The leisure services, travel, and tourism graduate served as a residence hall advisor, worked for Dining Services, and participated in several CWU theater productions. She was actively involved in multiple student relations initiatives during her four years on campus, and she was the only student named to the hiring committee for former President Ivory Nelson.

When Baker (’95) chose to attend CWU, the one thing she knew for sure was that she wanted her college years to count.

“When I visited the campus for the first time, I felt like a person, not a number,” she said. “I knew right away that ‘this is where I want to be; this is where I can make my mark.’”

Three decades later, she realizes how much her experience in Ellensburg helped shape who she is today. Mentors like Keith Champagne, John Drinkwater, Bobby Cummings, Scott Drummond, and Pat McGuire helped her develop the confidence she needed to be successful.

“The relationships I made at Central set me up for the rest of my life,” said Baker, a native of Sylvania, Georgia, who now lives in Columbus, Ohio. “The staff and faculty there always gave me a sense of belonging, and they all played a huge role in my growth and development.”

Baker spent the first few years after college in the Washington and Georgia hotel industries before transitioning over to human resources in the late 1990s. She moved to Columbus in 2003 to work for Cardinal Health, and that’s where her career began to evolve into what it is today.

“I had a business partner at Cardinal Health who helped me understand DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in a corporate setting, and everything began to click for me,” Baker said. “I went to work for the Mount Carmel Health System for a few years, and then a medical startup company, before moving to a company that focused on affordable housing for seniors. Those positions really helped me hone my skills around employee engagement and the importance of DEI in the workplace.”

Baker went on to earn two DEI certifications from Cornell University and started her own consulting business, LBB Edutainment—a combined educational and entertainment enterprise that she launched as a side venture in 2018.

She officially left the corporate world in 2022 to focus on her business full time, and it turned out to be the best decision she has ever made.

“My job is both fun and rewarding because I feel like I am really making a difference,” Baker said. “I am able to help people think and act differently, and they’re seeing the results in their culture and bottom line.”

Baker does speaking engagements, hosts online and in-person coaching sessions, and helps clients draw up effective DEI initiatives designed to move their businesses forward. 

“I create a safe space for people to learn, share, and grow in that work,” she said. “I create trust with them and I show a lot of empathy. But I also like to have fun and share my own life experiences. My personality and my expertise have combined to create a one-of-a-kind small business that I’m really proud of.”