Barbara Farrar
Barbara Farrar is the Deputy Executive Director of the Advocacy Center, which resides within the International Trade Administration. The Advocacy Center leads U.S. government engagement on behalf of American exporters bidding on foreign government procurement opportunities worldwide. The Advocacy Center also includes the Commerce Department’s Multilateral Development Bank program, which embeds ITA civil servants and foreign service officers within the MDBs with the goal of connecting U.S. companies to opportunities arising from Bank-funded projects. Barbara leads a team of over 30 international trade experts that serve as Regional Managers covering all global markets, and of Sector Leaders that coordinate interagency efforts on priority industries like nuclear energy. In fiscal year 2025, the Advocacy Center contributed to $151 Billion in U.S. exports, supporting 618,000 U.S. jobs. Prior to joining the Advocacy Center as its Deputy Executive Director, Barbara served in the Foreign Commercial Service as the Senior Commercial Officer in Sofia, Bulgaria. Barbara began her career in public service as the head of the Commercial Service office at the American Consulate in Florence, Italy from 1996 to 2007. Barbara received her graduate degree in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) and completed her undergraduate work at Middlebury College. She speaks Italian and Bulgarian.
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Monday, January 26, 2026
