Director, Grants and Project Management
Barbara has over two decades of experience in philanthropy, public health, and civil society leadership, evaluation, workshop facilitation, technical operations, and strategic planning. In her role as the Chief Steward at CivSource South Africa, Barbara leads strategic growth efforts, fosters multi-sector partnerships, and oversees organizational expansion across the region. A key component of her role involves strengthening leadership development and fiscal hosting. Barbara’s previous experience as National Coordinator for the South African Clinical Research Association (2009 – 2022) provided her with hands-on expertise in clinical research coordination, compliance oversight, and operational management. This role enhanced her ability to streamline evaluation processes, facilitate stakeholder engagement, and ensured programmatic effectiveness. Before this, Barbara worked for ActionAid South Africa gaining experience of regional programmatic work when she supported ActionAid in Lesotho and Swaziland in building capacity for the National AIDS Councils in those countries. Additionally, her volunteer work as a Program Advisor at Universal Health Development Fund and as a Consultant for UNAIDS JLICA & ESARO reinforced her ability to conduct research, design health-focused interventions, and deliver impactful capacity-building initiatives. These experiences equipped her with a deep understanding of public health challenges, institutional learning frameworks, and evidence-based program evaluation. Barbara holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health (University of Pretoria, 2024, Expected), a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Management (Monash University, 2022), and a Bachelor of Education (Honors) from Makerere University. These academic credentials, combined with her professional experience, have enabled her to champion adaptive leadership, foster cross-sector collaboration, and drive meaningful social impact in health and education sectors.
