Lisa L. Barrera

During her 14 years as an employee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prior to founding Barrera Associates, Ms. Barrera, worked as both a technician and manager with technical and policy matters on environmental issues involving the regulation and monitoring of the nation’s air, water, and toxic substances.  In addition to the specific issues in these areas, she was one of the first employees to become involved in the communications planning and strategizing of the agency’s position on these matters. 

Ms. Barrera worked at the EPA as a staff program scientist and an advisor to the Deputy Administrator and the Administrator of the EPA. She has over 16 years of experience at the federal level in performing advisory and analytical support services from federal environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act to the Elementary and Secondary Act. 

Ms. Barrera has in-depth expertise in framing and analyzing water program approaches needed to implement amendments to these regulations and public laws.  Ms. Barrera developed and managed risk communication strategies for various programs at EPA. Actively participated in a special EPA Work Group on Risk Communications, whose function was to review proposals and oversee EPA's development of strategies on Agency risk communications, which emphasized the improved flow of information regarding specific environmental risks among scientists, journalists, and consumers.  Ms. Barrera has researched and authored numerous policy interpretations regarding the different legislative mandates of the EPA.  She directed projects and coordinated support services primarily on federal environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act.

In her management position at EPA, Ms. Barrera developed and managed communications strategies for eight water program offices as part of the implementation strategy for the Clean Air Act amendments and a reauthorized Safe Drinking Water Act.  In participating in a special EPA Work Group on Risk Communications, whose function was to review proposals and oversee EPA's development of strategies on Agency risk communications, she developed cross cutting program strategies, which emphasized the improved flow of information regarding specific environmental risks among scientists, journalists, and consumers.

Ms. Barrera has extensive experience in preparing briefing materials and summaries, which present the problem/issue, discuss the ramifications of different approaches and present options to encourage discussion and deliberations of the issues.  Ms. Barrera has developed and designed tools (fact sheets, videos, local community hotline, radio, television, and advertisements) used as vehicles to educate communities about environmental hazards. 

Ms. Barrera’s extensive experience in prompt, high quality material preparation in response to formal and informal requests from Congressional and top-level management at EPA earned her various awards from her superiors at the Headquarters agency. 

Since co-founding Barrera Associates, Ms. Barrera has provided corporate oversight and management on all of the projects the firm has contracted in the conference management arena.  In addition, she has been involved in developing a training program for low-income communities in the area of environmental decision-making.  Ms. Barrera has also been the project director for a contract to provide the planning, execution and post-conference activities related to a five-day annual summit on educational issues related to limited English-speaking students for the U.S. Department of Education through a subcontract with the George Washington University’s National Clearinghouse on English Language Acquisition (NCELA). She is currently overseeing the fifth successive year of this educational endeavor.

Ms. Barrera’s insight on the federal perspective and grant administration requirements are valuable in providing guidance and support to the company managers as contracts are planned and implemented.

Lisa L. Barrera