Michael Barrett, of Columbia, will be Missouri's next state public defender, Doug Copeland, Public Defender Commission chairman, announced Friday.
Barrett will take office June 1, succeeding Cat Kelly, who is retiring after a 31-year career in public defense.
"Michael brings such a wide experience in criminal justice work to the table," Copeland said in a news release. "We are confident he will excel in this new position."
Barrett, originally from New York, moved to Missouri in 2011 with his wife, Missouri native Sebrina Barrett who is the Missouri Bar's executive director. The couple met in law school at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
He currently is the public defender system's general counsel and previously worked as Gov. Jay Nixon's deputy general counsel and as director of Missouri's State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
Barrett worked in counter drug operations with the FBI and as a foreign language interrogator with the U.S. Defense department, then began his legal career as an assistant public defender in Albany, New York.
In 2005, he went to work for the New York State Assembly drafting criminal justice legislation, before accepting the position of assistant counsel to the New York State Commission on Sentencing Reform - where he conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the state's sentencing laws and made recommendations for reform.
In 2008, he was tapped by New York's governor to serve on his Economic Recovery and Revitalization Cabinet, and the following year, he was given the role of deputy commissioner for criminal justice programs.
In those dual positions, Barrett oversaw the administration of $67 million in criminal justice stimulus funding aimed at improving public safety and the criminal justice system. Among other things, he developed policies and programs for juvenile justice reform and re-entry programs for offenders leaving incarceration.
In the news release, Barrett said, "As a soldier, I raised my right hand and swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and now, nearly 20 years later, I am blessed with the opportunity to lead a system of dedicated attorneys and support staff who work tirelessly to ensure that every Missourian, regardless of income, receive the benefit of those essential rights."
Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary R. Russell will swear Barrett into his new job May 28.