Barnes leads APA’s Education portfolio, providing strategic direction to shape the future of psychology education across the K–20+ continuum and beyond. This work spans children and adolescent learning and well-being, high school psychology education, undergraduate education, graduate training, workforce studies, and continuing education sponsorship and approval.
In this role, Barnes advances APA’s vision for a modern, unified approach to psychology education—one that prepares a future-ready workforce and fosters a psychology-literate society. Under her leadership, the Education team develops evidence-based tools and resources for students, educators, and educational systems, serving as a trusted partner to the field. These efforts set benchmarks of excellence from classrooms to careers and across lifelong learning, emphasizing equity, adaptability, and belonging—conditions that enable individuals and institutions to thrive.
Barnes’s career reflects a deep commitment to learning and the people who make it possible. Before assuming her current role, she served as senior director for APA’s PreK–12 children and adolescents portfolio, leading initiatives to integrate psychological science into schools and promote student well-being.
As a tenured professor and senior doctoral faculty member at a Research I university, she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and assessment, mentored doctoral students, led accreditation efforts, and maintained an active research agenda focused on understanding the psychological foundations of teaching and learning. Earlier in her career, she taught fifth grade in her hometown—an experience that continues to ground her commitment to educational equity and innovation.
Barnes brings deep expertise to two critical challenges shaping education today: promoting youth mental health and guiding the ethical use of digital technologies. She frequently speaks and consults on youth mental health, helping educators, policymakers, and community leaders apply psychological science to create environments that foster resilience, belonging, and well-being for children and adolescents. She also addresses the opportunities and challenges of digital technologies—including artificial intelligence—in education, focusing on how innovation can enhance learning while safeguarding ethical and developmental considerations.
Beyond her work within APA, Barnes advises boards, government entities, and school systems on these topics, ensuring decisions affecting learners and educators are grounded in evidence and informed by psychology.
She earned her PhD in educational psychology from Rutgers University, along with master’s degrees in cognition, learning, development, and educational measurement. Across all areas of her work, Barnes maintains a consistent aim: to move APA toward its vision of a strong, diverse, and unified psychology that enhances knowledge and improves the human condition.