Experts & Staff

Steve Barker joined WRI in 2005 as their Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration. His charter is to ensure financially sound and efficient business practices and infrastructure to enable WRI to vigorously pursue its mission.

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Steve has over 30 years of experience in international and domestic financial management with both for-profit and non-profit organizations, spanning a variety of industries and missions:

• As CFO for the Air Force Aid Society, a private non-profit (501(c)(3)) that provides emergency financial and tuition assistance to Air Force families, Steve was responsible for managing their $170M endowment and leading a turnaround in financial performance, from an average net asset decrease of $10M per year to the first net asset increase in five years of $17M.

• As the VP of Finance for Thomson Prometric, Steve planned and built the infrastructure for more than 375 computer-based testing sites for higher education admission in 180 different countries, ramping up from four to nearly 400 employees in four years.

• Before joining Thomson Prometric, Steve held other finance leadership roles, including the role of Assistant Vice President – Finance for a division of GE Capital, where he earned the GE Summit Club Award given to the top 5% of GE employees for initiative, innovation, and results.

At WRI, Steve is responsible for business planning and institutional strategy, human resources, risk management, information systems, facilities, sustainability, accounting and contract governance and compliance, and metrics to manage our performance. He serves as the Board Secretary and Treasurer, and is the primary liaison with the Finance/Investment, and Audit Committees of the Board.

Steve is committed to WRI’s mission, goals, and values, and is applying his expertise with growing international companies to help WRI with its growth objectives; WRI has more than doubled in size since 2005. He served as interim COO/Managing Director for over six months while WRI conducted a search, thereby giving him increased insight into the substance of each program. He also drives efficient global operations and ensures tax preferred status for WRI’s offices in Beijing, Mumbai, and Sao Paulo.

Steve completed the Executive MBA program at The College of William and Mary in 2006, which included international study at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey and the European Business School in Frankfurt, Germany. He was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society, the highest recognition business students throughout the world can receive. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from San Diego State University with a minor in Mechanical Engineering. Steve is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Financial Manager (CFM), and member of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).

Steve lives in Virginia with his wife Jacquie, who is a software engineer/instructor/author and founder of Pets Bring Joy, a charitable organization devoted to pet rescue.