Keith Barnes

Background

About Keith Barnes

Keith started his appointment as the inaugural Vice President of Equity and Inclusion with Rock Valley College in June 2021. He previously served as the Executive Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, CO from August 2016 to June 2021. PPCC was a recipient of the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from 2018 to 2021. Keith served as the Coordinator, Access, Equity and Diversity with Kishwaukee College in Malta, IL from September 2007 to March 2016. Keith has been an active member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) since January 2014, and he served as the Chapter President for the Rocky Mountain Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (RMADOHE) for Fiscal Year 2021. He was also a member of the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) National Advisory Council from 2014 to 2018. Keith is a current and founding member of the Illinois Community College Diversity Commission. He was a founding member of the Colorado Community College System Equity and Inclusion Council. Keith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational/Corporate Communications, two Master of Science in Education degrees in Adult and Continuing Education and Instructional Technology, and he is a doctoral student in the Community College Leadership Program all at Northern Illinois University. He received his ADA Coordinator Training Certification from the University of Missouri and the Great Plains ADA Center in April of 2016, and he was certified as an Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Administrator in March 2022. Keith is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc, and he founded Joshua Bee, LLC Consulting based in Denver, CO to provide training, consulting, and lectures/presentations on a variety of topics pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Joshua Bee was named after his son, Joshua Barnes, who passed away on October 24, 2011, after a premature birth. Keith is married to Dr. Teresa Barnes, and they reside in Boone County, Illinois with their nine-year old daughter, India Barnes.