About Barb Bickford
Owner and principal
Bickford Collaboration, LLC
I'm passionate about improving public health and the environment!
I do it by helping people work better together.
Who I am as a professional
There I was, an introverted fact-oriented
Professional Geologist (PG) in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in my cubicle,
happily reviewing groundwater data and technical
plans for landfills.
Suddenly, I got a mid-career assignment
to coordinate Wisconsin's Medical Waste program.
It required me to work closely with people.
How would I do that? What did I know about healthcare -- let alone collaboration?
I set about learning, and I continue to learn
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Although shifting gears wasn't easy, I grew to
become well-known statewide and nationally
for collaborating on challenging and emerging issues such as reducing pharmaceutical waste
and managing highly infectious waste.
I observed first-hand how collaborative
leadership (or lack of it) can impact results
I learned how to transform my meetings.
I now focus on helping others transform theirs.
Together, we can make a greater impact
by transforming our meetings and our selves
Who I am as a person
I've been focused on improving water quality since my first Earth Day. I've gone...
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from preventing groundwater contamination
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to recycling and reducing waste
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to changing public policies that create waste
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to transforming how we meet and supporting leaders to do the same --
I'm always moving upstream
I've been moving upstream personally too,
developing myself by embracing life challenges
such as overcoming low-self esteem, living with persons who have a mental illness,
divorcing, being a single parent, losing a child,
supporting aging parents and starting a business.
I live in a small town near St. Paul, Minnesota (USA) with my family and a cat who thinks it's human. My husband (also a geologist) and I are both Minnesota Water Stewards. We keep busy planting trees, pulling buckthorn and planning our next canoe trip.
And I do what I can to improve the environment as a business, as well.
I've been a certified member of our local Green Business Directory since 2021
Read my Green Business scorecard here
My Credentials
There's a wealth of experience under that hat! Working at the intersection of business, public service, science and facilitation helps me to connect with diverse groups of people.
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Owner and principal consultant, Bickford Collaboration, LLC, 2018 to present
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Advanced training in integral facilitation, Living Giving Enterprises, 2016-2018
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Hydrogeologist, Waste Management Program of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 1981-2018
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Medical Waste Coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 1992-2018
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MS Geology (Hydrogeology), Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin Madison
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BS Geology, Winona State University, Winona, Minnesota
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Lifelong learner with a sense of humor
Get to know me better
Find out more about how I can help YOU contribute to public health and a healthy environment!