Meet Barb Wood, Encore Fellows Engagement Lead
Welcome, Barb Wood as the Engagement Lead for the Encore Fellows program!
After twenty-five years in nonprofit leadership and management, plus extensive education in human development, Barb’s innate curiosity about people and their lives makes her a perfect fit for the “Matchmaker” position with the Encore Fellows Program. She came to this position having first applied to be a Fellow herself.
Barb has led organizations as the Executive Director in family violence and health care and has also served in executive management positions for organizations in areas including poverty alleviation, senior services and veteran services. The Peace Corps were also lucky to have Barb as a volunteer in Gabon, Africa. Barb is a yoga teacher, a yoga therapist, an organizational and executive coach and is coming out of a four year spiritual sabbatical during which she traveled extensively and walked three long-distance pilgrimages (Spain, Portugal and Italy). Just before starting this new role with SVP Portland, she explored nonprofit consulting in the developing world by volunteering for a health clinic in Uganda and two orphanages in Kenya. She also went on safari!Barb took this job to be of service in her home city, Portland, and to help new retirees find purpose and meaning in retirement. “This is the time of life to be selective, focused and intentional about your commitments. If not now, when?” She hopes to help people in her stage of life to find joy and enthusiasm for the things they love to do. In addition, she hopes to help local nonprofits by placing skilled professionals from industry, business, government, education and even the non-profit sector to complete high impact projects to improve the functioning of those organizations. It’s a win-win-win!
Barb grew up in Vancouver, WA until her mother and new step-father moved to Spokane, WA where she went to high school and got her first undergraduate degree in biology. Washington State University (BA, Business and M.Ed. Counseling Psychology) and Oregon State University (Ph.D. Human Development and Family Studies) completed her formal education. Since then, she’s lived in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, New York, New Jersey and Gabon Africa. Barb loves travel and exploring the intersection of people with the local public policies of a country to understand the various manifestations of the human condition in different backdrops.
Barb lives in SW Portland on an acre garden at the end of a dead-end street with her partner, Sally and two cats, Mudita and Prana. When not working or traveling, she loves outdoor activities (hiking, backpacking, camping, kayaking, biking), reading, yoga, spiritual practice, trying new foods, a bit of wine and finding beauty in the everyday.