Matthew C. Whitaker, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center (The Carver) in Phoenix. He is an award-winning educator, author, entrepreneur, 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.

The Carver began in 1926 as the segregated Phoenix Union Colored High School for African Americans in the Greater Phoenix area. Today, The Carver is a National Historic Landmark dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation, study, and dissemination of African American history and culture in Arizona and the American West. With deep community connections and a bold vision, The Carver, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, brings together history, art, artists, and community to support creativity, Black knowledge systems, and socioeconomic advancement at every level.

Dr. Whitaker is also the founder of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at Arizona State University, where he served as 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, with Dr. Jeremy I. Levitt. He is also 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, NMSDC-certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and the recipient of the 2022 Best of Tempe Consultant Award. Diamond Strategies is a trend-setting firm specializing in human resources and equal employment opportunity support, including organizational development, strategic planning, facilitation, training, interest-based resolution, community relations, interpersonal and intercultural communication, and thought leadership. His team has partnered with Fortune 500 companies, schools, nonprofits, corporations, faith-based organizations, municipalities, and community groups.

Dr. Whitaker’s lifelong work bridging history, curation, sociology, and communication helps individuals and organizations leverage heritage and culture to advance 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 Diversity Leadership Alliance’s 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Leader Award, Arizona State University’s 2015 Pioneer Award for contributions to African American life and culture, and the 2014 Arizona Diversity Leadership Alliance Inclusive Workplace Award.

He co-founded the Healing Racism Public Dialogue Series, which received the 2008 National League of Cities Promoting Inclusive Communities Award. He also received the City of Phoenix’s 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Living the Dream Award.

Dr. Whitaker has spoken and consulted worldwide—including in Australia, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, England, Ghana, Ireland, and the United States—and has been featured on CNN, NPR, PBS, and other major media outlets. He serves as a trustee of AZCEND and is a dedicated martial artist. In October 2025, he earned a silver medal in Shaolin Seven Star Fist (七星拳, Qīxīng Quán), the oldest Shaolin Kung Fu form, at the 10th Wushu Kung Fu World Championships in Emeishan, China.

Follow Dr. Whitaker on X at @DrWhitakeronX, Instagram at @drmcw, and LinkedIn at @drmatthewcwhitaker. Follow the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center at thecarveraz.org and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.