Curriculum Vitae

Barbara Ann Bush, PhD

Executive Director | Corporate Communications Consultant | Trainer
Wasen i. Emmental, Switzerland
Email: doveinhand@gmail.com | Mobile: 076 261 78 23
Web: barbaraannbush.com
Nationality: Swiss and American | Languages: Swiss-German, German, English (Fluent)

EXECUTIVE PROFILE

Strategic, multilingual Director of Corporate Communications and Institutional Leader with a PhD in Communication Studies and a proven track record of orchestrating organizational turnarounds, driving change management, and building high-trust cultures. Possesses a unique dual-lens capability, pairing macro-level strategic vision with an analytical eye for execution details. Highly adept at operating within small, agile teams to unify diverse global stakeholders behind a shared corporate identity. Expert in both training elite communication practices and implementing real-world, data-driven communication strategies that deliver measurable organizational alignment, commercial growth, and operational clarity.

CORE COMPETENCIES

  • Strategic Corporate Communications: Executive messaging, global corporate identity, internal alignment, and cultural transformation.
  • Turnaround Strategy & Change Management: Scaling organizational footprint, mitigating risk, and leading agile teams through complex transformations.
  • Cross-Functional & Inclusive Leadership: Unifying diverse global functions, managing multi-tier perspectives, and driving high-trust cultures.
  • Communication Training & Coaching: Pedagogical design, executive coaching, professional development, and presentation strategy.
  • External Relations & Brand Positioning: Cantonal stakeholder management, multi-channel marketing campaigns, and reputation management.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Principal (Executive Director / Head of Communication Strategy)
The British School Bern, Switzerland | Sep 2023 – Present

  • Turnaround Strategy: Engineered and executed a comprehensive external communication and strategic marketing roadmap that nearly doubled school enrollment in under three years.
  • Crisis Management & Clarity: Successfully saved the institution from imminent closure by stabilizing operations, aligning cross-functional teams, and restoring stakeholder confidence through high-transparency communication frameworks.
  • Small-Team Leadership & Diversity: Managed lean, agile administrative teams, successfully navigating diverse perspectives, cultural differences, and multi-tier stakeholder needs to build an inclusive environment.
  • Program Development: Conceived, launched, and scaled new academic and co-curricular programs, utilizing structured internal engagement strategies to guarantee smooth change management and faculty adoption.
  • External Relations: Cultivated high-value, complex partnerships at the cantonal level and with key community interest groups, positioning the institution as a premier international hub.

Professor and Communication Studies Department Head
Big Bend Community College, USA | Aug 2020 – Dec 2023

  • Departmental Transformation: Steered corporate-level change management, leveraging targeted communication audits to transition workflows into a transparent, high-trust, and collaborative team culture.
  • Communication Training Execution: Built, coached, and trained multi-disciplinary faculty teams on advanced communication practices, inclusive messaging, and structural transparency.
  • Strategic Growth & Macro Vision: Directed the long-term strategic launch and external positioning of a new Bachelor program (BASM), defining meticulous outcome measures that significantly outpaced baseline enrollment metrics.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Co-chaired the corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, orchestrating unified, accessible messaging frameworks across the entire organizational footprint.

Lecturer / Adjunct Faculty
University of California, San Diego & University of San Diego, USA | Jan 2012 – Jun 2020

  • Advanced Communication Training: Taught and developed core curricula in Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking, Small Group Communication, Intercultural Communication, and Social Movement Theory.
  • Detail-Oriented Operations: Managed day-to-day operations, supervised cross-functional teams of teaching assistants, and structured professional development programs to optimize information flows.

EDUCATION

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Communication Studies
    University of California, San Diego
    Dissertation: Nostalgia, Identity, and Practices of Belonging in Switzerland
  • Master of Arts (MA) in Communication Studies
    California State University, Sacramento
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theater Arts
    University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana

TECHNICAL SYSTEMS & SKILLS

  • Core Frameworks: Corporate Storytelling, Strategic Alignment, Multi-Channel Communications, Crisis Mitigation, Budgetary Administration, Media Strategy, DEI Frameworks.
  • Digital Ecosystems: Microsoft 365 Enterprise Suite (Advanced user: Teams, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook), Learning Management Systems (LMS), Virtual Collaboration Environments.