Dr. Dana Lee Baker is an associate professor at the School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs at Washington State University. She also serves as the associate director for academic advising and students for the College of Arts and Sciences on the Washington State University Vancouver campus.

After earning her bachelor’s degree at Rice University, she first earned a master’s in public policy at the University of Southern California and then a PhD in public policy from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Baker’s primary research interests surround disability policy design, especially as disability functions as an element of diversity and in policy addressing neurological difference. She has a particular interest in the politics of autism.

Dr. Baker’s publications include The Politics of Neurodiversity: Why Public Policy Matters, published by Lynne Rienner Publishers in 2011. She is also the author or co-author of over 25 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters published in outlets such as The Public Administration Review, Disability & Society, The Social Science Journal, Review of Disability Studies, Disability Studies Quarterly, Journal of Comparative Policy Studies and Teaching Public Administration. Other works in progress include Neuroethical Policy Design: A Lifetime’s Exploration of Public Policy and Human Brains, to be published by Springer. She is also serving as editor for an upcoming series on disability politics and political participation to be published by Praeger.

Dr. Baker loves to teach and is always ready to prep a new course! In addition to the substantive or topical content of a given course, skills emphasized in her courses include oral communication, civil discourse, civic engagement, writing for public audiences, and the ethical practice of public sector work. Her oral final exams have a 100% survival rate.