Founder Barry H. Hampton currently serves as an Executive Board member and is the Board representative for Founders. He also served as our sixth National past president. His ongoing contributions to the Fellowship are unparalleled.
Barry H. Hampton was born on May 4, 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey. He went to Baltimore, Maryland, in the early 1960s where he attended Morgan State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1965. He served as the president of the Baltimore Graduate Chapter of Groove Phi Groove in the late 1960s and as national president in the 1980s.
Hampton helped to establish Groove because of the camaraderie and fellowship among the founders, a camaraderie that still exists today. His fondest Groove memories are networking and fellowshipping with the brothers.
In 1965, Hampton began work toward his Master of Science degree in Psychology at Howard University, while raising a family and working as a social worker for Baltimore City government. In that capacity, he worked on the street corners of East Baltimore for three years, helping at-risk youths who were beginning to leave school early and fall out of mainstream society.
In 1968, Hampton went to work in the Baltimore plant of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, serving as a supervisor of Testing, Training, and Affirmative Action in the Industrial Relations Department. In 1975, he was transferred to the company’s home office in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and held several positions there, such as EEO Affirmative Action specialist, college relations recruiter, personnel assistant, and program supervisor. Among his accomplishments while at Bethlehem’s home office was the completion of an advanced program at the Harvard University School of Business. He worked at the company until 1986.
In January of 1986, Hampton teamed up with others to help form STAR Associates, Inc., a human resources development and training consulting firm located in Baltimore’s downtown inner-harbor. In addition to serving on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Black Chamber of Commerce (GBBCC) and SelfPride, Inc., he has served as the past president of the Business League of Baltimore, Inc.
Hampton is married to Dr. Theresa Mitchell-Hampton. He has three children—Kathie, Barry, and John—five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. He enjoys jogging, walking, traveling, and working around the house.
One of Hampton’s lifetime dreams is to utilize the skills he has learned over the years to conduct a retreat for the leaders and the members of Groove Phi Groove.