Gary Barker

Gary Barker, PhD is an international voice for healthy manhood, gender equality and violence prevention. He holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Duke University and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Loyola University-Chicago. He is the founder and CEO of Equimundo Center for Masculinities and Social Justice , an international organization that works globally, including the US, to engage men and boys in healthy masculinities.

Barker has led global action to engage men as fathers and caregivers, including co-authoring the State of the World’s Fathers reports. He has received an Ashoka Fellowship, an Open Society Fellowship, and a Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices for his research and activism. In 2019 he was named by Apolitical as one of the 100 most influential persons in gender equality globally. Barker advises UN agencies, corporations, and governments on engaging men as allies in gender equality. He holds a Research Affiliate position at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

His four novels — "Luisa’s Last Words," "The Afghan Vampires Book Club", "Mary of Kivu," and "Museum of Lost Love" – draw on his experiences of working in conflict-affected settings and have been praised for creating stories of “grace and passion” out some of the world’s most violent places. He lived nearly 20 years in Central and South America and currently lives in Washington, DC.