About
our companies
Barela Leadership and Ennea-One Leadership exist to support leaders through practical guidance, thoughtful mentoring, and training designed for real-world environments. Together, they focus on clarity, steadiness, emotional intelligence, and human-centered leadership—helping individuals and teams navigate responsibility, accountability, communication, and growth.
Our services include focused leadership calls, one-on-one mentoring, in-person and custom training, and a growing library of publications and workbooks. Through Ennea-One Leadership, we also provide personality-based leadership development using the Enneagram, helping leaders better understand communication styles, motivations, stress responses, and team dynamics. This strengthens our ability to support both the operational and human sides of leadership.
Each offering is designed to deliver practical, actionable insight leaders can apply immediately, not abstract theory.
We bring experience, intention, and respect for each client’s environment—meeting leaders where they are and helping them move forward with confidence, consistency, and integrity.
Our founder
Barela Leadership is a leadership development and consulting practice focused on clarity, steadiness, and effective leadership in high-accountability environments. We work with leaders responsible for people, performance, and outcomes—providing practical guidance they can apply immediately.
The practice was founded by Gilbert G. Barela, PhD, who brings extensive leadership experience across the U.S. Army, law enforcement, private military contracting, government security contracting, and nearly two decades in public utility leadership. He currently serves as a Mechanical Superintendent with more than 18 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry, leading teams in environments where trust, accountability, and calm decision-making are essential. In addition, Gilbert served as State President of the California Water Environment Association, leading its Board of Directors and representing more than 11,000 members statewide. He currently serves as a Delegate-at-Large for the Water Environment Federation, representing 35,000 members across the nation and globally, with constituencies that include Women in Water, Veterans, People of Color, People with Disabilities, and Operations and Maintenance.
Gilbert holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, an MS in Management and Leadership, an MBA in Organizational Leadership, and a PhD in Organizational Leadership. He developed the Grounded Integrator Leadership Style based on his academic and research work, and it is strongly shaped by experience—not theory. Across military service, public safety, critical infrastructure, executive leadership, and statewide professional leadership, he has seen firsthand how leadership directly impacts people, culture, and outcomes. That perspective, combined with advanced academic study, drives Barela Leadership’s mission: helping leaders grow with confidence, lead with integrity, and build strong, reliable teams.
Through consulting, mentoring, training, and published works—including Grounded Integrator Leadership: Leading with Clarity, Strength, and Human Connection and I’m a Supervisor…Now What?: A Practical Guide to the First Year of Leadership—Barela Leadership delivers practical resources for leaders at every stage of their journey.
Our Enneagram Practitioner and Personality Assessment Instructor
Jaclyn Alm is an accomplished Water and Wastewater professional with over a decade of experience spanning across Water and Wastewater Treatment, Distribution, Collections, and Environmental Compliance. She has worked for multiple agencies, including the Cities of Hutchinson, St. Cloud, and Sartell within Minnesota, in addition to the Arizona Cities of Chandler, and Surprise. In California, Jaclyn has worked for the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority (SAWPA), as well as the Jurupa Community Services District (JCSD). Jaclyn has held roles ranging from entry-level janitor to supervisory experience, with a strong focus on building effective teams, improving processes, and fostering accountability. Jaclyn is known for her curiosity, energy, and people-centered approach to leadership. She combines technical knowledge, psychological insight, and real-world experience to develop others, strengthen organizations, and contribute meaningfully.
Jaclyn holds a Bachelor of Science from Southern Utah University, focusing in Psychology. Studies in Psychology exposed her to personality understanding coupled with human development across the lifespan, which ultimately strengthened her ability to understand human construct and behavior, team dynamics, and lend natural understanding to promoting a favorable organizational culture. Jaclyn has continued her professional development through additional certifications, including the Leadership Academy and Government Supervisory Academy through Cal Poly Pomona, Project Management and Leadership through Chaffey College, and an Academic Certificate in Leadership from Southern Utah University.
A recognized leader in the industry, Jaclyn has delivered presentations at the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) conferences, sharing insights on the importance of self-awareness and growth, different personality assessment options, and professional growth. Additionally, Jaclyn volunteered as the 2025 CWEA Annual Conference Co-Chair, which was the most attended Annual Conference on record with 1,844 attendees. During this role, Jaclyn demonstrated a highly collaborative, exploratory, conscientious, and detail-oriented approach to planning the event, while keeping the President's objective at the forefront of every decision.
Jaclyn is a former Division 1 Track athlete, and was a member of the first Women's National Champion team in the 2019 American Waterworks Association (AWWA) Hydrant Hysteria Competition. These achievements reflect her intrinsic drive, self-commitment to excellence, ability to understand and practice impactful teamwork at an elite level, and demonstrate the ability to apply diverse mental, physical, and technical skills in high-pressure environments.