Dr. Barbie Chambers blends decades of industry expertise with a passion for teaching, helping students gain communication skills they need to succeed in any business.
A strong advocate for entrepreneurial education, Dr. Chambers serves as a Faculty Ambassador for the Innovation Hub. Entrepreneurship was a way of life for her, since her father ran a small business for 35 years, exposing Dr. Chambers to its challenges and rewards. It became clear that many entrepreneurs often navigated their paths without formal business training. This inspired a commitment to teaching students skills that could help them thrive regardless of whether they chose to launch their own ventures or not.
While discussing her course Media Entrepreneurship, Chambers said, "I wanted to teach students some of these skills, even if they decided never to start their own businesses. Understanding innovation and ideation techniques, discovering customers' pains, and solving problems is relevant in any business setting. The Innovation Hub focuses on communicating these same lessons, and I knew the ambassador program was an excellent way to get involved.”
Barbie's Journey from Industry to Academia
Dr. Chambers' return to Texas Tech and Lubbock was truly a homecoming. She earned her undergraduate degree at Texas Tech before moving to Tennessee while her spouse pursued a doctorate. When the couple decided to return to Texas to be closer to family and start a family of their own, Dr. Chambers remarked, “Both of us are lifelong Red Raiders, so living in Lubbock and working for Texas Tech seemed like a terrific opportunity.”
After a successful 20-year career in marketing, advertising, and public relations, Dr. Chambers took a bold leap to earn a PhD from the College of Media and Communication in 2012. She was ready to transform her expertise into a powerful new chapter in academia. It was a decision she knew she wanted to take and was rooted in a desire to share a wealth of real-world knowledge with up-and-coming professionals. The move to academia presented the perfect opportunity to accomplish both educating the next generation while contributing to industry advancements through research.
Embedding Innovation in the Classroom
The $2,500 award from the Faculty C-Startup program has allowed Dr. Chambers to enhance her students' experience even further. She plans to purchase case studies and entrepreneurial simulations to create a more interactive classroom environment. Beyond direct classroom impact, the funds also provide opportunities for professional development as a Media Entrepreneurship instructor, keeping her at the cutting edge of industry trends and educational best practices.
For educators interested in introducing entrepreneurship into their courses, Dr. Chambers has valuable advice, “ I would encourage faculty to approach the topic of being innovative in the discipline their students are studying. They could talk about how well-known businesses in those areas started and how they keep innovating over time. Faculty could then transition into a discussion about ways graduates can find new opportunities to add value to any businesses they work in or develop a company based on new ideas. Demystifying both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship can help students understand that it could be a pathway to consider in the future.”
Interested in becoming a faculty ambassador for the 2025-2026 academic year? The Innovation Hub is now accepting applications for the Faculty C-Startup program! Learn more and apply through our website.