ABOUT / Dr. Barbara Jenkins
Dr. Barbara Jenkins joined TSG Advisors in 2023 after spending more than three decades in public education. Barbara has been widely recognized as a leader in the education space and for her dedication to serving students.
Most recently, Barbara served as Superintendent for Orange County Public Schools, the eighth largest district in the nation with 206,000 students. She spearheaded the district’s successful passage of not just one but two landmark referenda. The first, a renewed half-penny sales tax referendum for capital projects, amounted to $2.4 billion, while the second involved two property tax referenda for operations projected at $1.2 billion. All of this was achieved to bolster the district’s multi-billion-dollar annual budget and better serve the district’s students, families, and staff.
Under Barbara’s leadership, the district won the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education and District Accreditation from AdvancED for its best practices in the education field. In 2017, Barbara was named the Florida Superintendent of the Year and was a finalist for the national title.
Barbara is most proud of her work in increasing the district’s graduation rate. When named superintendent, the rate was 74%. She left the district with an unprecedented 97% traditional school graduation rate after 10 years of service.
Barbara’s commitment to education was recognized when she received a presidential appointment to the National Board of Education Sciences in 2017 and the Baldridge Foundation Award for Leadership Excellence in 2022.
She previously chaired the Council of Great City Schools, advocating for large urban districts nationwide. Also, as Chief in Residence, she leads the influential Women in Leadership initiative at Chiefs for Change—a bipartisan coalition of education leaders committed to empowering our nation’s youth. There, she also helps develop new and future superintendents.
When Barbara is not working to improve her community, she enjoys time with her husband, Harold, their children, and grandson.
