William Barker, COO

After 30-plus Years as a senior executive in the media industry, Barker fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning his own company as founder and CEO of Barker Strategic Solutions, LLC. Based in Naples, FL, BSS specializes in strategic consulting services centered around brand position, market differentiation, critical thinking and thought leadership, revenue and fund-raising optimization, messaging and marketing, leadership development, and effective goal-oriented execution.

Emplying his broad experience in the transformational media space, Barker partners with CEOs and business owners to boost their bottom line, build leaders, guide growth, optimize operations, navigate change and manage the message. BSS clients include multi-location retailers, healthcare organizations, wealth management firms, real estate developers, nonprofits, and media organizations.

Prior to launching BSS, Barker was Regional President for Gannett Inc./USA Today Network, which encompassed 24 local media organizations throughout Florida, plus the Marketing Solutions group LOCALiQ. He was also President and Publisher of the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press.

Barker was a founding officer of the Journal Media Group, serving as corporate vice president and regional publisher for newspaper operations in Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Indiana. Prior, he was President and Publisher of The Tampa Tribune/TBO.com and WFLA-News Channel 8, an NBC affiliate.