AUP BOARD, UNITED NATIONS REPRESENTATIVE and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Barbara holds a 1st Dan in Shotokan under the JKA and was a longstanding member of the NY Women’s CKC. She also serves as curator for TheoryinAction.tools , a platform designed to help operationalize justice through practical strategy and collective learning. Barbara is a leader whose career bridges Information Technology and grassroots organizing. With a passion for both innovation and justice, she consistently leverages her skills to advance equity and systemic transformation.
Barbara studied dance and partipated in her schools Running Program, and was selected for Carnegie Mellon University’s Advanced Placement Early Acceptance program before graduating high school—focusing on Math and Chemistry. While attending Rutgers College, she co-founded *BluEnke*, a publishing and production company dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black women through poetry and spoken word performances across the Northeast. Barbara’s activism took root at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, where she played a central role in civil rights campaigns. These included organizing against the unconstitutional “Party without a Permit Law,” helping lead the push for New Brunswick’s first Elected School Board, and serving as a member of the New Brunswick Coalition Against Police Brutality.
Her IT career began in the late 90s as an applications and web developer and trainer for institutions such as Deutsche Bank, the Federal Reserve, and NJIT. In 2004, she joined Goldman Sachs as an IT consultant, where she designed and delivered training on end-user applications and project management, and developed enterprise-level technical solutions. A lifelong entrepreneur, Barbara founded *Liquids and Eats Cafe* and *Savory Fusion Food Service*. These ventures served as community hubs, offering healthy food, arts programming, and digital literacy initiatives. This community work paralleled her international advocacy as a UN NGO representative with Athletes United for Peace, where she continues to champion economic justice, sustainability, and women's rights—while encouraging the political will to enact lasting change. During this period, she also provided IT consulting and training to scientists and engineers at Harvard’s Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Barbara has spoken globally on the intersection of technology and transformation.
In 2015, she presented her firm’s methodology, DRIVE, at Cloud Connect China, Interop Las Vegas, QCon Tokyo, and as a keynote speaker at QCon Beijing. In 2019, she was a trainer on a team that trained thousands of professionals across the U.S. in data transformation, automation, AI, and the adoption of next-generation digital solutions. She is the founder of Ngaage, a digital platform that unites individuals and organizations to drive legislative and grassroots action for a just and equitable society. At Ngaage, we envision a just and compassionate world where every person, everywhere, is guaranteed the essentials for a dignified and thriving life.
AUP BOARD, UNITED NATIONS REPRESENTATIVE and INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
Barbara holds a 1st Dan in Shotokan under the JKA and was a longstanding member of the NY Women’s CKC. She also serves as curator for TheoryinAction.tools , a platform designed to help operationalize justice through practical strategy and collective learning. Barbara is a leader whose career bridges Information Technology and grassroots organizing. With a passion for both innovation and justice, she consistently leverages her skills to advance equity and systemic transformation.
Barbara studied dance and partipated in her schools Running Program, and was selected for Carnegie Mellon University’s Advanced Placement Early Acceptance program before graduating high school—focusing on Math and Chemistry. While attending Rutgers College, she co-founded *BluEnke*, a publishing and production company dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black women through poetry and spoken word performances across the Northeast. Barbara’s activism took root at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, where she played a central role in civil rights campaigns. These included organizing against the unconstitutional “Party without a Permit Law,” helping lead the push for New Brunswick’s first Elected School Board, and serving as a member of the New Brunswick Coalition Against Police Brutality.
Her IT career began in the late 90s as an applications and web developer and trainer for institutions such as Deutsche Bank, the Federal Reserve, and NJIT. In 2004, she joined Goldman Sachs as an IT consultant, where she designed and delivered training on end-user applications and project management, and developed enterprise-level technical solutions. A lifelong entrepreneur, Barbara founded *Liquids and Eats Cafe* and *Savory Fusion Food Service*. These ventures served as community hubs, offering healthy food, arts programming, and digital literacy initiatives. This community work paralleled her international advocacy as a UN NGO representative with Athletes United for Peace, where she continues to champion economic justice, sustainability, and women's rights—while encouraging the political will to enact lasting change. During this period, she also provided IT consulting and training to scientists and engineers at Harvard’s Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Barbara has spoken globally on the intersection of technology and transformation.
In 2015, she presented her firm’s methodology, DRIVE, at Cloud Connect China, Interop Las Vegas, QCon Tokyo, and as a keynote speaker at QCon Beijing. In 2019, she was a trainer on a team that trained thousands of professionals across the U.S. in data transformation, automation, AI, and the adoption of next-generation digital solutions. She is the founder of Ngaage, a digital platform that unites individuals and organizations to drive legislative and grassroots action for a just and equitable society. At Ngaage, we envision a just and compassionate world where every person, everywhere, is guaranteed the essentials for a dignified and thriving life.