Melody Barnes

White House Profile

Melody Barnes

Former Domestic Policy Advisor

Melody Barnes is the Former President’s Domestic Policy Adviser and the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, which coordinates the domestic policy-making process in the White House. Before joining the White House, Barnes served as the Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to President Obama’s campaign.

Prior to joining the campaign, she was the Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress. From 1995 to 2003, she served as Chief Counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In those capacities, and as Director of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and assistant counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, she worked extensively on civil rights and voting rights, women’s health, religious liberties, and commercial law.

Barnes received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her law degree from the University of Michigan. She began her career as an attorney with Shearman & Sterling in New York City, and is a member of both the New York State Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar Association."

Melody Barnes's Posts

Energy and Environment

Building Stronger, Sustainable Communities Through Strategic Coordination

October 21, 2010 at 12:21 PM EDT

The Obama Administration announces a combined $742 million in grants and assistance to support the creation of more livable and sustainable communities across the country.

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Health Care

Preparing the Nation to Better Address the Challenge of Alzheimer’s Disease

September 29, 2010 at 10:37 AM EDT

Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, discusses the Obama Administration's commitment to strengthening our nation’s response to Alzheimer's disease.

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Economy

Transforming Distressed Neighborhoods into Neighborhoods of Opportunity

September 21, 2010 at 3:39 PM EDT

A look at Promise Neighborhoods, a piece of a broader White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative that focuses and coordinates federal resources in order to build communities that promote cradle to career success.

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Education

Teaching Our Way to a Stronger Economy

August 10, 2010 at 6:54 PM EDT

Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, discusses the importance of the state assistance and teacher jobs legislation to our economy and our children's education.

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Health Care

Helping New Parents and Gaining Long-Term Savings

July 21, 2010 at 4:31 PM EDT

Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, discusses new grants under the Affordable Care Act that will help new and expecting parents by providing in-home visits by professionals who can teach them the important skills every new parent should know.

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Service

It’s Up to YOU!

June 30, 2010 at 5:51 PM EDT

Director of the Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes frames the President’s and First Lady's vision and commitment to service as the 2010 National Conference on Volunteering and Service comes to a close.

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Urban Policy

On a Path to Ending Homelessness

June 23, 2010 at 5:53 PM EDT

Lead Cabinet Secretaries from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) joined USICH Director Barbara Poppe to unveil and submit "Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness" to the President and Congress.

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Service

Stepping up to Support the Social Innovation Fund and Other Community Solutions

May 27, 2010 at 11:52 AM EDT

Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council, discusses an event at the White House highlighting the benefits of the Social Innovation Fund that brought together philanthropists, community foundation heads and administration officials who signaled their support for investments in community solutions.

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Education

Time for Bold Action to Save Teachers' Jobs

May 13, 2010 at 7:16 PM EDT

President Obama sends a letter to Congressional leaders encouraging them to enact legistlation to save hundreds of thousands of teacher

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Healthy Kids

Take a Look at Our Action Plan to Solve the Problem of Childhood Obesity

May 11, 2010 at 10:00 AM EDT

Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, discusses the release of the Childhood Obesity Task Force action plan to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. Watch a press conference with the First Lady to talk about the report at 10:30AM EDT today,

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