Board Member Spotlight – March

Meet Barbara Pennell Jaynes

“Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” These words by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, are front and center to Barbara Pennell Jaynes’ nature and leadership style. She is a born community builder and connector. Barbara launched Positively-Funded in 2013 and has built a successful business in Superior, where she lives with her family of four, three rescue cats, and a rescue pooch.

Barbara does the heavy lifting of making essential connections that her clients need to grow, doing the legwork so her clients can focus on their day-to-day operations. Positively-Funded enables organizations to evolve—working with clients to design a customized growth plan for their unique goals. Barbara then assists with the implementation of the strategic plan to ensure her clients’ momentum.  She is personally invested in the success of every project collaboration.

In her former career, she was an urban developer in Ohio where she developed two hospitals in healthcare desserts.  She also redeveloped historic Shaker Square, America’s second oldest shopping center, located in Cleveland. Barbara convinced TJ Maxx to open their first-ever standalone Home Goods store in Fairview. She helped another client, Radio Shack, open their first store with a drive-through battery change service.  And, she led CiCis Pizza to Cleveland. Then, Barbara’s husband’s job brought them to Superior in 2006. Our small town was their first choice because of its proximity to mountains, convenience to get to Denver and Boulder, and it suited their active family lifestyle.

Passionate about social equity, Barbara says the world is only better when it’s better for everyone. She grew up in West Virginia, living below the poverty line, before she left for college with $10 and plastic grocery bag filled with her belongings. At 17, she put herself through undergraduate and graduate schools, which is why she is so passionate about affordable housing. “Every child should have opportunity,” says Barbara, “We need to be community builders for everyone, not just for those that can afford million-dollar homes.” This is why she is so involved in her community. One cannot just give money; one must give time too. Barbara is a dedicated community volunteer, serving on the Superior Chamber Board since 2018, volunteering at her local parish, and in 2020 she was named the Volunteer of Year by the Broomfield Community Foundation.