DAVID BARKER IS A TRADITIONAL BUILDING ARTISAN, DESIGNER, AND CRAFTSMAN. HE CURRENTLY PROVIDES INSTRUCTION AT SNOW COLLEGE IN EPHRAIM, UTAH WHERE HE SERVES AT THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR OF CONSTRUCTION & ARCHITECTURE.

DAVID WAS INTRODUCED TO HAND TOOL WOODWORK AS A YOUNG MAN WITH HIS GRANDFATHER IN THE EARLY 1990’S. DAVID GREW UP WATCHING “THE NEW YANKEE WORKSHOP” AND THE “WOODWRIGHT’S SHOP” ON PBS WITH HIS FATHER EVERY SATURDAY MORNING. HE PURCHASED OLD USED HAND PLANES DURING HIS TEENAGE YEARS LEARNED HOW TO RESTORE AND USE HAND TOOLS SUCH AS PLANES, CHISELS, SAWS, AND SPOKE SHAVES. HE WOULD CHECK OUT WOODWORKING BOOKS AT THE LOCAL LIBRARY AND READ THE WRITINGS OF CRAFTSMAN SUCH AS TAGE FRID, FRANK KLAUS, JAMES KRENOV, SAM MALOOF, GEORGE NAKASHIMA, NORM ABRAM, MIKE DUNBAR, PHILLIP LOWE, AND ROY UNDERHILL.

DAVID ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING FROM 2000-2007 WHERE HE EARNED HIS MASTER’S DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE. HE PRACTICED ARCHITECTURE IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF WALLY COOPER AND ALLEN ROBERTS. IT IS HERE DAVID GAINED AN APPRECIATION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND MORE CLASSICALLY DESIGNED ARCHITECTURE.

IN 2008 DAVID TRANSITIONED TO HIGHER EDUCATION STARTING AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY-IDAHO. AFTER BYU-IDAHO, DAVID BEGAN AT UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY AND FOUNDED THE PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURE DEGREE PROGRAM (B.ARCH) IN 2019. THIS CLASSICALLY FOCUSED PROGRAM STARTED WITH AN INITIAL 11 STUDENTS AND HAS OVER 300 PRESENTLY. DAVID SERVED AS THE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM CHAIR FROM 2019-2022 AND WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIRING 5 FULL-TIME FACULTY. DAVID LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS WITH THE INITIAL CANDIDACY AND ACCREDITATION PAPERWORK. FULL ACCREDITATION IS EXPECTED IN 2025.

IN 2022, DAVID HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD OUT A BUILDING CONSTRUCTION TRADES PROGRAM AT SNOW COLLEGE IN RURAL EPHRAIM, UTAH. DAVID BECAME THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR IN JANUARY 2024. HE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY BOLSTERED THE HANDS ON TRADES/ARTISAN CRAFT ELEMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT DEGREE PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM HAS STARTED A SMALL ARCHITECTURE DESIGN COMPONENT AS WELL AS ELECTRICAL APPRENTICESHIP AND CARPENTRY APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.