Press Resources

Joseph Baker, A.S., B.S., M.P.A., M.L.S., is a civil‑rights scholar, legal researcher, and education advocate whose work sits at the intersection of housing justice, procedural literacy, criminal‑justice reform, and community empowerment. A graduate of Purdue University Global, Baker earned four degrees — including a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Legal Studies — with concentrations in administrative law, civil rights, and public‑sector systems. Baker’s scholarship is grounded in lived experience. Incarcerated as a young man, he rebuilt his life through education and emerged as one of Texas’s most experienced eviction‑procedure specialists, having litigated more than 9,000 eviction cases and advised over 35,000 tenants across the state. His frontline legal work informs his research on recidivism prevention, school‑to‑prison pipeline disruption, procedural justice, and the legal rights of marginalized communities. He is the Founder & Executive Director of Texas Tenants Benefits Services (TTBS) and Chancellor of the National Civil Rights Research and Records Institute (NCRRRI), where he leads statewide initiatives on civil‑rights documentation, voting‑rights literacy, and public‑sector modernization. His applied research includes the development of Compliance‑First Empowerment Theory, a framework connecting statutory compliance, procedural clarity, and community‑level outcomes. Baker has contributed to government trainings, academic lectures, district‑level policy discussions, and statewide justice‑reform conversations. His work supports courts, agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations seeking to modernize public‑sector workflows and strengthen community access to justice. His Scholarship & Education Empowerment Series — a structured curriculum covering legal literacy, civil‑rights history, recidivism prevention, and youth empowerment — has reached Title I schools, community colleges, reentry programs, and youth‑justice initiatives across Texas. Through this series, Baker equips students with the tools to understand their rights, navigate systems, and build disciplined, education‑centered lives. He is available for keynote addresses, workshops, school residencies, district professional development, and legislative forums.

Joseph Baker, A.S., B.S., M.P.A., M.L.S., is a civil‑rights scholar, legal researcher, and education advocate whose work sits at the intersection of housing justice, procedural literacy, criminal‑justice reform, and youth empowerment. A graduate of Purdue University Global, Baker earned four degrees — including a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Legal Studies — with concentrations in administrative law, civil rights, and public‑sector systems. Baker’s scholarship is grounded in lived experience. Incarcerated as a young man, he rebuilt his life through education and rose to become one of Texas’s most experienced eviction‑procedure specialists, having litigated more than 9,000 eviction cases and advised over 35,000 tenants statewide. His frontline legal work informs his research on recidivism prevention, school‑to‑prison pipeline disruption, procedural justice, and the legal rights of marginalized communities. He serves as Founder & Executive Director of Texas Tenants Benefits Services (TTBS) and Chancellor of the National Civil Rights Research and Records Institute (NCRRRI), where he leads statewide initiatives on civil‑rights documentation, voting‑rights literacy, and public‑sector modernization. His applied research includes the development of Compliance‑First Empowerment Theory, a framework connecting statutory compliance, procedural clarity, and community‑level outcomes. Baker’s Scholarship & Education Empowerment Series — a structured curriculum covering legal literacy, civil‑rights history, recidivism prevention, and youth empowerment — has reached Title I schools, community colleges, youth‑justice programs, and reentry initiatives across Texas. Through this work, he equips students and communities with the tools to understand their rights, navigate systems, and build disciplined, education‑centered lives. He is available for keynote addresses, workshops, school residencies, district professional development, and legislative forums.