When talking to Ange Barry, one has to ask the obvious: "How does someone with a business background end up running a kitchen garden program?" "My background has been a mixture of business and not-for-profit work."
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The key theme drawing all her jobs together has been managing and implementing change.
"I worked in the financial services sector at a time when a change was made from selling products to providing advice.
That inspired me to embark on a career around change," she says.
After using her skills in the private sector, she tapped into her coaching abilities in the non-profit world.
"I assisted long term carers and helped the long-term unemployed back into the workforce. It was about how you can best survive change, and communicate and adapt your skills," she says.
Today, Barry takes those same skills into food education.
"We're making a change about the culture and practices around food for a whole generation," she says.
The team of 26 full and part-timers are guardians of a well-loved brand, and Barry is well aware of the business capital that comes alongside the Stephanie Alexander name.
"I have the most precious and delicate asset to look after, that is Stephanie's reputation.
That includes who we work with, and who we accept funding from — I'm not just representing an organisation, but a person as well; people don't separate Stephanie from the foundation," she says.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Ange Barry
Current position: CEO, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation
Responsibilities: Implementing the foundation's strategic plan, and engaging government, corporate and community groups to enable pleasurable food education to be implemented across Australian schools.
Education: Bachelor of Business (Accounting), RMIT.
Additional training/courses: Many, including: ·Certificate IV Workplace Training and Assessment, Northern Metropolitan Institute of Tafe.
· Capacity building skills, Office of the Status of Women.
· Certificate IV Personal Development, Enterprise Skills Pty Ltd.
· Management, coaching and mentoring skills, AMP Society.
· Effective training skills for managers, AMP Society.
Professional associations: · Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Honourable mentions: · Victorian Premier's Design award given to the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, 2010.
Strength: I'm very passionate about what I do. I like to empower people and help them tap into their creativity.
Weakness: Too passionate sometimes! I'm really attached to what we're achieving, and as a boss sometimes you need to be able to step back and be removed emotionally to make wise decisions. I'm working on that all the time.
Management style and tips: I encourage innovative thinking — we're challenging the norm so it's important to inspire my team to feel comfortable in that space.
Work motto: Embrace the unknown.
