Barbara Carranza brings 40 years of experience overseeing programs and projects related to children  and families. She retired from the State of Oregon in 2011 to spend time with her grandchildren. After  they were all attending school, she looked for an opportunity to continue her support of children and  families. In 2021, Barbara began providing operations coordination under contract for PCAO.  

She oversees the PCAO budget, assists in developing grant applications and making grant reports,  tracks income and expenses, processes payments, and provides administrative support for board  meetings. She assisted PCAO in receiving it's charter from Prevent Child Abuse America in 2022. 

Barbara hold a bachelor's degree from Western Oregon University in Multi-Disciplinary Studies,  including Psychology, Sociology, and Business Administration. She began her career with eight years  in non-profits serving as a recreation coordinator for children, youth and adults with developmentally  disabilities. Next, she served as City of Salem recreation coordinator for persons with developmental or physical limitations. Finally, she had a 33 year career in Oregon state government working in multiple  agencies.  

In her last position, at the Oregon Commission on Children and Families (OCCF) she served in several  roles over 13 years. Initially, she served as Budget and Operations Manager. Most of those years, she  managed the Juvenile Crime Prevention Advisory Committee (JCPAC). JCPAC is a large statewide body of state, local, and tribal partners representing cross-sector disciplines addressing juvenile crime  and preventing delinquency. They oversaw funds for Oregon from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Barbara managed annual grants to 36 counties and 9 tribes, as well as  competitive grants and training to develop Gender Specific Services, and address Disproportionate  Minority Contact and Confinement. In addition to these positions, she provided coordination and  assistance in other OCCF programs across the age continuum from Healthy Start, Relief Nurseries, and Child Care, to Court Appointed Special Advocates. She also assisted the Children's Trust Fund with  their grant-making process, and to initiate a chartering process with Prevent Child Abuse America. 

Highlights of her work in other state agencies include: volunteer services coordinator at MacLaren  School for Boys; executive assistant in developing administrative rules and issuing revenue bonds at  Oregon Housing Agency; scheduling and correspondence for the governor in the Governor's Office;  professional service contracting and legislative legal references at the Executive Department Budget  and Management Division; policy manager, administrative rules coordinator, and coordinator of Child  Abuse Prevention and Treatment (CAPTA) funds for runaway and homeless youth services at Oregon  Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division.