire from Wake Forest University on Jan. 8, 2021.
"It has been a privilege to be part of the Demon Deacon family for more than two decades," Walker said. The student-athletes and coaches at Wake Forest are the best I have ever worked with
throughout my 40-year career in college athletics. Those who know me well know that winning is just about my favorite thing, but more important than that is the opportunity to build relationships that last, and I am fortunate to have done that here at Wake Forest."
"Barbara Walker has dedicated her entire career to serving student-athletes and Wake Forest is blessed that she spent more than two decades in Winston-Salem," Director of Athletics John Currie said. "Barbara has been a trusted friend, colleague and leader within our University community. She has truly made a lasting impact on Wake Forest Athletics and our staff and student-athletes will look forward to seeing her at Deacon ballgames often."
Walker joined Wake Forest Athletics as Associate AD/SWA in the fall of 1999 in a newly established role overseeing all of the department's 16 Olympic sport programs. As sport administrator, Walker has been part of six national championship teams (three NCAA Field Hockey, one NCAA Men's Soccer, one NCAA Men's Tennis, one ITA Men's Tennis).
"I arrived on campus having spent the previous two years at the University of Texas at Austin. Any expectation that I might have had that 'bigger is better,' was blown away immediately. It was clear from the start that the coaches and student-athletes were passionate about the pursuit of excellence and committed to competing at the highest level while also remaining focused on earning degrees. Their passion and commitment have not wavered, and it has driven me to work hard, advocate for our coaches and programs, and when necessary, fight to get them the resources they need to be successful.
"It's been so much fun to watch our programs grow and develop into elite, championship programs. I want to thank Jen Averill, Jay Vidovich and Tony Bresky for giving me national championships to brag about, and I'm grateful to all of the Wake coaches for their hard work, loyalty and perseverance in building a program that I am so proud to be a part of."
In addition to her sport administrator duties, Walker has provided oversight of compliance, operations, sports medicine, and student-athlete services, led the department's human resources unit, spearheaded a variety of special projects related to strategic planning, equity, and student-athlete welfare and currently serves as Title IX Coordinator and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
Walker has represented Wake Forest on the national level, chairing the NCAA Women's Soccer Committee and NCAA Honors Committee as well as serving on the NCAA Volleyball Committee and NACDA Executive Board. She is currently chair of the ACC Senior Woman Administrator Committee, previously chaired the ACC Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, and Women's Soccer Committees and has served on the ACC Women's Basketball, Men's Soccer and Baseball Committees. She is also a member of Women Leaders in College Sports.
A strong leader not only within Athletics but also the broader University and community, Walker joined the Wake Forest Women's Forum Executive Committee in 2012, chaired the University's 2017 United Way campaign, currently serves on the University's Council on Inclusion and Diversity (CID) and Title IX 2020 Implementation Task Force, and is a long-time member of United Way of Forsyth County's Women's Leadership Council.
Prior to coming to Wake Forest in 1999, Walker spent two years at The University of Texas at Austin as associate AD, eight years at Oregon as senior associate AD, and eight years at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
She has built countless relationships with people from all levels of college athletics and is respected and revered by key leaders across the country.
Duke University Director of Athletics Kevin White, who has been a good friend of Barbara's for 25 years and followed her career closely, said, "Barbara Walker is clearly one of the most respected leaders within college athletics. Unequivocally, Barbara has always been perceived as student-athlete centric, and she has well-earned the moniker of a servant leader. It will be most interesting to watch Barbara's transition to the next chapter for she has a myriad of skills that are indeed incredibly transferable, to say the least. Within the athletics administrative community, wherein Barbara is held in very high esteem, she will certainly be sorely missed — unless, of course, her next chapter brings her back to this community."
Pete Derzis, ESPN's SVP of College Sports Programming and Events was one of the first people Walker worked with in college athletics when she joined UAB as an assistant sports information director in 1981. He summed it up by saying, "Barbara has enjoyed a successful career in intercollegiate athletics, highlighted by serving in senior administrative roles at four institutions in four different conferences. She has always placed the student-athlete experience and wellbeing above all else. She will be missed by the many people she positively impacted over the years."
To be sure, none will feel her absence more than her Wake Forest family to whom she has been, among other things, a confident leader, role model, trusted advisor, mentor and friend. Former Director of Athletics Ron Wellman credits much of the department's success over the last two decades to Walker.
"For the last 21 years Barb has served our department and University exceptionally well. She always accepted additional responsibilities without blinking an eye and executed all of her tasks professionally. While performing her duties superbly, she never lost sight of the personal side of the profession. She built strong relationships with everyone in our department and others across campus. She has been an incredible representative of our department as well as a true friend. Much of our success was due to her administrative and personal skills. I thank her for her devotion to our department, our personnel, and student-athletes."
