03
November
2020
|
15:48 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Frontline Faces: Barbara Barton

Records and Information Technician Barbara Barton knows what it means to be a part of a family. She has several “family members” that she considers part of her inner circle.

“I have my family at home, but I also have my work family,” says Barbara. “And you need to be there for all of them.”

Barbara, a 32-year veteran of the Aviation Authority, has worked for many departments and many teams. She says she really enjoys the four-person records team that she is a currently a part of, and loves what she does.

Her day starts with receiving and sorting the mail. Every piece of mail received must be opened, date stamped, processed and sorted.

“I visit 24 departments while delivering the mail, but that’s a small part of what we do,” Barbara explains. “We support many departments including Legal, Police, Concessions, Real Estate, and Planning and many departments support us. We process everything from requests for tenant documents on file and in the archives to public records requests. We’re always busy and it takes all of us working together.”

At home, Barbara is married, a mother and a grandmother of 19. Working from home except on Tuesdays and Fridays has given her more time with her loved ones.

“This change of schedule has allowed me more time to spend with the grandchildren especially,” she said. “There’s always someone around and we love doing things together. Halloween was very special.”

But there’s more to Barbara than just being a relative or friend.

Before her time at TPA, Barbara served three tours of duty in the U.S. Army. She continued her service in the Florida National Guard, serving another 29 years until 2014. Her time at TPA was continuous with the exception of a year-long deployment to Kuwait in 2010.

“I still run into people around the airport who I served with in the Guard,” says Barbara. “They’ll still ask me, ‘How you doing Sergeant?’ I don’t mind, it’s a sign of respect for one another. They are always my family, too. And I really miss serving my country.”

Although Barbara says that she’s making the best of the pandemic situation, she looks forward to her time in the office and seeing the people that she’s worked with for so many years.

“Because it’s been too long, and you always look forward to seeing your family.”