Gianina Baker

Dr. Gianina Baker serves as Associate Director of Evaluation, Learning and Equitable Assessment at the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) within the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Education. She leads the REACH Collaborative and provides assessment consulting services, public engagement, and research agenda development. Previously, she was Acting Director of the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) and held leadership roles at Richland Community College including Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Planning.

Her research pioneers equity-centered assessment frameworks in higher education, focusing on culturally responsive practices that center student identities and dismantle systemic barriers. She investigates how to reframe assessment to prioritize equity rather than compliance, develop inclusive pathways for STEM faculty in community colleges, and integrate student voices into learning assessment processes. Her work bridges theory and practice through community college leadership initiatives and national assessment scholarship.

Recent publications reveal a decisive shift toward critical equity lenses in assessment, moving beyond traditional compliance models to frameworks that actively challenge power structures and validate marginalized experiences. Her scholarship emphasizes transparency, cultural responsiveness, and student agency as non-negotiable components of meaningful assessment.

Notable awards include:

• Central Illinois 40 under 40 Woman of the Year (2020)
• Patricia and Richard Justice Award, College of Education (2012)
• William C. Bagley Award, College of Education (2010)
• Graduate College Fellowship, University of Illinois (2009)

Dr. Baker actively shapes national discourse through keynote presentations and consultation, advocating for assessment practices that empower rather than surveil. Her work with NILOA and OCCRL drives institutional change by providing evidence-based frameworks for equitable student learning outcomes.

She is embedded in OCCRL's research ecosystem and NILOA's national network, collaborating with community colleges on initiatives like the Aspire Regional Collaboratives to scale inclusive STEM faculty pathways. Her leadership centers community-engaged scholarship that transforms assessment from bureaucratic obligation to justice-oriented practice.