Barker joins GNW Shared Services team as director of property asset management

As of July 1, Katrishca “Kat” Barker has joined the Greater Northwest Area of The UMC’s Shared Services team as the new director of property asset management.

Barker, who is working out of the Pacific Northwest Conference in Des Moines, Wash., comes to the position with more than 20 years’ experience in commercial real estate and entrepreneurship. Additionally, she’s the daughter and granddaughter of church pastors.

Her skills will be critical as the GNW Area seeks to live into the goal of aligning physical resources with ministry priorities. GNW leadership has placed a value on shifting the focus on the practice of closing a church and immediately selling the property to a community partner.

Barker said she felt well-qualified for this role.

“I have extensive knowledge and experience, combined with success in managing properties and working with board members to establish short and long-term plans for growth and stability,” she said.

She has managed and optimized multimillion-dollar portfolios across major metropolitan markets, including Seattle and Houston. Her expertise spans all facets of property operations: budgeting, capital planning, leasing strategy, vendor negotiations, occupancy management, and team leadership.

Her academic background includes a master’s degree in management, earned while living overseas in South Korea. During that time, she also served as an instructor for the U.S. military’s Career Transition Assistance Program, mentoring transitioning service members across bases in Korea, Japan, and the U.S.

GNW Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Brant Henshaw, said this position is not just about managing physical assets, either – everything from closed churches to Conference computers – but working with others to dream.

Barker will be working with conference boards of trustees in the Alaska, PNW and Oregon-Idaho Conference, congregational boards of development, cabinet members and district leaders to work through the options for a church setting before it is closed.

“Katrishca brings an eagerness to engage people of all situations in finding resolutions for both longstanding and more basic [asset management] situations,” Henshaw said. “Her background and ease with people will engage and enchant folks to find solutions.”

As the daughter and granddaughter of pastors, Barker was raised with values of responsibility, fairness, and equity; principles she now applies in her community engagement. In July 2023, the Tacoma School Board renamed McCarver Elementary School in Tacoma, Wash., to Edna Travis Elementary, honoring her late grandmother’s lifelong community service.

“It’s a moment I consider one of the most meaningful recognitions of my family’s legacy and impact,” Barker said.

In addition to her real estate career, Barker is an experienced entrepreneur. She and her husband previously owned and operated a successful restaurant franchise before transitioning to a mobile food truck business, which now serves churches, schools, and community events across Greater Houston.

“I am looking forward to working parallel with the trustees in each Conference and GNW cabinet members,” she said. “I’m also working on establishing and implementing a software tracking system to successfully manage all of our assets.”

Barker is the proud parent of two adult children, and two dogs. She loves going to the beach, home improvement projects and traveling. In February she participated in a mission trip with her mother to Thailand, volunteering with the Bangkok Community Help Foundation and distributing resources to underserved neighborhoods.