Marker to retire after more than 20 years at university

Anthony "Tony" Marker, professor and program area coordinator for the Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning at Boise State, will retire after more than 20 years of distinguished service to the university and the broader field of human performance improvement.

Over his tenure, Marker taught graduate courses in needs assessment, evaluation, instructional design, organizational development, systems thinking, sustainability and change management. He also served the university community in numerous leadership capacities, including faculty senate president and vice president, contributing thoughtfully to shared governance and institutional development.

His work has advanced the field through a focus on organizational change, sustainability and the development of "wise workplaces" - an approach he explored through his Wisdom Implementation Lab. He also championed sustainable practices, emphasizing how organizations can balance economic success with social and environmental responsibility. He contributed to these efforts through his LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and service with the Idaho Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

In recent years, Marker found particular meaning in leading the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning program's portfolio reviews, where he worked closely with graduate students as they completed their degrees and prepared to apply their learning in meaningful ways.

As he reflects on his time at Boise State, he answered the following questions:

Q. What led you to Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning, and how have you seen the field evolve?

A: "I really started out more interested in eLearning design back before Windows, when we were working with DOS-based systems and connecting with 14.4k modems over telephone lines. I really didn't have the best personality for eLearning, however, and found that I was far more interested in analyzing complex messy problems with humans and human systems.

"What is now possible in the area of training and development was nearly science fiction when I began my program. I can remember being excited about overhead projector slides - No, really! Now, of course, we have on demand and commonly available video, AI and lightning-fast connection speeds. Remote work of the caliber that is available today just seemed like pipe dreams at the time."

Q. You've served as both department chair and program area coordinator. How did those roles shape your perspective on leadership and the department?

A: "The one absolutely certain thing I learned from being both department chair and program area coordinator is that I have little talent for it. The only reason I was able to be even remotely effective in those roles was because I had absolutely stellar support from the staff. I often felt that Jo Ann Fenner, Linda Burnett, Kelly Weak and Kori Smith were essentially running the program while I was just the face of it. I quite literally could not have done the job without them.

"Those roles also had a profound impact on my view of the relationships between the program, the university, the local community, our students and our faculty. Even having taught multiple courses on system thinking, I had no idea of the complexity and deep intricacies and interconnections of the separate parts of a system. My time in those roles taught me the delicate balance that is needed over time to adjust competing needs and priorities, between administration and teaching and between rigor and kindness.

"When I entered as a junior faculty member, I was a big believer in drawing a hard line around being rigorous and having students learn by pushing through adversity. Over the years, I learned that at times, those requirements need to be softened with kindness and compassion. The world is a demanding place. I now find that it is more important to help students deal with those challenges and hardships rather than to judge them when they stumble."

Q. What university accomplishments or contributions are you most proud of?

A: "I'm pleased to have brought an increased focus to the department on the topics of organizational change and balancing economic measures of success with social and environmental measures of success. If I could have, I would have loved to have found a way to apply an oath to be taken by those in our program similar to that which doctors of medicine take: In solving organizational problems and recommending/developing solutions, we also should 'Do no harm'."

Q. What moments, big or small, stand out as especially meaningful from your time at Boise State?

A: "A defining moment was moving OPWL from the College of Engineering to the College of Education. It was not a decision I made lightly, and there was certainly some uncertainty at the time. But it was a thoughtful step toward positioning the program for long-term growth, and I'm proud of how it has evolved since then.

"I'm grateful that we were able to staff the positions of departing faculty members with such talented young faculty members. I'm wow'ed by their talent, and I'm confident that I'm leaving the department in such capable hands. Second, I'm grateful for having helped to realize a long-term department goal of gaining a PhD program. And finally, I'm grateful for establishing links to other departments and programs across the university. I think those relationships will pay dividends in the future."

Q. What do you hope your colleagues and students remember most about your time in the department?

A: "I hope they'll remember me as an understanding listener and a kind colleague. As I've struggled with declining physical health - as we all eventually do - and the effect of increasingly burdensome attention-deficit disorder, I've become acutely aware of my limitations. As a result, I've also learned of the value and necessity of having supportive colleagues."

Q. What are you most looking forward to in this next chapter?

A: "I'm looking forward to stepping away from the responsibilities that come with leadership and the weight of knowing others are impacted by those decisions. As an introvert, I'm also ready for a quieter pace and a bit more time out of the spotlight. I'm especially looking forward to woodworking, playing my violins, flyfishing, traveling to Spain and spending time with my lovely family."

After more than two decades of teaching, leadership and mentorship, Marker leaves behind a program shaped not only by academic rigor, but by a deep commitment to thoughtful systems, meaningful relationships and student success.

His influence can be seen in the evolution of the OPWL program, the strength of its faculty, and the many graduates who carry his perspective on organizational performance into their work. His emphasis on balancing rigor with compassion, and performance with responsibility, will continue to guide the program into the future.

As he begins this next chapter, the Boise State community celebrates his contributions and the lasting impact of his work.

For more information on Marker's research and publications, visit his ResearchGate profile.

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