Jeff Barr

COO

Jeff has 26 years of experience helping public and behavioral health professionals and their partners use data and science to improve programming and enhance health outcomes. As COO and Director of Tobacco Control and Prevention at Growth Partners, he oversees contracts with survey scientists to develop and enhance sampling methodologies that help states and territories inspect retailors for compliance with tobacco and other health laws. He is a nationally recognized expert on retail inspection programs, merchant education, and building partnerships between public health initiatives, retailers, food and beverage organizations, and related businesses. Part of his expertise in this area comes from insights he gleaned as a 15-year food industry franchise consultant and trainer for an international corporation operating restaurant chains and tobacco and pharmaceutical enterprises. Jeff has also overseen national contracts with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to evaluate state and territorial compliance with federal retail inspection contracts, as well as contracts with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to analyze compliance with federal retail inspection laws in all 50 states and nine jurisdictions. In that role, he also oversaw national training, technical assistance, national meetings, and conferences to improve state and territorial retail inspection programs. Jeff has conducted hundreds of workshops and training events for local, state, and federal agencies including SAMHSA, FDA, and the National Association of Attorneys General. The audiences for these trainings are diverse and include retailers and law enforcement as well as public health practitioners. Jeff also has experience in state government, having designed and directed the State of Illinois’ Tobacco Inspection Program for 15 years.