Barbara Flis, Founder of Parent Action for Healthy Kids®, insists that every parent has the power to make a difference. She cites her grass-roots PTA experiences as the first step on the journey that has led her to serving on an expert panel for the American Academy of Pediatrics to write guidelines for Family and Community Involvement in Health, Mental Health and Safety in Schools; being named Chair of the Schools Committee for the Michigan Surgeon General's Michigan Steps Up Campaign; Michigan and Indiana Core Team member for the American Cancer Society Coordinated School Health Leadership Training Institute; and in 2005, being appointed by Michigan's Governor Jennifer Granholm to coordinate the Talk Early & Talk Often® initiative, which is designed to help parents gain knowledge and skills to talk to their middle school children about abstinence and sexuality.

Barb has more than 15 years of experience advocating for children's health issues and working with districts and teachers in the arena of health, HIV and sexuality education. She has advanced training and experience in effective professional development for adult learners. Barb has provided training and technical assistance to sex education trainers in every corner of the state of Michigan. She is a nationally recognized expert, keynoting conferences for professionals working in school health, teen pregnancy prevention and health education, and parent engagement. Her work coordinating Michigan Governor's Talk Early & Talk Often® program has been cited in national press including Newsweek. Her motivation and inspiration for this work comes from her grass-roots experience being "just a parent" in a suburban Detroit community.