Barbara is the Director of Publishing & Communications at the Morgridge Family Foundation (MFF). In this role, she leads the storytelling strategy for MFF and gives transformative leaders a platform to share their experiences.
Throughout her career, Barbara has helped universities, startups, nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies and individuals shape and leverage their stories of generosity and impact in order to inspire action and strengthen communities. After earning her undergraduate degree in journalism from Northwestern University, she became a publicist in New York City, working on award-winning campaigns including American Express’s Charge Against Hunger, one of the first and most successful corporate social responsibility initiatives in history. She transitioned to higher education marketing in 1995, where, surrounded by literary types, she was inspired to try writing fiction. Motivated by winning a national short story contest, she went on to earn her MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars in Vermont. Her stories and author interviews have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Glimmer Train, The Writer’s Chronicle and various literary journals. Her fiction, non-fiction and marketing campaigns have won awards from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association International, and other professional organizations. She has been a popular speaker at CASE and PRSA conferences, the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, and other venues. After five years as a solopreneur and consultant, she joined MFF in June 2022.
Barbara has coached college-level writing to inmates at the Bedford Maximum Security Prison for Women, run many marathons, and raised a son to “fly little birdie.” These days, she plays at improv, makes up silly songs for open mic nights with her ukulele, and navigates van life with her dog Greta. She blogs about her adventures at www.hackingawayathappiness.com.
