lifestyle

The Haute is “Corporate Gents” series spotlights successful businessmen who are hidden within the fast-paced executive suites, corporate boardrooms, corner offices and the serial entrepreneur’s glass ceilings.

Ovell r.Barbee

Haute’s Corporate Gent

By Jennifer Ginger | Contributing Feature Writer & LaVonne Trent | Lifestyle Editor

Our summer issue pays homage to a Corporate Gent who exemplifies excellence in business, and lives a cultured and fashionable lifestyle.  Once a professional model (with a billboard to prove it), he masterfully incorporates his debonair style within and beyond the casual business attire during workdays — fashionably standing on his own terms whether he’s at a speaking engagement, traveling the world or serving on the Men’s Ministry Committee at Messiah Baptist church.

Ovell Barbee is a modern-day renaissance man.  As Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Diversity Officer at Spectrum Health, Barbee is a leading figure in his Grand Rapids community. Known for his confidence, candor and understated swag — he wore a plaid suit and ascot tie to receive Grand Rapids Community College’s Walter Coe Public Service Award — Barbee actively mentors young professionals and contributes to the organizations that supported him as he pursued an education. Each year he sponsors a local student and covers their text books and school supplies. But his first and most impactful investment was in himself. 

From an early age, Barbee’s family instilled the importance of obtaining an education, and they emphasized how professional contributions led to more life choices and options. Craving financial independence and the freedoms it affords, Barbee started his first job as a newspaper carrier at 12. He bought his own clothes and later a moped then a car. He aspired to replace news reporter Geraldo Rivera on 20/20, but as he neared completion of his communications degree, he pivoted to social work. His new career path seemed like a better fit of his skills and interests, though he didn’t think he should be compensated for wanting to help people. He found his niche when he took a personnel management class related to social work in the workplace. He later completed a second Masters in Labor Relations and Human Resources at Michigan State University. 

Barbee credits his involvement with professional African American organizations with exposing him to other professionals with similar backgrounds and stories — people who understood how to navigate corporate work environments and the importance of outreach and expansive networking.  

“Usually in most corporate environments it's rare to have an opportunity to network with individuals who look like you,” said Barbee, who has decades-long involvement with Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the Society of Human Resource Managers and the National Black MBA Association, which named him one of the top 50 executives in the country. “I realize that a very important component of being a leader at this level is relationships. Early on in an individual's career people spend a lot of time being the best performer, hoping that their performance can lead to career advancement if it is of interest. And what happens, over time, as you continue to advance, relationships become increasingly more important.” 

Though aware of the soft spotlight cast upon him as he navigates the mostly white and male C-suite, Barbee doesn’t assimilate or contort himself to fit other’s expectations — he is unapologetically himself. He walks into a room and greets everyone he encounters. He expresses his opinions. He respectfully challenges ideas. 

“It’s never been a goal or objective of mine to prove my self-worth. I validate myself,” said Barbee. Instead, he leads with authenticity and action, not his accomplishments. And on occasions when things don’t go as he intended, he takes pride in being able to look himself in the eye and know that he made the right decision because he was true to himself. 

And while it can often seem like a radical act to be black, confident and self-aware in America, Barbee’s personal and professional aspirations aim to directly address and help remedy the socially determining categories (healthcare, education, transportation, housing) that contribute to the often-fraught outcomes experienced by underrepresented groups. Through his actions, Barbee shows that by investing in ourselves and our local communities, we can implement policies and practices that help us thrive. 

Haute is salutes our quintessential Corporate Gent, Ovell Barbee, who reflects compassionate leadership, excellence, and philanthropy to help shape a diverse, vibrant and meaningful community and corporate world.