Far & Widener Podcast
The Far and Widener podcast explores the far-reaching world of Widener University and the many ways Widener strives to create a better future while shaping tomorrow’s leaders.
Welcome, Far & Widener Listeners!
At Far and Widener, you’ll find engaging interviews on diverse topics with fascinating educators, researchers, and industry professionals. Far and Widener is produced by Widener’s University Advancement staff. Our intro music is courtesy of the fabulous band Stereo Ready—you can find them at stereoready.com.
Want to share feedback or an idea for a future podcast? We'd love to hear from you!
Listen to Our Latest Podcast
John Barry, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HRBench, on entrepreneurship, people analytics, and measuring what matters in HR
This episode of Far and Widener features John Barry, a 2002 graduate of Widener University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. In this conversation, John reflects on how his Widener engineering education shaped his leadership style, the lessons he learned building companies from the ground up, and the role data, benchmarking, and artificial intelligence are playing in the future of human resources. He also discusses his connection to Widener and his service as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees.
With more than 25 years of experience in HR technology, product innovation, and executive leadership, John has built a career helping organizations use data to make smarter decisions about people, performance, and business strategy. John’s entrepreneurial journey began while he was still a Widener student, when he launched a business from his dorm room—an early experience that helped shape his path as a technology founder. He went on to hold leadership roles at organizations including Salary.com, Aon, HealthcareSource, PayScale, and Payfactors, where he co-founded a leading enterprise compensation management solution used by companies to better understand and manage pay.
Today, John is co-founder and co-CEO of HRBench, a people analytics and engagement platform designed to help companies measure, benchmark, and improve their workforce decisions. Drawing on his experience as an executive and founder, John saw a need for better context around critical HR metrics such as turnover, time-to-hire, employee engagement, revenue per employee, and compensation strategy. HRBench helps organizations understand not only what their people data says, but how they compare to peers and competitors—and how major business decisions affect workforce outcomes.
The podcast is hosted by Greg Potter, associate vice president for University Relations at Widener University.
Meet Your Hosts
Marcus Bagby, Associate Director, Alumni Engagement
