Dr. Williamson has focused her career on helping individuals and organizations increase their effectiveness, strengthen their performance and maximize their productivity. At the outset, she provided personal and career counseling to high school and college students as well as administered several secondary school guidance programs. However, after nearly a decade in secondary schools, she turned her focus to adults whom she taught job readiness skills for placement into the job market. The Urban Job Readiness and Placement Service which she administered, was funded by the Department of Labor and recognized as one of its National Demonstration Models.

At the University of Tennessee in the Institute for Public Service and in the Office of Human Resource Management, Dr. Williamson developed and led campus-wide professional development training as well as coordinated the Annual Professional Development Conference for Women. Additionally, she provided orientation to UTIS distance education technology. Management of Contemporary Organizations and Organizational Behavior were courses she taught in the College of Business Administration at California State University-Sacramento; and at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, as adjunct faculty, she taught core curriculum courses in the Department of Human Resource Development. As a subcontractor with the UT Center for Government Training and the UT Extension Service, Dr. Williamson led management and supervisory training for government personnel as well as professional development training for state-wide extension workers through her consulting company, Insight Associates. Also through Insight Associates, Dr. Williamson has provided consultation to corporations and federal agencies.

Presently, Dr. Williamson is Director of Special Projects in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she, as associate professor of institutional practice, teaches graduate courses, is editor of the Mizzou Counseling Psychology E-Newsletter. Barbara and husband Handy devote much time to friends and family.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D. Degree. Human Resource Development. University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
• M.S. Degree. Counseling and Guidance. Tennessee State University-Nashville.
• B.S. Degree. Business Education. Tennessee State University-Nashville.

NON-DEGREE STUDY

• George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
• University of Missouri-Columbia.
• University of Louisville, KY, General Electric Guidance Fellow.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society
• Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society
• Phi Delta Kappa Honor Society
• Pi Omega Pi Honor Society

CIVIC BOARDS AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES (TN)

• Board of Directors, YWCA (Administrative)
• Board of Directors, Knoxville Opera Company (Marketing)
• Board of Directors, Good Shepherd Counseling Center (Long-Range Planning)
• Board of Directors, Fort Sanders School of Nursing
• Board of Directors, Matrix, Inc. (small-business start-up funding)
• President, Knoxville Chapter, The Links, Inc. (international women's
  organization)
• Knoxville Area Chamber Partners, Economic Development Committee Member
• United Way. Solicited corporate contributions as a Loaned Executive from the
  University of Tennessee/Knoxville.
• Knoxville Mental Health Association. Facilitated inter-agency professional
  development workshops.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES (MO)

• Board of Directors, Central Missouri Food Bank.
• Board of Directors, Boys and Girls Club.
• Board of Directors, Friends of Missouri.