Title: Retired Senior Consultant
Company: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Location: Mesa, Arizona, United States
Mary Ann Barden, EdD, Retired Senior Consultant at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in Education.
Dr. Barden has dedicated over five decades to advancing education, integrating technology and developing leadership across multiple states and educational systems. Her career is distinguished by a series of progressively responsible roles, each marked by innovation, advocacy for equity and a commitment to student success.
Now retired, Dr. Barden’s most significant tenure was with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, where she was a faculty member from 1988 to 2000. Her most recent role included serving as a senior consultant, where she played a pivotal part in developing solutions to help small school children compete with their peers from inner cities. Notably, Dr. Barden contributed to the implementation of satellite instruction, a groundbreaking initiative that expanded access to quality education for students in rural areas. This achievement stands as one of Dr. Barden’s proudest professional milestones, exemplifying her dedication to educational equity and equality.
After retiring from her work in North Carolina, Dr. Barden returned to Arizona, where she became a supervisor of educational technology and grant writing for the Phoenix Union High School District. In 2004, she undertook a special assignment involving small school planning that was instrumental in the opening of a new high school. From there, Dr. Barden became the dean of students at Bostrom Alternative School from 2004 to 2005, providing guidance and support to students navigating alternative educational pathways. Ultimately, she pivoted into higher education as an adjunct professor in the graduate school of education administration at Grand Canyon until 2012.
Dr. Barden’s earlier tenure with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction included several key roles, beginning as a lead consultant for distance learning media and technology services, followed by a stint as technology services manager for media and technology services, and finally, as a senior planning consultant for the Office of Charter Schools.
Before holding these leadership positions, Dr. Barden served as an instructor in computer literacy for the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Texas. She also worked for Wake County Public Schools in Raleigh, North Carolina, as a computer and mathematics specialist. Earlier, Dr. Barden succeeded as an adjunct professor in the mathematics department at North Carolina Central University in Durham. Among other notable roles, Dr. Barden began her career with Broome County Catholic Schools in Binghamton, New York, in 1972, where she progressed from a teacher to a mathematics coordinator and vice principal.
Dr. Barden is highly educated, having received a Bachelor of Science in education from State University of New York at Oneonta, a Master of Science in education from Binghamton University, a Master of Science in administration and supervision from North Carolina Central University, and a Doctor of Education with an emphasis on training and development and distance education from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. She also obtained numerous professional credentials. Among them, Dr. Barden holds certificates as a curriculum and instructional specialist, a language arts specialist for grades six through nine, an elementary education and mathematics teacher, and an institutional technology specialist.
Dr. Barden’s professional influence extends beyond her formal roles through active participation in industry organizations. She also served in leadership roles, including as a past president and board member of the North Carolina Society of Certified Public Managers, former board member and adviser for the North Carolina Audio Visual Technicians Association, and past vice president for the eastern region of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development within The North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Dr. Barden has made creative contributions through co-authoring “A Book of Computer Literacy Activities,” published by the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in 1984, as well as presenting at professional meetings nationwide.
Among numerous accolades Dr. Barden received throughout her tenure in education, some of her honors included the Excellent Professor Award from Grand Canyon University, Special Recognition from Governor James B. Hunt Jr. and Superintendent Michael E. Ward as a Charter Member of the School Improvement Panel, and a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Excellence Award for Teleconference Series.
Dr. Barden attributes much of her success to her mathematical ability, attention to detail and early exposure to technology. She also credits the kind parents of students who taught her the importance of valuing young minds, as well as nuns, colleagues and mentors who supported her growth as an educator.
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