Michael Best Strategies is excited to announce that Adam Barr has joined the Madison office as a Principal. Barr is a seasoned public policy veteran who has worked with local, Wisconsin and Federal governments, assisting clients from all industry sectors with a focus on healthcare and education.
“Adam’s unique experience advancing policy solutions from both inside and outside government make him perfectly suited to address the challenges and opportunities facing our clients, and we’re excited to have him join our Wisconsin team,” said Michael Best Strategies Partner Tony Langenohl.
Most recently, Barr worked as an Executive Director at the Wisconsin Department of Safety & Professional Services. In this role, he provided leadership and policy guidance to the state’s professional boards on statewide policy priorities, including overseeing the Wisconsin Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).
Prior to joining the Evers Administration, Barr served as the Public Policy Manager at the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce where he facilitated policy development and led political advocacy at all levels of government, implementing the Chamber's policy positions on behalf of its 1,200 member businesses.
Barr’s professional consulting career also includes work at Madison-based healthcare software company Epic and in Deloitte’s Federal Practice.
Prior to his work in Wisconsin, Barr spent more than 10 years in Washington, D.C. where he was the D.C. Director of GreatSchools and then the Regional Director of Democracy Builders. In these roles, Barr advised school leaders on community engagement, advocacy, government relations, and family engagement to increase the number of high-performing public schools.
Aside from prioritizing his clients’ needs, Barr also volunteers much of his time helping others. He served on the board of REAP Food Group in Madison for three years, and he co-founded and was President for ten years of the Grassroots Education Project in Washington, D.C. The organization has evolved to a more than 2,500-person group dedicated to engaging community members in the education of children attending their neighborhood elementary schools.
Barr earned his B.A., with honors, from the University of California, Davis.