Barbara’s interest in politics and policy was nurtured by parents who brought her along for poll work and political events as a child and later a stint as a teenaged gofer for a (losing) congressional campaign. She moved to Miami shortly after graduation for a career in international telecommunications as a trailblazing woman opening new markets throughout the world. Ready for a less nomadic existence, she switched careers utilizing her managerial skills producing events and tradeshows. Barbara holds both a BA and MBA degrees from Southern Methodist University and an MIM from American Graduate School of International Management (aka Thunderbird).