Experts

Melody Barnes

Executive Director of the UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy

Fast Facts

  • Director of White House Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama
  • Former executive vice president of the Center for American Progress
  • Chief counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy
  • Expertise on democracy, public policy, health policy, civil rights

Areas Of Expertise

  • Domestic Affairs
  • Health
  • Law and Justice
  • Social Issues
  • Economic Issues
  • Leadership
  • Politics
  • The Presidency

Melody Barnes is executive director of the UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy and a professor of practice at the Miller Center. She is also a distinguished fellow at the UVA School of Law. A co-founder of the domestic strategy firm MB2 Solutions LLC, Barnes has spent more than 25 years crafting public policy on a wide range of domestic issues. 

During the administration of President Barack Obama, Barnes was assistant to the president and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. She was also executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress and chief counsel to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her experience includes an appointment as director of legislative affairs for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and assistant counsel to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights. Barnes began her career as an attorney with Shearman & Sterling in New York City. 

Barnes earned her BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with honors in history, and her JD from the University of Michigan. She serves on the boards of directors of several corporate, non-profit, and philanthropic organizations.

 

Featured Publications

Community Wealth Building
Community Wealth Building and the Reconstruction of American Democracy

Melody C. Barnes (co-editor)

Melody Barnes News Feed

UVA Today
Q&A: Catching Up With LBJ Expert Ahead of New CNN Documentary
Since 2016, former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson has been portrayed in two Hollywood films, was the subject of a nationally recognized podcast series and will soon be the reason for a CNN documentary. That’s a lot of fresh content for someone who was last in the Oval Office more than five decades ago. The sudden wave is not surprising to Melody Barnes, the executive director of the Karsh Institute of Democracy at the University of Virginia. Barnes – whose podcast, “LBJ and the Great Society,” was named the ninth-best of its kind by the New Yorker in 2020 – said the complexities of Johnson’s life make him an enticing character for audiences. Also, many of the same issues Johnson fought for while president are once again in the spotlight.
Melody Barnes UVA Today
UVA Today
Karsh Institute Board Members Discuss Threats to Democracy
Thursday also happens to be Jan. 6, the infamous date associated with the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. It’s a coincidence, with a twist, Karsh Institute Executive Director Melody Barnes said. “We started looking at late-fall dates and when none worked, we moved to January,” she said. “That said, the significance of the date isn’t lost on us, and some of us have commented that it’s an important day to begin our work with the board.”
Melody Barnes UVA Today
UVA Today
Advisory Board's Diverse Perspectives to Guide UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy
The University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy today announced its inaugural advisory board, a diverse roster with members ranging from a former Supreme Court justice to the co-founder of the Reddit social news aggregation site.
Melody Barnes UVA Today
UVA Today
Democracy Initiative Embarks on ‘Moon Shot,’ Building Bridges Through Conversation
Moderated by Melody Barnes, executive director of UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy and the W.L. Lyons Brown Family Director for Policy and Public Engagement of the Democracy Initiative, the Carr’s Hill event featured a discussion between StoryCorps founder and president Dave Isay and UVA President Jim Ryan and a conversation with the first two UVA students to record a conversation for the program. In a departure from StoryCorps’ original format, which records conversations and stories shared by people who know each other, One Small Step invites people who may hold opposing views on a variety of topics and who aren’t in each other’s daily lives to get to know each other in conversation.
Melody Barnes UVA Today
UVA Today
UVA Democracy Initiative and StoryCorps to Focus on Tough Local Conversations
Melody Barnes, executive director of UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy and co-director of the Democracy Initiative, talked about the overarching goal of the new partnership. “We know one conversation can’t change the longstanding challenges our country and our communities must confront, but One Small Step is … one, small step forward. It’s an opportunity to create dialogue, perhaps find that you have something in common with someone surprising, or to disagree productively and with respect. One Small Step complements our research, teaching, policy and public engagement efforts,” she said.
Melody Barnes UVA Today
Cavalier Daily
U.Va. hosts discussion on the American dream as part of Democracy Biennial
The University’s Miller Center and Democracy Initiative hosted a roundtable discussion on economic mobility and the American dream as a part of its Democracy Biennial Celebration Saturday afternoon. The conversation framed the conversation around America’s economy following the economic contraction due to the COVID-19 pandemic and whether the federal government’s response perhaps plots a better path towards economic stability for many Americans. Melody Barnes, director of the Karsh Institute of Democracy and co-director of the Democracy Initiative, moderated the conversation.
Melody Barnes The Cavalier Daily