Bryan Coker

Bryan F. Coker is an American academic administrator, and the 12th president of Maryville College. Coker was vice president and dean of students at Goucher College from 2013 to 2020, where he served as acting president during the summer of 2019. Coker was the dean of students at Jacksonville University from 2003 to 2013.

Early life and education Coker was raised in western North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Rhodes College. He was a classmate of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and they served together on the College Honor Council and as Resident Assistants. He was also a member of the Phi chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity. Coker earned a master of education in student personnel services in higher education from University of South Carolina. His dissertation was titled, The Operationalization of the Doctrine of In Loco Parentis: The Administrative Council of the University of Tennessee in the Early 1920s and 1930s. Coker's doctoral advisor was Norma T. Mertz.

Career Coker worked for six years at UT-Knoxville, starting in student affairs administration, From 2003 to 2013, Coker was the dean of students at Jacksonville University.

On February 4, 2013, Coker succeeded Gail Edmonds as the vice president and dean of students of Goucher College, serving as the chief student affairs officer. Beginning in January 2017, Coker was an affiliated faculty member in the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University.

He is leading efforts to plan and build the Lamar Alexander Institute for Environmental Education and the Sciences on Maryville’s campus. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (Tennessee politician) proposed a State of Tennessee budget allocation to support the Institute, in Alexander's honor.

Personal life Coker met his wife, Sara Barnette Coker, at Rhodes College. They have four children. Coker is an ordained elder and liturgist in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Cokers reside in the Oak Park Historic District of Maryville, Tennessee.