Barbara Burton is a published author and speaker whose work focuses on ethics, branding, and the social responsibility of the corporation. Barbara has presented leadership training to CEOs and managers on how to introduce the CSR (corporate social responsibility) model in the corporate setting, including the AA1000 or stakeholder dialogue method and associated case studies.
Barbara was the only US graduate of a year-long course on conducting social audits, sponsored by the Institute of Social and Ethical Account Ability and the New Economics Foundation in London in June 2001 and received accreditation in special courses during two international conferences on Social and Ethical Accounting, Auditing and Reporting in the Netherlands (1997) and Denmark (1999). She has attended and participated in numerous international conferences and was a speaker at the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women (Non-Governmental Forum) in Beijing, China in 1995. She also participated in the State of the World Forum and the Society of International Development Conference in Spain in 1997, addressing such subjects as sustainability, globalization, creative leadership and the role of non-governmental organizations.
In San Diego, Barbara is a collaborator on a major research effort in conjunction with the University of San Diego on the views of CEOs on corporate social responsibility. The results address how CEOs understand and incorporate a corporate social responsibility platform in their business operations.
Prior to joining Wolf Management Consultants, LLC, Barbara held management and public relations positions for more than 6 years at Mentus and McQuerterGroup — two firms specializing in advertising and PR/marketing. Her experience includes marketing, corporate positioning, new business development, and implementation of strategic public relations plans for a range of high-tech, biotech and health-care clients. Capitalizing on her experience as a Registered Nurse, she provided strategic marketing support for two major San Diego-based hospital systems offering industrial medicine programs to large corporations for more than 4 years. Prior to this, at Smith Bucklin in Washington, D.C., Barbara conducted a variety of strategic marketing and public relations activities for national nonprofit associations.
Barbara is a former editor and reporter and during the past two decades has covered business, government and social issues in Washington, D.C., Spain, China and other locations, placing articles in the Congressional Record and other national and local publications. She has reported on topics related to procurement, general government, women in the military, health-related issues, the arts, and a range of business topics such as conducting business abroad. Currently, she is a columnist for the San Diego Daily Transcript and speaker and provides articles and lectures on corporate social responsibility topics.
Barbara has organized a variety of NGO activities addressing poverty, women’s issues, microenterprise and other causes for the U.N. and other international organizations. She was a partner in RESULTS, a citizen’s lobby on world hunger for more than 7 years and currently is a volunteer at the San Diego Hospice, reflecting her strong belief in the importance of volunteerism and community involvement.
Barbara holds degrees in Journalism and Nursing and is a graduate of the Social and Ethical Accounting, Auditing and Reporting (SEEAR) course, sponsored by the Institute of AccountAbility and the New Economics Foundation in London.
