Jeanie M. Barnett

Jeanie oversees communications for GBC, sharing the inspiring stories of the women founders and entrepreneurs GBC supports and promoting GBC’s mission to build a more equitable landscape for women in business.

A longtime advocate of business ownership as a vehicle for expanding economic opportunities in underserved communities, Jeanie spent more than 10 years as editor in chief of MBE magazine and was co-founder and editor of Women’s Business Exclusive, a subscription-based newsletter covering programs and policies supporting women business owners. She served as a gubernatorial appointee to the first statewide women’s small-business council, in California; and was named the US Small Business Administration’s National Media Advocate of the Year in 1999.

With a keen interest in the power of public policy to improve people’s lives and livelihoods, Jeanie pursued graduate studies at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, where she earned a master’s degree in Public Administration. She also holds a BA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Jeanie is passionate about public service and volunteerism. She taught high school science as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, West Africa and later served on the board and as Executive Director of WomensTrust, a nonprofit supporting women and girls in Ghana with access to microcredit, entrepreneurial training and educational scholarships. She currently serves on the board of directors of The Chicago Help Initiative, a nonprofit assisting Chicagoans experiencing hunger and homelessness.