Matthew C. Whitaker, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center in Phoenix. He is an award-winning educator, author, community engagement specialist, consultant, and motivational speaker. Dr. Whitaker specializes in U.S. history, comparative Black history and life, civil rights, race relations, equal employment opportunity, and social movements.

He is the founder of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at Arizona State University, where he was a professor for 15 years. He has edited three books, including Icons of Black America: Blazing Trails and Crossing Boundaries and Hurricane Katrina: America’s Unnatural Disaster, and he is the author of Race Work: The Rise of Civil Rights in the Urban West. He is completing a memoir, The Undisputed Truth: A Revolutionary Journey to Black Manhood. Dr. Whitaker holds a B.A. in Sociology, a B.A. in History, and an M.A. in History from Arizona State University; a Ph.D. with honors in History from Michigan State University; and an Executive Certification in Equity and Inclusion from Cornell University.

Dr. Whitaker is also the Founder and CEO of Diamond Strategies, LLC, a Better Business Bureau A+-rated, NSDMC-certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and the 2022 Best of Tempe Consultant Award winner. Diamond Strategies is a trend-setting firm specializing in human resources and equal employment opportunity support, organizational development, audits, strategic planning, facilitation, training, industry-leading Training-of-Trainers (TOT), Interest-Based Resolution (IBR), mediation, motivational speaking, community relations, interpersonal and intercultural communication, and thought leadership. His team has partnered in this work with Fortune 500 companies, schools, nonprofits, corporations, faith-based organizations, municipalities, and community groups across the United States, Europe, Australia, and China.

Dr. Whitaker's lifelong work in bridging history, sociology, and communication helps individuals and organizations leverage heritage and culture for healing, equity, social cohesion, and productivity. His authentic style and diverse family background enable him to connect with a wide range of audiences. He has received the Arizona Collectors 2020 Frederick Douglass Social Justice Award, Arizona Diversity Leadership Alliance’s 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Leader Award, ASU’s 2015 Pioneer Award for contributions to African American life and culture, and the 2014 Arizona Diversity Leadership Alliance (DLA) Inclusive Workplace Award. He co-founded the Healing Racism Public Dialogue Series, which won the 2008 National League of Cities Promoting Inclusive Award, and received the City of Phoenix 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Living the Dream Award.

Dr. Whitaker has consulted, spoken, and lectured worldwide, including Africa, Australia, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, England, Ghana, and Ireland. He has been featured on CNN, NPR, PBS, and other media. Dr. Whitaker is also a trustee of AZCEND and a martial artist, winning silver in the Shaolin 7 Star Fist 七星拳 [Qīxīng Quán], the oldest Shaolin Kung Fu form, at the 10th Wushu Kung Fu World Championships in Emeishan, China, in October 2015.