fbpx

Prestigious Women Awards Honorees: Barbara W. Goldberg

Founder & CEO of O’Connell & Goldberg, one of Florida’s top PR firms, Barbara has led decades of strategic communication campaigns for companies representing all industries. She strongly embodies her agency mission, “Good People Make Good News.” A proud alum of the University of Miami, she is active in the community, serving on boards of various non-profits.

Favorite quote: “When they go low, we go high.”

Fun fact: I am a tad obsessed with puns. (Let’s call that a “Pun” Fact.)

How do you unwind after a long day of work? I’ll be catching up on FaceTime with friends and family or attempting to increase my number of steps before the day is done.

What challenges have you faced in your career, and how did you overcome them? After 18 years of running a business in South Florida, my family and I relocated to NYC for a few years. The challenge of running a second office in one of the most overly-saturated, fast-paced, expensive and competitive cities in the world provided me with incredible experiences, growth opportunities and true appreciation for my hometown. (Like comparing apples and oranges.). Having a talented team helped to make this transition work, but I’m also happy to be back “home” again.

What has been the most monumental moment of your career thus far? Launching an agency at age 27 and learning I was pregnant with twins shortly after …and then managing that work-family balance for the next 27 years. So, I suppose that’s really 14+ million monumental moments.

Who are your role models? My husband and three daughters – each in their own way – amaze me and inspire me. (And Michelle Obama is not too shabby either.)

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten? Growing up, my father constantly encouraged me to read the daily newspaper. As a child, it did not interest me at the time. Little did I know that this would one day become my obsession.

What advice would you give a young woman at the start of her career? Find a mentor. Get an internship — or, better yet — two or three. Send thank you notes. Always bring examples of your work at job interviews.

How does being a woman has impacted your career? Having further appreciation for working parents who have to juggle it all.

You May Also Like

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Jennifer Saint Louis

Dr. Jennifer Saint Louis serves as the Associate Vice President for Strategic Partnerships & Innovation at Broward College. In this role, she provides leadership for community-wide relationships aligning with the college’s Social Enterprise Plan. Providing operational oversight for municipal, agency, and employer partnerships, using a data-driven approach, her division expands and strengthens county-wide collaboration following

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Julie Williamson-Bresset

Julie Williamson-Bresset has been blessed to have a 25+ year career in Finance/ Wealth Managment, all in the South Florida market. As a fifth-generation Floridian, Williamson-Bresset cares deeply about the community and uses both time and resources to invest in helping in every area. As a mother of four incredible kiddos, four cats, three dogs,

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Denise Rubin

In a notoriously competitive South Florida real estate market, Denise Rubin stands out as a top producer in history and has amassed a room full of awards, including 32 “BEST” awards from the Builders Association of South Florida and seven-time Best Real Estate Professional of the Year. Rubin breaks records in the real estate industry,

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Laurie Spector

A top-ranked real estate advisor affiliated with COMPASS in South Florida, Laurie Spector has been recognized as a RealTrends America’s Best Real Estate Professional. She is a member of the invitation-only Master Brokers Forum, the COMPASS Club, the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, as well as the Neighborhood Choice Realtor in Rio Vista. Laurie is

Other Posts

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Susan Colton

Susan Colton taught in public school classrooms and served as a highly respected, nationally recognized principal for thirty-two years. She is a speaker, trainer, and facilitator specializing in building positive relationships with diverse communities and putting students “at the top of the organizational chart.” She also served as Director of Leadership Development for Broward County

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Paige Pavlik Garrido

Paige Pavlik Garrido is the Assistant Director of Executive Education at FAU’s College of Business. Paige leads the Corporate Training Division, where she works with Florida’s leading organizations to help identify workforce skills deficiencies, build a curriculum to address the organization’s particular needs and deliver customized professional development training to raise organizational productivity and innovation.

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Christine Barney

In 1989, Christine Barney moved to Miami and never looked back. Falling in love with the city’s entrepreneurial spirit, Barney joined Bruce Rubin Associates and became a partner within three years of the newly named Rubin, Barney & Birger. She continued to scale the agency, attract the best talent, and keep clients and staff for

2023 Prestigious Women Awards Honoree: Jessica Levy

As President and Founder of Levy Public Relations, Jessica Levy has positioned the firm as a highly recognized PR and marketing agency in South Florida and New York. Levy has a strong work ethic that has been instilled by an entrepreneurial family. She takes great pride in making sure her clients are offered the best