Grace Barnes has been named the August 2017 Staff of the Month. Barnes has been with 51 (51) since 2009 and her current job title is Administrative Assistant III. She serves as the assistant to Workforce Development’s Assistant Vice President, Christi Rood. Although she has been with 51 for eight years, she has been with Workforce Development for 23 years.
“My college education is non-existent—other than the education I’ve received working at a college. Life… life is an education. I love working for 51,” said Barnes. “At the risk of sounding cliché, it is awesome to work somewhere you can literally help people change their lives for the better. It can be difficult at times working through our self-imposed red tape, but I always try to keep in mind the end game, which is ‘how does this affect the students?’. Even the seemingly small changes we make in paperwork processing ultimately impact students. Workforce Development students are typically a population coming back to school that didn’t have a good previous experience with school, or never attended college – meaning a lot of fear and lack of confidence. I feel like a cheerleader sometimes, telling these potential students they can do it regardless of their age, previous experience, or current circumstance. I feel passionate about our department and what we offer, which is another alternative for schooling leading to employment. We do good things, and I see us do those good things almost every day.”
Barnes was actually born and raised in Boise. She has been married to her husband, Michael, for 31 years and they have two adult sons and one awesome daughter-in-law. Her husband has his own business doing lawn maintenance. Barnes is a huge Boise State Bronco fan and has a love for all college football, but will watch the occasional NFL game. She also loves NASCAR. Chase Elliott is her driver (other NASCAR fans will understand). She also is an avid reader. Her favorites are mysteries and non-fiction.
