Babs Kavanaugh

Babs Kavanaugh has a diverse management background. She has over thirty years’ experience in organizational development. Her professional background includes: governance consultant and trainer; human resource director; marketing director; community health center executive director; and small business owner.

Babs began her consulting career in the U.S. health care system in 1992, focusing on community-based primary health care services, as executive director of a rural community health center in Point Reyes CA.

In 1999 Babs expanded her focus into the education system, joining the staff of the California School Boards Association (CSBA), as a governance trainer. She has worked with over 350 school districts throughout California, training school district governance teams in effective governance and leadership skills. She assists them in improving their organizational effectiveness, keeping the district’s efforts focused on all students’ learning, achievement, and well-being.

One important aspect woven through Babs’ work is the support of styles of communication and learning. Babs has a strong foundation as a trainer in conflict management, supporting organizations to strengthen their leadership skills and improve overall effectiveness. She works from the premise that mutual respect and trust are essential to the development of successful and cohesive teams. She believes that highly functional groups are systems unto themselves and that they flourish when the focus is on group relationships rather than on individuals. Her focus is on facilitating the flow of communication in which positive interactions become the norm rather than the exception.