Judith Barnett

Career

Judith Barnett received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan. In the early 1970s, she moved to Washington, DC and later served in both the Carter and Reagan Administrations in public affairs and speechwriting at the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Education. She received her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in 1985. Upon receiving her law degree from Georgetown, Barnett worked as an attorney specializing in corporate law and litigation from 1986 to 1993. During this time, she represented a diverse array of clients and developed expertise in various facets of corporate law and litigation. She worked on cases and trials that dealt with high tech joint ventures, automotive law, intellectual property rights, employment and contract law.

Barnett re-entered government service on October 1993, serving in the Clinton Administration at the U.S. Commerce Department. Barnett first served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Trade Development, International Trade Association. While at Trade Development, she oversaw the only U.S. government agency that represents industry sectors, managed 22 private sector advisory committees and established the Advocacy Center which has tracked and advocated for billions of dollars of successful tenders for U.S. companies around the world. She became the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Africa and the Near East, U.S. Department of Commerce in 1996. As Deputy Assistant Secretary, she promoted and endorsed programs to develop open and competitive markets in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Sahara Africa. She was responsible for activities and programs in 68 countries. These programs and activities included bilateral trade matters, regional projects and programs, and project advocacy for U.S. companies. Barnett was asked by the U.S. Department of State to create and implement commercial programs that would strengthen political work on the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process. She took part in the MENA Economic Summits in Morocco, Jordan, Egypt and Qatar. Ms. Barnett was also involved with the Gore-Mbeki and Gore-Mubarak Partnerships for Economic Growth and Development, the Taba Trade Ministers program, the Middle East North Africa Economic Summits with the World Economic Forum and the Administration’s Africa Initiative. She left the Clinton Administration on December 1998.

After working for the Clinton Administration, Barnett was a Managing Consultant for an international consulting firm for five years. She founded The Barnett Group, LLC in 2003. Her firm provides consulting services to both global corporations and government agencies wishing to expand or create trade and investment opportunities in MENA. Some recent activities of her firm include representing two huge global food companies in saving hundreds of millions of dollars by ending barriers to trade; negotiating a joint venture agreement for an international MENA high tech fund and a U.S. telecom company and establishing Government Relations programs for companies in the areas of insurance, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

Barnett has also worked as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center. She has taught in areas of legislative advocacy and legal ethics of government relations in the global marketplace. She has also written articles for Vogue magazine, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, UPI, and the Washington Times. In addition to this she has appeared as a commentator on CNN and the BBC.

Personal

Judith has one daughter, who is a lawyer and currently an appointee of the Obama Administration. She has two granddaughters. Barnett has been an active fundraiser for numerous Democratic candidates for the Presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives providing hundreds of thousands of dollars for successful elections. She has served on many non-profit boards, is currently on the boards of Amideast and JStreet, and a member of the Cosmos Club.