Women in Leadership Advisory Member

Barbara Blunt

Active Term: 04/2024 - 04/2025

Areas of Expertise

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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Learning Program Manager, National Headquarters

American Red Cross

Barbara Blunt is the current Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) learning & development program manager at the American Red Cross's national Headquarters. She is a results-oriented Certified Coach and Facilitator who brings over 12 years of proven experience in training program management, employee engagement, coaching and mentoring, and organizational leadership. She specializes in harmonizing people, processes, and organizations to take them to the next level of growth and advancement. Barbara’s shared passion for lifelong learning and building harmonious relationships compelled her to pursue a profession where she could develop and empower others to succeed and reach their full potential.

She is kind hearted and believes that establishing relationships while fostering a positive and supportive work environment has been crucial to her success. Hence, she approaches every situation with compassion and understanding in all her dealings. Barbara first demonstrated her commendable services at Jacobs Entertainment Inc. as an HR training specialist. In this role, she developed training policies, schedules, and training and development programs for 700 employees.

Afterward, she worked at Stonebridge Companies, where she expertly identified training needs for more than 46 hotels across 11 states. After four years, she served as an implementation specialist at IQware and later on joined the American Red Cross, NHQ. She initially fulfilled the supervisor position for Service Delivery instructors, earned successive promotions to senior associate for Learning & Development, and became the program manager for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) team. As the current DE&I program manager of the NHQ, Barbara is responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training volunteer facilitators, coaches, and HR partners into competent DE&I champions. Also, she plays a vital role in leading and supporting the development and cultivation of consulting relationships with stakeholders and suppliers.

​These experiences have positioned her as a natural bridge for the organization’s efficiency and employee growth and satisfaction. Barbara holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University Global. She has also obtained numerous certifications, including the Certified 360 Coach and Certified Facilitator from Inclusive Leadership Compass and the Certified Hospitality Trainer from American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. She currently lives in the scenic city of Denver.

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