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Rik Barrera Photo

Rik Barrera

Associate Dean of Operations, Inclusion and Chief of Staff
Office of the Dean
HLH 301 J
P.O. Box 880405
Lincoln, NE 68588-0405
(402) 472-9164
rbarrera1@unl.edu
Rik Barrera Photo
Education
M.A. in Management and Human Relations from Webster University
B.A. from the University of Arizona
Areas of Expertise
  • Business Operations
  • Leadership
  • Diversity & Inclusion
Vita
R Barrera Resume.pdf
CliftonStrengths ®
  • Maximizer
  • Arranger
  • Activator
  • Positivity
  • Individualization
Biography

Rik Barrera is the Associate Dean of Operations, Inclusion and Chief of Staff of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business. He oversees all business operations, financial reporting, budget preparation, human resources, facility management, IT operations and staff development. In addition he also oversees the Communications, Marketing and External Relations unit. He also coordinates all Diversity & Inclusion efforts for the college.

Barrera joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994 as a US Army officer and chair of the Military Science Department. Following retirement from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1998, he took the position of Business Manager of the Beadle Business Center at Nebraska where he introduced Strengths Based Leadership to the organization. Barrera joined the College of Business in October of 2011 where he has continued his work in Strengths Based Leadership in his role in the college as well as in leadership classes he teaches in the Raikes School.

Before coming to Nebraska, he taught leadership, tactics, and military history at the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He earned master’s degrees in management and human relations from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona.

Undergraduate Courses

Raikes Foundations of Leadership I (RAIK 185H) - Introduction to personal development and its application to leadership and an introduction of leadership in Teams.

Institutional Service
  • Chancellors ROTC Advisory Committee
  • Council on Inclusive Excellence and Diversity
  • N150 Diversity and Inclusion Committee
  • SDI Implementation Planning Team
Awards
  • Nancy Kenny Academic Business Leader Award 2019
  • Carl A. Donaldson Excellence in Management Award 2011