Leading with Empathy: Barbara Ebel’s Commitment to the Maryland Workforce
This year, during National Hispanic Heritage Month, MCEDC has spotlight Montgomery County Hispanic leaders and their contributions to our community.
Montgomery County, Maryland, is home to four out of the top 10 of most ethnically diverse cities in the United States – Gaithersburg, Germantown, Silver Spring, and Rockville. It is here that Hispanic employers and employees find a welcoming community – one that embraces their cultural origins and differences.
For more than twenty years, Barbara Ebel has dedicated her career to helping people connect with meaningful jobs and employers meet their unique talent needs. As the Reemployment Program Director for the Montgomery American Job Centers, Ebel oversees and supports workforce development programs across the state of Maryland, including WorkSource Montgomery, located in Wheaton, Md. Most recently, Ebel has been a key supporter and influential leader helping WorkSource Montgomery launch of the Mobilize Montgomery Federal Workforce Career Center, the first of its kind physical location dedicated to supporting displaced federal workers.
According to Ebel, the tailored workforce development programs Maryland and Montgomery County provide can help both Hispanic businesses and jobseekers succeed in a rapidly evolving marketplace. She points to organizations like the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) and the Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which offer resources from entrepreneurial advice to credit building, and access to capital that can help businesses start or expand. Additionally, she encourages them to connect with other organizations, including the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (MDHCC), the Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and other advocacy groups work to ensure that the needs of the Hispanic business community are heard and addressed by policymakers, working towards greater equity and opportunity. “These resources help bridge gaps in financing, provide crucial business education, and connect entrepreneurs to mentors and government agencies, all of which are vital for growth in a supportive business environment,” said Ebel.
Ebel’s work and dedication to supporting Maryland’s workforce hasn’t gone unnoticed. She has received a Champion Achiever Award from the former Maryland Secretary of Labor and an Award of Appreciation from the International Association of Workforce Professionals for outstanding performance as Chair of the International Development Committee. Additionally, Ebel received the Latina Power Award by the El Poder De Ser Mujer Foundation and was named one of the Daily Record’s Top 100 Women in Maryland.
Ebel credits much of her leadership style to her Hispanic heritage, which she says has shaped her values of empathy, strong relationships, resilience, and community. “I focus on a relationship-first approach, valuing personal connections with employees, customers, and employers,” said Ebel. “My bicultural experience provided me a unique advantage in today’s globalized marketplace to understand how to build and maintain relationships.”
Through her leadership and work supporting Maryland’s workforce, Ebel’s dedication to ensuring that every Maryland resident has access to opportunity is both influential and an asset to Montgomery County’s vibrant economy.