About Barbara
Barbara Demarest focuses her executive coaching and business consulting practice on people and organizations involved in knowledge creation, conversion and dissemination. She helps individuals, teams and organizations effectively position themselves, their products, and their companies in their target markets.
Barbara’s experience includes: executive positions in product development, knowledge management, fundraising, strategy, marketing and communications at the global executive development organization, the Center for Creative Leadership; program creation and management for Duke University; grant program consulting for the North Carolina Governor’s Office; and owning and operating a design-focused retail store.
Barbara’s skills range from coaching an individual struggling to define an initiative to facilitating an organizational strategy session with Board members to developing and marketing a new product. Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious when she is working with a team focused on a shared goal.
Barbara scans the demand landscape using her natural curiosity and analytical skills to find opportunities. She works with individuals and teams to not only listen to what their constituents are saying, but to dig deeper to how they are living and behaving.
Barbara received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University. Barbara’s cum laude undergraduate degree is in Public Policy from Duke University where she also received a Certificate in the interdisciplinary Science, Technology, and Human Values Program and was the recipient of the President’s Leadership Award.
In addition, Barbara contributes her time to a number of boards and volunteer activities including the Gateway University Research Park Board; and alumni admissions interviewing for Duke University.
