After leaving the White House, Barnes assumed roles at the Aspen Institute and New York University.

[5] In 1989, Barnes began her career as an attorney with the law firm of Shearman & Sterling in New York City as an associate in corporate finance and financial institutions.

[1] Barnes served as director of legislative affairs at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and as assistant counsel of the Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights of the House Judiciary Committee.

[1] After Obama took office in January 2009, Barnes became assistant to the president and director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

[9][10] Barnes was one of several African-American women in important Obama administration positions, along with Valerie Jarrett, Mona Sutphen, Susan Rice and Cassandra Butts.

Paul Starr writes that Obama's choice to surround himself with these former senior aides to key congressional leaders on health care was instrumental in passing the health-care reform legislation through Congress.

[3][15] In 2013,[4] Barnes has also been vice provost for global student leadership initiatives at New York University, and senior fellow at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

[17] On June 13, 2009, Barnes married Marland Buckner Jr., a former chief of staff to U.S. Representative Harold Ford Jr., in Washington.