Barbara Anne Gardenhire-Mills

Expert Bio

Barbara Anne is a “Solutions Navigator” and servant leader who has directly assisted over 2,000 businesses in the past two decades and provided training, coaching, and technical assistance to countless companies, teams, entrepreneurs, and individuals throughout her career. She is the founder and owner of Purpose-Filled Solutions and Evolutions LLC, a business consulting & leadership coaching company that partners with people, leaders, companies, and others to find their "why" (core purpose), identify resources, overcome challenges, change mindsets, and develop and implement plans to achieve their visions of success, with an emphasis on civility, inclusion, equity, and diversity (CIED), her company’s unique alternative to current DEIB approaches. Barbara Anne also serves as Director of Compliance & Engagement for Cooperative Business Assistance Corporation (CBAC) in Camden, NJ, and hosts “What The Why?!? with Barbara Anne,” an on-demand talk show on RVN Television and Roku. Before her current roles, she served as the Management Analyst & Community Liaison for the U.S. White House Promise Zone Initiative in Camden, NJ, stationed at the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), and as Supervisor of Lender Relations & Economic Development/Women's Business Ownership Representative for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) New Jersey District Office. She has also served in other leadership roles, including Executive Director, Director, and Manager in the corporate, non-profit, and municipal government arenas, and worked as a federal government training contractor. Barbara Anne holds an M.S. in Executive Leadership from Champlain College, a B.A. in Political Science/ Honors with concentrations in Pre-Law and Women's Studies from Rowan University, and an A.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Business Communications from Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ). She has completed multiple professional designations and adult continuing education certificates, including a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) certification with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Certified Professional Coach in Executive Coaching from RCSJ, and certifications in talent optimization and implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Barbara Anne serves in volunteer leadership capacities with The Founder Institute, Braven, ICF’s NJ Charter Chapter, and she is a member of ICF Global, the Association of Talent Development (ATD), CDFI Women’s Network, and other professional and civic organizations. The National Association of Women's Business Owners (NAWBO) – South Jersey Chapter honored her with their 2016 “Women's Advocate of the Year” award. She was recognized for her work on several White House Projects and a special initiative in which she served as an advocate for the Partnership for Public Service-led place-based leader training program while working for the USA Federal Government. In addition to being a singer, Barbara Anne is a Second-Degree Black Belt and member of the Okinawa Goju-Ryu Kenshi-Kai Karate-Jutsu Kobu-Jutsu Association, and she trains in a few other martial arts styles. She resides in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, with Joseph (husband), Colin (son), Ariel Rankin (daughter by choice), Remi Bruno and Dora (rescue furry babies), and other pets.