She also serves as one of the founders of the George Gervin Youth Center, Inc. (since 1991) and George Gervin Academy (since 1994), a public charter that serves approximately 1,000 students throughout the Bexar County area.

A leader in the community since 1981, Barbara is a passionate educator and businesswoman holding a Bachelor's Degree in Business, a Master's Degree in Education, and finalizing her PhD in Leadership as well as holding certifications as a math teacher and as a principal. She is also owner-operator of I.C.E. Construction Services, LLC and currently holds the position of Special Projects Coordinator at the George Gervin Youth Center, Inc.

As the superintendent of the Gervin Academy, Barbara has helped over 1,800 high school dropouts attain their diplomas. As a business owner, she has completed over $50 million dollars in brick and mortar projects, created over 322 quality affordable housing units including her most recent transformational project called Echo East, and developed a $15 million dollar annual operating budget that provides extensive wrap-around services to assist the most vulnerable populations.

Before Barbara was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, she served as a Zoning Commissioner for the City of San Antonio representing District 2; served on numerous boards and commissions including the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Rotary International, Ella Austin Community Center, Casey Family Program for homeless youth and was selected to the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame and Who's-Who in San Antonio. Barbara holds numerous honors and awards as an effective community leader. She is always working to create opportunities for all San Antonians.

As a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Barbara currently serves on the House Appropriations and Ways & Means committees. She also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Article III Subcommittee. Additionally, she serves on the House Democratic Special Committee on Clean Air, Clean Water, & Climate Change. Barbara proudly serves as member of the House Democratic Caucus, in which she serves as Vice-Deputy Whip, Texas Veterans' Caucus, Women's Health Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus, Innovation and Technology Caucus, and Texas Legislative Black Caucus where in the 85th legislative session, Barbara was awarded "Freshman of the Year". In addition, she is also a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures and serves on their Redistricting and Elections Standing Committee.

Barbara is a proud mother of two adult sons, Robert and Nathan, both of whom have their master's degrees. She is a longtime member of Mount Zion First Baptist Church in San Antonio and is one of six children. Her older brother is NBA Hall of Famer George "Iceman" Gervin. She graduated from Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan and has lived in Texas since 1980.