Though Barbara’s title is Secretary and Financial Officer, she really oversees the day to day operations of the company and “holds it all together.” Barbara fills every function as needed and can one minute be arranging a $300,000 wire transfer with any one of V.I.P.’s many banks and simultaneously be talking to a customer who only speaks Spanish.
Barbara is a native of San Salvador, El Salvador and Spanish is her native language. Barbara attended Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood, California. After graduating high school, Barbara returned to El Salvador for a few years of banking experience and then returned to Los Angeles and attended Sawyer Business School in Los Angeles for one year. She then worked for Ralph M. Parsons Company in Los Angeles and later in Pasadena, California in various executive secretary positions. She worked in the mining division and had a fascinating position dealing with Parsons mining engineering operations worldwide.
Barbara met Peter, in Los Angeles in 1966. When Peter joined Levi Strauss Company and left for West Virginia, both parties realized the void and a year later they were married in West Virginia.
Barbara is the typical “super mom,” providing invaluable management with the V.I.P. group in addition to having raised two children, Robert and Diana. Robert is married with two children; lives in Dallas and sells high dollar computer software. Diana is a licensed psychotherapist, in private practice. Diana lives in San Francisco. Managing the office, playing tennis, riding horses with Peter, and taking care of a virtual menagerie at home, keeps Barbara “on her toes”