Salt Lake Community College professor Barbie Willett spotlights mentorship and real-world business education

By AI, Created 10:33 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Influential Women is highlighting Barbie Willett, a Management Professor at Salt Lake Community College’s Gail Miller Business School, for more than 20 years of teaching and leadership. Her profile underscores how practical business education, mentorship and servant leadership shape students preparing for a fast-changing workforce.

Why it matters: - Barbie Willett’s work at Salt Lake Community College connects classroom learning to the day-to-day realities students will face in business jobs. - Her emphasis on mentorship, adaptability and servant leadership reflects the skills employers are demanding as technology and markets change. - Her profile also shows how community college faculty can influence both student outcomes and local workforce readiness.

What happened: - Influential Women spotlighted Barbie (Horton) Willett, a Management Professor at Salt Lake Community College’s Gail Miller Business School. - Willett has spent more than 20 years at Salt Lake Community College shaping future business professionals. - The profile highlighted her teaching, leadership and mentoring work. - The piece included links to her Influential Women profile and her Salt Lake Community College faculty page.

The details: - Willett grew up in her family’s retail grocery business, where she developed an early interest in marketing and management. - That experience shaped her focus on customer service and on helping students understand small-business challenges. - She is a first-generation college graduate. - Her degrees include an Associate Degree in Marketing from Pro River Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a Master’s in Business Education from the University of Southern Mississippi, and an MBA in Executive Leadership from William Carey University. - Her honors include Marketing Educator of the Year and DECA National Advisor of the Year. - Willett has served in leadership roles including business instructor and associate dean. - Her work has included mentoring faculty, helping develop curriculum, supporting accreditation efforts and expanding experiential learning for students. - Willett says inspiring teachers and her determination to rise out of poverty in Mississippi shaped her path. - She says one of her most important lessons was not to sacrifice herself on the altar of work. - She encourages young women in the field to seek out mentors and to keep learning from different perspectives. - Willett sees fast-moving technology as both a challenge and an opportunity because curriculum development often trails innovation. - Her approach is guided by servant leadership, honesty and innovation. - Outside work, she volunteers with programs such as Junior Achievement and spends time candle-making, camping, writing poetry and visiting family in Mississippi.

Between the lines: - Willett’s story is about more than tenure in the classroom. It is also about translating lived experience into practical instruction for students who need usable business skills. - Her focus on balance suggests a broader message for educators and students alike: long-term impact depends on sustainability, not just effort. - The spotlight also reinforces how mentorship and personal networks remain central to career growth, especially for women entering business education.

What’s next: - Willett is expected to keep focusing on student mentorship and curriculum relevance as business education continues to evolve. - Her comments on technology suggest more pressure on faculty to adapt course content as new tools and practices emerge. - Her ongoing work at Salt Lake Community College points to continued influence on students entering management, marketing and related fields.

The bottom line: - Barbie Willett’s profile frames her as a long-serving educator whose biggest impact comes from practical teaching, mentorship and a student-first approach to business education.