Jessica Barton is taking on a new challenge this year as the first-ever communications officer for the UNC Charlotte Staff Council.
“One of our goals is to reach out to more staff members to increase awareness about Staff Council events and initiatives,” said Barton, who is a business analyst for the Belk College of Business. “I plan to explore how to use other forms of communication beyond email, such as the digital displays in buildings, and we are in the process of reworking the Staff Council website, too.”
Barton, who joined UNC Charlotte in November 2009, has been involved with the Staff Council for a little more than a year. She said it’s important for employees to know they have a voice. The council is interested in concerns and suggestions from staff members, and council representatives and officers are engaged with University leaders to address the campus as a workplace and to strengthen morale.
Although a member of the Staff Council executive board, Barton noted her primary job duties involve working with budgets, endowments and personnel in the Belk College of Business. She helps the college track its budget annually, which requires updating and generating reports throughout the fiscal year. Barton also awards and tracks all the endowed and non-endowed scholarships for the college.
“I’m a numbers person, really,” joked Barton, who reports to Nancy Garland, director of finance and personnel. “But I also work closely with hiring managers on open positions or position creation. This involves everything from inputting information into HRMS to scheduling interviews and administering skills tests if necessary for a position.”
Originally from California, Barton grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and completed a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from California State University, Sacramento. She and her husband Brandon moved to North Carolina in 2007.
“We wanted to buy a house, and it was just so expensive to live there. My husband’s family had lived in North Carolina before, and his sister moved back the year before, so we just followed,” said Barton. The couple lives in Concord.
Working for the University is terrific, stated Barton. “The Belk College of Business is a great place to be; I work with a wonderful group of people, and I enjoy interacting with people from across campus. My job requires me to work collaboratively to come up with new processes, so I talk to different people every day. I’ve learned so much and seen so much change for the better in the short time I’ve been here.”
Away from campus, Barton spends time with her husband and their daughter McKayla, who is three-and-a-half years old. Having grown up in northern California, Barton is a San Francisco 49ers football fan, and she now has another 49ers team to cheer to victory. “I love that the University’s team is the 49ers.The colors are different, but the name’s the same. Go Niners.”