Currently the Treasurer for the NCRAA, Barbara has been the Advisor for the Beta Theta Lambda Chapter at Merritt College since October 2006. During her tenure, there have been three NV/CA Regional Officers, one All-USA Recipient and 23 All-State Awardees. She has attended four International Conventions, (Catalyst 2021 the most recent), and numerous fall leadership conferences and spring regional conventions (where she also often presented). She participated in the first Advisor’s Institute in Fresno, CA in September 2013. She completed the Advisor Five-Star and the Old Five Star Competitive Edge in 2020 and is currently working on the new PTK Edge Programs.
Barbara holds a B.A. in Spanish from Santa Clara University (1972), an M.A. in Education from CSU, Sacramento (1993), a lifetime Community College Credential from the State Chancellor’s Office for students with disabilities (1990) and a Certificate of Achievement in Distance Education from Merritt College (2014). She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Theta Kappa (Beta Zeta Pi Chapter at American River College), a member of the PTK Association of Advisors, and a member of the Merritt College Faculty Association.
Barbara’s career in education at the community colleges began in January 1987 when she was hired to teach English reading and writing skills to deaf and hard-of-hearing students at American River College (ARC), Sacramento, CA. In fall 1987 she was transferred to the Learning Disabilities Program but continued to work as an interpreter in the Los Rios Community College District. She was hired as an interpreter at CSU, Sacramento on July 1, 1989 and was a staff member in Services to Students with Disabilities through September 1994. Having completed her M.A. in Education with an emphasis in learning disabilities in 1993, she began a full-time career as a Learning Disabilities Specialist at Merritt College in Oakland, CA in January 1995. During these years she continued to do free-lance interpreting, retiring in 2010. She also taught American Sign Language at CSU, Sacramento January 1995 to May 2020.
One of her most cherished awards is her induction into the Mt. Pleasant High School (MPHS) Hall of Fame in October 2004 for her contributions to education, working with students with disabilities. Her chapter officers presented her with an Advisor Appreciation for Leadership and Service Award 2010 – 2011. She received the Advisor Excellence Award 2012 – 2013 from the region. Additionally, she was presented the NV/CA Horizon Award for Advisors in March 2015. Another cherished award is the Alumni Appreciation Award for 2021 presented at Catalyst 2021.
Although Barbara retired from teaching in June 2020, she continues to be a co-advisor for Merritt College’s Chapter. Additionally, she is in her 4th year as Treasurer, her 2nd year as College and University Sponsor Liaison for the NCRAA and has been a keynote speaker at Santa Ana College’s Chapter, Alpha Beta, Induction Ceremony Fall 2020. She plans to spend retirement devoting more time to her husband, Bill of 43 years, her two kitties, Maya and Chloe, the Alumni Association and travelling when the pandemic is over. Her hobbies include: photography, reading (almost any genre except romance novels), creating digital memory books for friends, and visiting Maui with Bill whenever possible.