Nefertiti Walker
Professor of Sport Management | University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA, UNITED STATES
Nefertiti Walker's research centers on sports culture and developing diverse and inclusive cultures in sports and other organizations.
Expertise (7)
Intersection of Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation in Intercollegiate Sports
Gender in organizations
Gender in sport
Organizational Diversity and inclusion
Sexism in Sports
Sports Culture
Women & Leadership in Sport Organizations
Biography
As a faculty member in Sport Management and Deputy Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Equity in the University of Massachusetts Office of the President, Nefertiti Walker is a compelling speaker and commentator on a range of issues focused around diversity and inclusion in sports and other organizations.
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Education (3)
University of Florida: Ph.D., Sport Management
Stetson University: M.B.A., Business Administration
Stetson University: B.A., Sport Management
Links (1)
Select Recent Media Coverage (6)
Basic Black: The future of diversity, equity and inclusion
GBH tv
2023-04-07
Nefertiti Walker was part of a discussion on the future of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in corporate America.Walker said, “DEI is dynamic. It’s constantly changing … It’s not something you can be done and move on from. It’s going to live forever within your institution and organization, similarly to your budget and human resources and other aspects of your business.”
Pretty in Any Color: Women on the Court Make the Style Rules
The New York Times online
2022-07-25
Nefertiti A. Walker, an associate professor in sports management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a former college basketball player, said players didn’t necessarily feel as if they had to fit the usual standards. “What you’re seeing is certainly athletes now who, because of the changes we’ve seen in college sport — they all have pride nights, there’s gay marriage now — all these changes that have happened in their lifetime that signal it might be OK to perform their gender in a different way,” she said.
Black women caught where sexism and racism intersect
Minnesota Spokeman-Recorder print
2020-11-04
Black women too often are both misunderstood and marginalized compared to their White counterparts. Dr. Nefertiti Walker calls this “intersectionality.” “The reason why I use intersectionality to view issues and organizations in society is because it forces you to talk about how people are marginalized,” said Walker, UMass Amherst vice chancellor and chief diversity officer.
Diversity emphasized at opening of $62M UMass Business Innovation Hub
MassLive online
2019-04-12
“Inclusion and diversity in every respect” of the learning process is key to a modern business education, said Nefertiti Walker, Isenberg associate dean and associate professor of sport management, at the opening of the UMass Business Innovation Hub.
What Do The Charges In South Florida Mean For Robert Kraft And The NFL?
WGBH radio
2019-03-05
Nefertiti Walker says New England Patriot fans have good reason to be confused about how to react to reports that Robert Kraft has been charged with soliciting prostitution at a spa in South Florida. “Especially if you’re a fan of the Patriots, you have this idea that everyone’s doing their job, they’re good people, they’re high character folks, they do things in the community,” she says. That gets called in question by incidents such as Kraft’s arrest on these charges, she says.
Fostering diversity is key for the success of universities and businesses
Boston Business Journal print
2018-04-05
Fostering diversity makes sense from a societal point of view. But it makes even more sense if you want to succeed in business. That’s a message Nefertiti Walker, spends a lot of time working to get across. When she’s lecturing on the subject, she says, “I start the lecture out saying, ‘I’m not going to start the lecture by talking about how to be a good person,’” but about how to be a good business person.
Select Publications (1)
Reculture sport – the shifting culture of sport
SportBusinessNefertiti Walker
2020-09-01
"Through my research, industry partnerships, and teaching, my goal remains the same: to leave the culture of sport better than how I found it. For much of the past decade, my research has centered on sport culture. I have conducted research in collaboration with espnW and Dr Nicole Melton in which we examined the role of inclusion in college athletics. ..."
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