Barbara Green-Thompson

Barbara Green-Thompson is a Programme Officer in the Executive Education Programme of the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance. She is responsible for the development and implementation of the Local Government Women’s Leadership Development Programme; which the Mandela School hosts in partnership with SALGA and Zenande Leadership. Barbara has extensive experience in curriculum development and implementation. She holds a BA (Honours) in Psychology from Wits University (2007) and a Masters in Public Health (2019); her research explored the pedagogy of the MPH, as well as graduate experiences. Her earlier education includes professional nursing specializing in palliative care. Barbara holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine (2017) and previously served as the Director of The Palliative Care Institute of the National Hospice Palliative Care Association (HPCA). The primary focus of her work in this area was the training of health professionals in the public and NGO sectors across South Africa, in pain and symptom management. Barbara also worked as the Research Training Manager at the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI), where she was responsible for capacity development of employees working in marginalized communities (Adolescent Health, Sex Workers Outreach Programmes, Community Health Workers, Violence against Women (VAW) and Mobile Technology Communication. She served as the Operations Manager of The JumpStart Foundation Trust, a company that continues pioneering digital mathematics and robotics in primary schools in the public sectors in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape. Barbara is passionate about empowerment, particularly youth empowerment, and has done volunteer work at a Youth Development Centre in Hartbeespoort and at a Senior Secondary School in the Public Sector.  She continues to contribute towards empowerment initiatives in the various spaces she works.