Irene Barton

Cobb Collaborative

Supporting: Cobb

Irene Barton was named the executive director of the Cobb Collaborative in September 2018 after serving as the organization’s Resource Manager since July 2017. Using the collective impact model, the Collaborative convenes community stakeholders to improve outcomes for children and families in Cobb County and is the local presence for the Georgia Family Connection Partnership. As executive director, Barton has diversified the Collaborative’s funding streams, doubled its membership roster, and hired a full-time program manager and a communications director. Prior to joining the Collaborative, Barton worked in the financial services industry and held numerous volunteer leadership positions with Georgia PTA at the local, district and state level and served on several nonprofit boards. In 2022, she was named a Woman of Achievement by LiveSafe Resources. Barton was selected as a member of the 2021 Regional Leadership Institute Class and was an Education Policy Fellow for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education in 2016-17. She is an alumna of the Cobb Chamber’s Honorary Commanders program.