R. Thurman Barnes is the assistant director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and associate professor at Rutgers University’s School of Public Health. He served in senior roles in the New Jersey General Assembly Office. As chief of staff to then-Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, he led her statewide campaign on criminal justice reform, authoring an extensive package of bills hailed by the New York Times as a model for the country. In 2010, incoming Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver named Barnes as her chief of staff, and he worked to enact multiple legislative proposals by monitoring national trends and culling bi-partisan and stakeholder support.

As area director of state government affairs for a major cable and telecommunications company, Barnes was responsible for all federal, state, and local lobbying efforts within New Jersey. After several successful years, he enrolled full-time at Princeton Theological Seminary. While attending, he served as chaplain at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey, providing pastoral care to survivors of interpersonal violence and their families.

Barnes later joined the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs’ Office as director of policy and external affairs. He served as the point of contact for all elected officials and their staff, advised the Governor’s Office on pending legislation, and worked closely with community-facing organizations and stakeholders to administer Community Service Block Grants.

Barnes holds a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, cum laude, and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law—Newark. He also earned a master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.