Title: Associate Policy Scientist
Workplace: University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy and Administration’s Institute for Public Administration
Age: 30
As a founding member of a grant assistance program at the University of Delaware, Chase Barnes plays a leading role in helping local governments secure federal- and state-level funding opportunities.
Barnes works as an associate policy scientist at the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration’s Institute for Public Administration, where he works directly with municipalities pursuing large infrastructure projects to draft, submit and manage grant applications.
The native Delaware lived out-of-state, including time spent in Australia working in government, for many years but returned in 2018 and accepted a position as the first building coordinator for the newly constructed Tower at STAR. While attending a master’s program at the Biden School in 2021-2022, he also served as a local government management fellow for the City of Dover and as a legislative fellow for the Delaware General Assembly.
Since July 2022, Barnes has worked directly on nearly three dozen grant applications worth over $48.5 million through the Grant Assistance Program. To date, his team has secured over $8 million in project funding benefitting municipalities statewide.He also provides local grant trainings and workshops, and stays informed on the latest opportunities by regularly attending state, regional and national conferences. Barnes says nothing is more important than supporting others who have dedicated their time and abilities in service of Delaware.
The Eagle Scout continues to dedicate his career and community-based efforts to public service and credits his success to the support of his family, particularly his wife and high school sweetheart, Mara, his Newark-native parents Jen and Charlie, his older brother Kevin, and his aunt Liz Lewis.
