About me
Hey there, I’m Jeff Barrera. I’m a progressive communicator focused on shaping narratives and building grassroots power to advance campaigns for justice.
My dad was a community organizer, so I got started on political campaigns at age six — with the mission-critical job of cutting apart rolls of stickers. In high school, I debated careers as an action movie director, web developer, or policy wonk, then discovered advocacy communications combines most of my interests (sadly there are fewer explosions).
I’m currently the communications & data director for Working Partnerships USA, a grassroots organizing and policy advocacy nonprofit in Silicon Valley. When I started at WPUSA, I was the only communication staffer and our website was a relic from the early 2000s. Five years on, I lead a five-person communications team who (if you’ll forgive the bragging) do some damn good work.
Before joining WPUSA, I attended the Stanford Journalism Program, where I focused on computational journalism and multimedia storytelling. I studied computer science, machine learning, and data journalism, applying these skills to cover transportation issues for the Peninsula Press (with stories picked up by SFGate and KQED). For my master's thesis, I used machine learning techniques to analyze local government agendas.
I also completed my undergraduate degree at Stanford, receiving a BA with honors in Urban Studies. As an Urban Studies major, I explored key issues facing cities — poverty and inequality, housing and transportation, sustainability and energy — and the political forces that shape policymaking.
When I'm not geeking out about narrative strategy or housing policy, I can usually be found practicing martial arts. Since 2005, I've studied Aikido, a Japanese art that seeks to end a confrontation without unnecessarily injuring the assailant (the photo above is from my black belt exam). For the past few years, I've also been training in Eskrima, a Filipino art involving stick, double-stick, knife, and empty hand techniques.