Kelly Barr
Associate Vice President and Chief Alliance Officer, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University
Ambassador
Kelly Barr is the Associate Vice President and Chief Alliance Officer at Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, which seeks to develop and implement new economic, environmental, and social solutions. In this role, she serves as the bridge between Arizona’s communities and the experts within the laboratory. Barr joined Arizona State after retiring as a 30-year veteran of Salt River Project (SRP), where she was the Associate General Manager and Chief Strategy, Corporate Services and Sustainability Executive.
Barr is an active leader and serves on a variety of professional, technical, and community boards. She currently serves on the boards of two organizations: Arizona Forward, which promotes cooperative efforts to improve state and local environmental sustainability and economic vitality, and the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy. She also serves as a Commissioner for the City of Phoenix’s Environmental Quality and Sustainability Commission. In addition, she is a member of both the Arizona Women’s Forum and Charter 100 (also a forum for leading women). Previously, she chaired the Electrification and Sustainability Strategy Sector Council of the Electric Power Research Institute and served on the American Public Power Association’s CEO Climate Change and Generation Policy Task Force.
Barr has received several awards recognizing her accomplishments. The Arizona Capital Times selected her as the 2022 Woman of the Year. In 2020, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project presented her with a Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award for her leadership in developing and implementing SRP’s sustainability goals, and in 2019, Barr was a finalist for the S&P Global Platts Global Energy Awards. In 2017, AZ Business Magazine recognized her as one of the Most Influential Women in Arizona.
A native of Arizona, Barr earned her JD and BA from the University of Arizona.