Mary C. Barber

Mary Barber, an expert in environmental science and policy, is a leader in RTI’s global efforts to tackle complicated environmental problems involving ecosystem management, environmental indicators, and biodiversity. She is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist with more than three decades in the policy arena. A skilled communicator, Dr. Barber combines technical knowledge with cross-disciplinary collaboration to build partnerships that get results.

Marine water quality is among Dr. Barber’s particular interests. She currently leads our contract with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi to redesign the marine water quality program in the United Arab Emirates. She has also worked on projects involving other aspects of the environment, with clients including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Dr. Barber joined RTI in 2007. Previously, she worked as a scientist, manager, director, and consultant in the environmental sector, including positions with the Ecological Society of America, Science and Policy Associates, Inc., and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Barber also has a long record of leadership in organizations promoting marine science, conservation, and women in science. In the 1980s, she helped found the Women’s Aquatic Network, an organization that promotes the role of women in aquatic policy issues. Currently, she serves on the Environmental Advisory Board for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Board of Advisors for the Advanced Environmental Research Institute at the University of North Texas. She is a certified senior ecologist with the Ecological Society of America.