Barbara Leatherwood-Gomez is the founder and managing member of Hummingbird Communications, LLC a firm she founded in November 2017.  Over two decades ago, she began her career at Mobil Oil Corporation’s government relations office located in Washington, DC.   As a Legislative Assistant she worked on various matters including trade, environment, tax policy, and a variety of international issues.

In 1995 Barb transferred to Mobil’s headquarters in Fairfax, VA. There she held the position of Issues Management Advisor – developing briefing materials for the CEO and other C-suite executives.  In 1998 she transferred to New Orleans, LA to assume the role of Public Affairs Advisor to Mobil Exploration and Production U.S.  In this capacity she supported on- and off-shore operations in the region including large scale, high profile stakeholder engagement activities in both Louisiana and Alabama.

With the merger of Exxon and Mobil, in 2000 she became the Public Affairs Manager at Chalmette Refining, LLC (a 50:50 joint venture between ExxonMobil and Petroleos de Venezuela) and was also appointed Public Affairs lead for the Latin America Regional Response Team, providing emergency preparedness and response support.

In 2003 Barb returned to Northern VA and assumed the position of Public and Government Affairs (P&GA) Advisor to the Lubricants and Petroleum Specialties, and Fuels Marketing organizations where she managed brand reputation, energy efficiency, and international tax policy matters.

In 2008 Barb was tapped to be the first P&GA manager for the newly formed Environmental Services Company, establishing processes and providing leadership support for global environmental remediation activities.  In 2015, her responsibilities expanded beyond Environmental Services to include the Global Services Company comprised of the Information Technology, Real Estate/Facilities, and Procurement organizations as well as ExxonMobil’s global business and technical support centers.