Barry Omar Brinkley is the Founding Site Director for College Track DC, Ward 8 where he leads college access and completion support for students and families in the Ward 8 community. He is launching the expansion site of College Track in the DC Metro area due in-part to a generous donation by Brooklyn Nets star basketball player Kevin Durant. He previously served as the Executive Director of Equity in Student Achievement for Guilford County Schools in North Carolina. In this role, he led the district’s African American Male Achievement Initiative -creating a course designed specifically for black male students at one of the district high schools. Through a partnership with Equal Opportunity Schools, Barry helped increase the number of students of color taking Advanced Placement courses by 60% in the six pilot high schools.

Previously, Barry was a Student Support Consultant and Coach for Turnaround For Children in Washington DC. He worked directly with teachers and administrators to translate and connect the neuroscience of trauma to everyday school practices through weekly professional development and coaching. Also, Barry was the Founding Director of Community Development for Rocketship Public Schools in Washington DC and the Dean of Student Support at DC Prep Academy. He started his career as a 4th grade teacher in Compton California.

Barry has a MA in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Family and Child Development from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Barry was a member of the 2017 cohort of the School Systems Leaders Fellowship with Cambiar Education and Teach For America. He was also a 2018 American Express Leadership Academy Fellow with the Campaign for Black Male Achievement.