DaWon Baker

DaWon Baker joined the Nebraska Athletic Department in September 2018 as the Diversity and Inclusion Director in Life Skills and Enrichment. He is responsible for diversity and inclusion initiatives for all staff, coaches and student-athletes. DaWon provides oversight and direction on the annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit, Next Steps outreach, N-Vest Mentoring Program, direction of the campus-wide Husker Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Committee (HADIC) and Husker Inclusion Council (HIC). He also serves as a Life Skills coach for Football, Rifle and Men’s Gymnastics, working with athletes on leadership, career and personal development. He also represents athletics with numerous campus partnerships, including the Diversity Engagement Team, comprised of a group of administrative professionals whose primary responsibilities are keenly focused on promoting diversity, equity, and/or inclusion across the UNL campus.

Prior to arriving at Nebraska, Baker previously worked at the NCAA as a postgraduate intern in the Leadership Development department. He worked on career, professional and personal development programs, helping student-athletes, coaches and administrators enhance their skills. He also worked closely with administrators to coordinate programs for minority administrators throughout the NCAA membership, and served as a member of the project team for the NCAA Inclusion Forum. 

Baker is a native of St. Louis, Mo., and graduated from the University of Missouri in 2015. Baker was a track and field student-athlete, and worked as an intern and student worker for Mizzou Athletics. In addition, he graduated in December 2016 with a Master’s of Business Administration and a Master’s in Sport Business Management from the University of Central Florida (UCF), where he was a graduate research assistant for The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES). Baker served as an academic mentor and game-day intern for UCF athletics, as well as a student assistant in the Office of Student-Athlete Welfare and Development. 

Baker resides in Lincoln, NE with his wife Brandy. He enjoys podcasts, playing pickup basketball and flag football, and advocating for social change.