Whitney Barrera

Chief People Officer

Whitney Barrera is Chief People Officer for Intelligent Waves. Whitney brings over 16 years of proven experience in recruiting Information technology’s best talent acquisitions for growing organizations. In her role, Whitney oversees all aspects of Intelligent Waves’ Talent Acquisition team.

Before joining Intelligent Waves, Barrera worked for Illuminate, a government contractor specializing in technology solutions. During her tenure, Barrera led the full life-cycle of Recruiting/Talent Acquisition and developed a new SkillBridge program to attract more Veteran employees. 

Whitney has extensive experience in recruiting and team building in the government sector. To encourage a diverse workforce, her expertise includes developing mentoring programs, employee development programs, and training events.

Barrera attended American University in Washington D.C., where she studied Foreign Languages, Communications and completed significant coursework in Organizational Development as well as Spanish. She is also a member of The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Talent Acquisition Leadership Keynotes (TALK). 

Leadership Philosophy

Upfront About Me:

I am an optimist. I am a joiner. I am an extrovert. I enjoy people and the dynamics of groups. I believe in teams. I am a people pleaser. Do not confuse that with being a pushover. I have worked hard to harness being a people pleaser as an asset. I find win-win solutions for our team and stakeholders.

A Splendid Torch:    

Since I started on my leadership journey this quote has been a consistent truth and companion to me:

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no “brief candle” for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

My Work Style:

Working together- I have high expectations for myself. I ask that you hold me accountable, that you communicate proactively and seek to build with your actions and words.

I prefer talking to people when problem-solving. I respond quickly to Teams chats. I keep up to date with emails however during the prime work hours of 9-4 I prioritize calls and sometimes catch up on emails in the less busy times of the day especially after hours. If you need something from me quickly and it is in email- send me a chat to get my attention.

I prefer feedback. Written and verbal both have their merits, and I will appreciate either – whatever style is best for you to deliver the information.

My expectations:

I expect us to work smart and to continue tackling problems. My hope is that you enjoy what we are doing and want to work hard. On days where you don’t think you have it in you, I challenge you to draw on your teammates to get to the next success.

I expect for us to be honest about ourselves and each other. We need to hold ourselves accountable which isn’t easy, but it is essential. Raise your hand to ask for help, and understand your strengths and areas for growth. Our team is a fabric, and I expect you to leverage the talents of your teammates to grow yourself and them.

I expect you to consider others- their feelings, their investment of time, and energy. Encourage each other, be empathetic, apologize when you need to, and foster positivity. Lack of consideration for other team members will erode our trust and it will take a tremendous amount of time and energy to repair the damage done. This is also my biggest pet peeve.

My guiding beliefs:

I believe in demanding business partnerships. Own your expertise, make suggestions, ask questions, find solutions, and be a partner to everyone you work with. The better we understand our business, the bigger a force multiplier we can be. You are an essential and valuable member of the IW team no matter your tenure here, work experience or title: believe in yourself, and if you need a pep talk to remind you of how awesome you are – call me.

I believe in the power of intellectual curiosity – not because it is a new buzzword in industry but because of who I am. If we are learning, feeding our need to grow and understand, we are engaged. We will ask questions and seek to understand. We will take the disparate knowledge and put together puzzles no one else can solve and see things differently.

I encourage creativity, approaching tasks, ordinary and unique, with new ideas and strategies. I will not push for uniformity in process, thought or response. I expect you to test ideas, to try new things, and then evaluate. If something is working, let’s find a way to continue it; if it isn’t, let’s pivot.

I believe in balance. Work is a part of our lives – a very large part when we look at the hours we dedicate to it. I want you to be excited to come to work. And I want you to have a balance with your personal life so you remain energized. There is almost nothing that someone on our team can’t help with, cover for, or take on. So schedule that vacation, chaperone that field trip, take that call from your parent in the middle of the day, attend that concert… communicate when you need time off to maintain your balance. I will support you and I will do it for myself as well.