Barbara Grant
Barbara can be reached at barbmgr@mgs-us.com.
Barbara Grant, MA A.B.S. is a co-founder and Managing Partner at MGS Consulting, Inc. She has been actively involved in leadership roles and building and developing communities and organizations in Washington State since 1986. Barbara’s experience reflects the diversity of the Puget Sound area, as her work has spanned the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
She views complexity as an opportunity for change, and assists organizations in managing this complexity in order to strengthen internal capacity and enhance outcomes for constituents served. This is reflected in her current work with varied clients such as international NGOs, small businesses, local nonprofits, and public institutions, which is focused on comprehensive organizational and leadership development structuring and strategic program design, implementation, and assessment.
Barbara excels at facilitating cooperative intersections among multiple stakeholders in support of organizations’ unique missions, as reflected in her ongoing work with multiple membership associations and their affiliates, and various public-private partnerships. Barbara understands, facilitates, and trains effective conflict management and specializes in helping organizations capitalize on their own resources and work through conflict in a productive way. Her systemic approach to individual and organizational leadership and capacity development drives decision making and promotes sustainability.
Barbara has a BA in International Relations from the University of Notre Dame, and prior to founding MGS, spent several years managing international business issues for the Microsoft Corporation. Before she joined the high-tech industry, Barbara worked for the Archdiocese of Seattle, building up a statewide program of community-based awareness and advocacy for children in Washington state detention centers.
During her tenure at Microsoft, she gained experience with strategic business planning and senior management development for several departments, and served as Microsoft’s Director for the worldwide Management and Employee Development organizations. Barbara also supervised customer support and product development businesses, managed employees in several countries, and traveled and negotiated business partnerships. She was also a founder and/or Board member of several diversity groups within the organization. Barbara has been a speaker and a presenter for local and international conferences and has been on the faculty for the University of Washington’s Organizational Communication certificate program, and the City University business program.
Barbara’s clients appreciate that she has faced many of the same challenges they face: having accountability for today’s bottom line results while attempting to anticipate and capitalize on tomorrows emerging opportunities to support excellent outcomes for clients served. Her Masters Degree in Applied Behavioral Science was focused on Leadership and Organizational Development. She is a skilled strategic advisor and leadership coach, highly rated workshop presenter, and dynamic facilitator. Her depth of experience in organizational development continues to be an asset to organizational leaders, intersecting teams, and local and global organizations.
