Michael Barbera

Michael Barbera is a Senior Partner at ACG Advocacy and has been with the firm since 2005. He brings extensive high-level lobbying, political, and public relations experience to his client work. Mr. Barbera oversees the firm’s defense and homeland security practice groups.  He represents several leading defense contractors as well as smaller defense-related firms.  He also represents non-defense clients, including several national trade associations, colleges and universities, and companies in the energy, resources, and transportation fields. 

Mr. Barbera has a history of legislative successes for many ACG clients, including in the authorization process (most prominently in the annual National Defense Authorization Act) as well as the annual appropriations process.

Prior to joining ACG Advocacy, Mr. Barbera was Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Relations at MGB Ltd., a lobbying firm specializing in defense and homeland security issues. He coordinated the firm’s political activities and directed the firm’s government relations work on Capitol Hill.

Prior to moving to the private sector, Mr. Barbera worked for three and a half years as Chief of Staff to Congressman Curt Weldon. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing all of the Congressman’s legislative, political, and communications efforts – including his work as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Mr. Barbera also brings a wealth of public relations experience to the ACG Advocacy, having worked for two leading public relations firms and directing public relations for a large national non-profit business organization. In these positions, he worked on a variety of issues, including financial services, health care, welfare reform, and business regulations. In 1996, his public relations work won the prestigious American Communicator Award for op-ed placement.

In addition, he served for five years as Press Secretary for Congressman Weldon and as national political reporter for the National Catholic Register.

Mr. Barbera is very active in several community activities.  Most prominently, he founded and now chairs the non-profit group DC Grays Baseball, which runs the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program for Major League Baseball in Washington, DC.  DC Grays RBI is a youth baseball/softball program with over 300 participants – most from Wards 6, 7, and 8.  The group also supports middle school baseball programs in the District.  DC Grays Baseball also sponsors the DC Grays summer college baseball team in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. 

Mr. Barbera graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1989, with a B.A. in history.  He lives in Alexandria with his wife, Harmony, and their children.