Looking back on her time as a Demon Deacon, Walker is certainly proud of the department's many successes, but she emphasized that the relationships are what have truly meant the most. Her Wake Forest community has become her family and has been there for her not only through the good times, like when she brought her newly-adopted daughter, three-year old Ruan, home from China in 2003, but also helped her through bad times, like the devastating losses of former men's basketball coach, Skip Prosser, former field hockey student-athlete Maria Whitehead, and former volleyball coach Heather Kahl Holmes, all of whom hold very special places in Walker's heart.
Walker has a lot of gratitude for the journey that has brought her this far, and regardless of where the next chapter takes her, the strong relationships she has built with her Wake Forest family will remain with her.
"I appreciate Ron Wellman for giving me the opportunity to come to Wake Forest and join this family. He and Linda welcomed me into their home, and he made it possible for me to continue to do the job of my dreams. I thank my Wake Forest family for welcoming Ruan to her new home with open arms — not only showering her with love, but also giving me such grace as I transitioned into single parenthood...of a three-year old! I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to watch so many of my young colleagues and former student-athletes grow personally and professionally. I've had the pleasure of seeing their lives transform as their careers unfolded, they started families, and sent their own children off to college. The past 21 years have been filled with countless exciting wins, the occasional heartbreaking loss, wonderful memories, inspiring student-athletes, many, many reasons to be proud, and a lot of love and friendships. I'm grateful to everyone who has made these years so special. I will always be a proud Demon Deacon, and I look forward to continuing to cheer on the Deacs for many years to come. Go Deacs!"
What Barbara Walker's Coaches and Colleagues Are Saying:
Jen Hoover, Head Women's Basketball Coach:
Jerry Haas, Head Men's Golf Coach:
Tony da Luz, Head Women's Soccer Coach:
Bobby Muuss, Head Men's Soccer Coach:
Jennifer Averill, Head Field Hockey Coach:
Tony Bresky, Head Men's Tennis Coach:
Stephanie Hudson, Asst. AD Strategic Communications:
Brooke Thomas, Former Women's Basketball Student-Athlete and Athletics Colleague:
"It has been a privilege to be part of the Demon Deacon family for more than two decades," Walker said. The student-athletes and coaches at Wake Forest are the best I have ever worked with
throughout my 40-year career in college athletics. Those who know me well know that winning is just about my favorite thing, but more important than that is the opportunity to build relationships that last, and I am fortunate to have done that here at Wake Forest." "Barbara Walker has dedicated her entire career to serving student-athletes and Wake Forest is blessed that she spent more than two decades in Winston-Salem," Director of Athletics John Currie said. "Barbara has been a trusted friend, colleague and leader within our University community. She has truly made a lasting impact on Wake Forest Athletics and our staff and student-athletes will look forward to seeing her at Deacon ballgames often."
Walker joined Wake Forest Athletics as Associate AD/SWA in the fall of 1999 in a newly established role overseeing all of the department's 16 Olympic sport programs. As sport administrator, Walker has been part of six national championship teams (three NCAA Field Hockey, one NCAA Men's Soccer, one NCAA Men's Tennis, one ITA Men's Tennis).
"I arrived on campus having spent the previous two years at the University of Texas at Austin. Any expectation that I might have had that 'bigger is better,' was blown away immediately. It was clear from the start that the coaches and student-athletes were passionate about the pursuit of excellence and committed to competing at the highest level while also remaining focused on earning degrees. Their passion and commitment have not wavered, and it has driven me to work hard, advocate for our coaches and programs, and when necessary, fight to get them the resources they need to be successful.
"It's been so much fun to watch our programs grow and develop into elite, championship programs. I want to thank Jen Averill, Jay Vidovich and Tony Bresky for giving me national championships to brag about, and I'm grateful to all of the Wake coaches for their hard work, loyalty and perseverance in building a program that I am so proud to be a part of."In addition to her sport administrator duties, Walker has provided oversight of compliance, operations, sports medicine, and student-athlete services, led the department's human resources unit, spearheaded a variety of special projects related to strategic planning, equity, and student-athlete welfare and currently serves as Title IX Coordinator and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
Walker has represented Wake Forest on the national level, chairing the NCAA Women's Soccer Committee and NCAA Honors Committee as well as serving on the NCAA Volleyball Committee and NACDA Executive Board. She is currently chair of the ACC Senior Woman Administrator Committee, previously chaired the ACC Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, and Women's Soccer Committees and has served on the ACC Women's Basketball, Men's Soccer and Baseball Committees. She is also a member of Women Leaders in College Sports.
A strong leader not only within Athletics but also the broader University and community, Walker joined the Wake Forest Women's Forum Executive Committee in 2012, chaired the University's 2017 United Way campaign, currently serves on the University's Council on Inclusion and Diversity (CID) and Title IX 2020 Implementation Task Force, and is a long-time member of United Way of Forsyth County's Women's Leadership Council.
