A Project of
the San Diego County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls,
the Women's Museum of California,
SDSU Women's Studies Department, and UCSD Women's Center.
Barbara Bry
2012
Empowerer
Entrepreneur Barbara Bry took the lead in the success of several companies that have not only benefited San Diego but have assisted in the promotion and progression of women in areas of technology and life sciences. While attending Harvard Business School, Barbara established an innovative class on business and the media. After earning her MBA, she worked for eight years as a national business reporter for the Sacramento Bee and then the Los Angeles Times.
In 1986, Barbara became the first Associate Director of the newly founded CONNECT Program in Technology and Entrepreneurship at the University of California, San Diego. She earned international recognition for efforts in linking technological entrepreneurs with resources required for success. She founded and worked as the Executive Director of Athena, a nonprofit organization that promotes professional growth for women executives and rising managers in science and technology. In 1995, Barbara co-founded ATCOM, which became the premier provider of software for high-speed, remotely monitored, public-access connectivity. The company sold for more than $80 million. During this time, Barbara was on the founding management team for ProFlowers.com.
In 2005, Barbara and her husband Neil Senturia founded Blackbird Ventures to invest in diverse businesses. Barbara was the Chief Operating Officer, yet found time to work as a radio co-host on Saturday afternoons for "I'm there for you Baby, The Entrepreneur's Guide to the Galaxy." She served as the founding editor and CEO of Voice of San Diego, an innovative news and information website that has been featured nationally for its leadership in community-based journalism.Barbara has focused on creating successful companies and to giving back to her community. More recently she founded Run Women Run, an organization centering on electing pro-choice women in San Diego. She is a board member of the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation, the San Diego Jewish Women's Foundation, and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest. In addition, she is a lifetime board member of CONNECT, serves as an advisor to the UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge, and is a mentor to young women at UC San Diego's Rady School of Business. Barbara Bry continues empowering women as a member of the San Diego City Council, elected in 2016.