Associate Administrator

Kevin L. Barnes

Picture of Kevin Barnes, Associate Administrator

Kevin Barnes was named associate administrator in January 2018. Prior to this appointment, Kevin served as director of NASS's Western Field Operations, responsible for oversight of personnel, budget, facilities and operations of field offices covering 22 states. He has more than 35 years of service with NASS. Barnes' work with NASS began as a co-op student in the agency's South Carolina and North Carolina field offices. After graduating summa cum laude from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with a degree in agricultural economics and a concentration in agricultural business, he began his career as an agricultural statistician in the NASS Florida and Illinois field offices. At headquarters in Washington, D.C., he worked as a survey statistician, national commodity analyst for soybeans and other special oilseeds, and later as head of the Commodity Surveys Section responsible for national surveys. After serving as director of the Virginia Field Office, he returned to headquarters to become chief of the Environmental, Economics and Demographics Branch, where he led a review of the agency's agricultural prices program; helped lead the development of new energy-related programs; and served on several USDA committees and teams related to energy initiatives. He also served on the North American Tripartite Committee on Agricultural Statistics and participated in international conferences and training activities in Canada, China, and Ghana.

In 2009, Barnes earned his certification for Senior Executive Service after completing the USDA Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program. While in the program, he was detailed to the Office of Human Capital Management where he led a team to complete the USDA Workforce Plan and developed the framework for the USDA Human Capital Plan. He completed the USDA Graduate School's Executive Potential Program in 1995 and served on detail assignments as a special assistant to USDA's Under Secretary for Research, Economics and Education and as a staff member for former U.S. Representative Eva Clayton, 1st District, North Carolina.

Barnes was born and raised on a tobacco farm in Wilson County, North Carolina. He is married, has three children and three grandchildren and is active in his church as well as civic and community activities in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He enjoys music, golfing and working in the yard.

Last Modified: 12/29/2020