Prior to coming to Wake Forest in 1999, Walker spent two years at The University of Texas at Austin as associate AD, eight years at Oregon as senior associate AD, and eight years at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
She has built countless relationships with people from all levels of college athletics and is respected and revered by key leaders across the country.
Duke University Director of Athletics Kevin White, who has been a good friend of Barbara's for 25 years and followed her career closely, said, "Barbara Walker is clearly one of the most respected leaders within college athletics. Unequivocally, Barbara has always been perceived as student-athlete centric, and she has well-earned the moniker of a servant leader. It will be most interesting to watch Barbara's transition to the next chapter for she has a myriad of skills that are indeed incredibly transferable, to say the least. Within the athletics administrative community, wherein Barbara is held in very high esteem, she will certainly be sorely missed — unless, of course, her next chapter brings her back to this community."
Pete Derzis, ESPN's SVP of College Sports Programming and Events was one of the first people Walker worked with in college athletics when she joined UAB as an assistant sports information director in 1981. He summed it up by saying, "Barbara has enjoyed a successful career in intercollegiate athletics, highlighted by serving in senior administrative roles at four institutions in four different conferences. She has always placed the student-athlete experience and wellbeing above all else. She will be missed by the many people she positively impacted over the years."
To be sure, none will feel her absence more than her Wake Forest family to whom she has been, among other things, a confident leader, role model, trusted advisor, mentor and friend. Former Director of Athletics Ron Wellman credits much of the department's success over the last two decades to Walker.
"For the last 21 years Barb has served our department and University exceptionally well. She always accepted additional responsibilities without blinking an eye and executed all of her tasks professionally. While performing her duties superbly, she never lost sight of the personal side of the profession. She built strong relationships with everyone in our department and others across campus. She has been an incredible representative of our department as well as a true friend. Much of our success was due to her administrative and personal skills. I thank her for her devotion to our department, our personnel, and student-athletes."
Looking back on her time as a Demon Deacon, Walker is certainly proud of the department's many successes, but she emphasized that the relationships are what have truly meant the most. Her Wake Forest community has become her family and has been there for her not only through the good times, like when she brought her newly-adopted daughter, three-year old Ruan, home from China in 2003, but also helped her through bad times, like the devastating losses of former men's basketball coach, Skip Prosser, former field hockey student-athlete Maria Whitehead, and former volleyball coach Heather Kahl Holmes, all of whom hold very special places in Walker's heart.
Walker has a lot of gratitude for the journey that has brought her this far, and regardless of where the next chapter takes her, the strong relationships she has built with her Wake Forest family will remain with her.
"I appreciate Ron Wellman for giving me the opportunity to come to Wake Forest and join this family. He and Linda welcomed me into their home, and he made it possible for me to continue to do the job of my dreams. I thank my Wake Forest family for welcoming Ruan to her new home with open arms — not only showering her with love, but also giving me such grace as I transitioned into single parenthood...of a three-year old! I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to watch so many of my young colleagues and former student-athletes grow personally and professionally. I've had the pleasure of seeing their lives transform as their careers unfolded, they started families, and sent their own children off to college. The past 21 years have been filled with countless exciting wins, the occasional heartbreaking loss, wonderful memories, inspiring student-athletes, many, many reasons to be proud, and a lot of love and friendships. I'm grateful to everyone who has made these years so special. I will always be a proud Demon Deacon, and I look forward to continuing to cheer on the Deacs for many years to come. Go Deacs!"
What Barbara Walker's Coaches and Colleagues Are Saying:
Jen Hoover, Head Women's Basketball Coach:
- "Barbara has been a tremendous mentor and role model to me during my time at Wake. She has embodied the characteristic of what it takes to be a strong female in our industry and has been an amazing advocate for females with her involvement in Title IX. I have learned so much from her wisdom and I have tried to simulate her confidence in my daily work life. Barbara is a one-of-a-kind individual and she will be greatly missed within our department and specifically with women's basketball. We are happy for her and wish her the best! We know she will always be a Deacon!"
Jerry Haas, Head Men's Golf Coach:
- "In my 24 years at Wake Forest University there is not a classier person than Barbara Walker. As a sport administrator Barbara was so great to work with. She deserves all the accolades that come from 21 years of incredible service in athletics. She will be missed very greatly as good people are hard to replace. I respect Barbara a ton and wish her well."
Tony da Luz, Head Women's Soccer Coach:
- "Barb has given unwavering support to me, my family, the women's soccer program and Wake women's athletics. Barb has been an incredible advocate for our athletes and all of our coaches behind the scenes, impacting us all directly and indirectly in ways that we can't quantify. She has been there for all of us unconditionally, in wins and losses, offering advice, love and support. Barb has a pure love of our athletic mission and the people that make up Wake Forest Athletics. She deserves the best in retirement and will be a Deac 4 Life!"
