David R. Barker

David R. Barker (born May 7, 1961) is an American author, academic, businessman, and politician, who began serving as the Assistant Secretary for the Department of Education in 2025. He is a former regent on the Board of Regents of the State of Iowa. A former economist for the Federal Reserve, Barker operates a real estate and finance company and is an Iowa Republican Party official. His academic research has been covered in print and broadcast media including Marketplace, As It Happens, The Economist, Time, and The New York Times. He has also written for U.S. News & World Report, The Christian Science Monitor, Collier's, and other publications. In 2020s, Barker published several articles in Econ Journal Watch (EJW) critiquing claims that higher temperatures will lower the rate of economic growth. He has been a co-editor of EJW since 2023.