Bobby Muuss, Head Men's Soccer Coach:
- "I can't even begin to even say how much Barb has meant to me and the men's soccer program. Barb has been an integral part of our program's success. She has positively influenced the lives of so many of our student athletes. To be a successful program you need to have great support behind the scenes, working and pushing for the ultimate student-athlete experience; and that is exactly what Barb has done. Personally, I am indebted to her forever. Her patience with me as a young, eager and ambitious assistant helped shape the coach I am today. Since I returned to Wake and have had the incredible opportunity to lead the program, Barb has been right there with me—she listens, but most importantly, she supports me and allows me to be me. That is all a coach wants from an administrator. Over the years we have been through so much together. We have celebrated championships and cried together through the challenging moments. I have been a part of the Wake Family for a little over 14 years and Barb has been there with me every step of the way. While I am sad to see her retire, I know she will be there whenever any of us need an ear to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. I wish her nothing but the very best in the next chapter of her life because that is exactly what she deserves."
Jennifer Averill, Head Field Hockey Coach:
- "How does one properly thank a woman who has been so influential, supportive and loyal to her work, co-workers and community for over two decades? We have all been blessed to work beside a woman of high character who always displayed optimism despite difficult and challenging times. We do not say goodbye, but rather continued success to her in her next chapter of life."
Tony Bresky, Head Men's Tennis Coach:
- "I'm in my 10th season as the men's tennis coach at Wake Forest, and I've been incredibly fortunate to have Barbara as my sport supervisor since the time I arrived. We've developed an amazing relationship, both professionally and personally, and she has been integral to the success of our program. Barbara was a big part of my hiring process at Wake Forest, and I'm so thankful for both the opportunity she provided for me and my family, and to her for being such a great leader to work with. She has helped me as a coach in so many ways and played a big role in us hosting the 2018 NCAA Championships and ultimately winning the NCAA tournament on our home courts. While I'm sad I won't be working with Barbara any longer, I'm very happy for her and her upcoming retirement and the amazing career she has had. Go Deacs!"
- "Barb leads with character and integrity and will be greatly missed. I wish her all the best in this next chapter, and I look forward to continuing our great friendship."
- "Barbara Walker exemplifies servant leadership. Barb's mentorship - and friendship - to me since I first went to work for her has helped to guide me in my career. I am grateful to her and her example of prioritizing the student-athlete experience while supporting the coaches and staff in her charge. I am thrilled for Barbara as she transitions to a well-deserved retirement."
- "I am thankful every day to have learned from a strong, visionary, transparent female administrator. I was one of the lucky ones. I had a mentor in Barb Walker who always put integrity and the student-athlete experience first and thankfully, she was willing to share her expertise with others. Simply put, Barbara Walker is a difference maker — in every facet of her life, and decades of student-athletes were impacted by her leadership. Her impact will be missed, but I am thrilled for her as she enters into the next exciting phase of her life."
- "I remember sitting in Eugene, Oregon on a beautiful spring afternoon eating lunch with Barbara as she began to tell me about the strength, educational opportunities, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the good people that I would get the opportunity to work with if I chose to come to Wake Forest. After I said yes, she became my first mentor in the world of college athletics. Barbara's dedication, leadership, vision, integrity and character are the characteristics that I have admired in her as a mentee. Thank you, Barbara for your kindness, the many lunches, road trips, conversations, advice and mentorship. But I thank you most for our friendship. Barbara, this may be retirement for you, but our friendship will continue as you plot your next chapter. Godspeed my friend."
Stephanie Hudson, Asst. AD Strategic Communications:
- "I can't begin to express how much Barbara has meant to me, both personally and professionally. When I joined the department 11 years ago, I had never worked in college athletics. Barbara became my teacher, mentor, advocate, and friend, and it's difficult to fathom just how much I have learned from her through the years. She's always been there when I needed advice, a sounding board, or a shoulder to cry on. She has helped me discover strengths I didn't know I had, given me opportunities to continue to grow and develop, and has always made me feel valued. I am forever grateful for her friendship and am excited to see what will come next for her."
Brooke Thomas, Former Women's Basketball Student-Athlete and Athletics Colleague:
- "Barbara is a mentor, friend, sounding board, ally, and voice for so many people in the Wake Athletics community. Her dedication to helping student-athletes reach their full potential will be forever celebrated in the lives of those she impacted. Her presence and work will truly be missed, but we stand in gratitude knowing she has certainly made Wake Forest University a better place. Barb, thank you for the genuine way you consistently showed up, led with love, and pioneered new opportunities for so many at Wake Forest. We are all inspired by your career and will carry on your legacy with the same hope and dedication you exemplified every day. Enjoy your retirement! We love you!"
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