Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Current Assignments: Allison Barber is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Internal Communications and Public Liaison. In this position, she is responsible for the Department's communication to the men and women of the military, worldwide, and for community relations programs that link citizens to members of the Armed Forces at home and abroad. Ms. Barber is also an Army wife and her husband recently returned from a year's deployment in Iraq.

The operational components of Ms. Barber's organization are the American Forces Radio and Television, the Pentagon Channel, the American Forces Press Service, the Department's Internet web operations, the Defense Media Center, and Stars and Stripes newspaper.

American Forces Radio and Television (AFRTS) broadcasts news, information and entertainment programming to more than 800,000 deployed military and their families worldwide. The Pentagon Channel provides military news and information to military locations and communities nationwide via a domestic satellite and to U.S. forces overseas via AFRTS. The Defense Media Center procures and broadcasts programming for AFRTS and is the contracting office for the broadcast requirements.

American Forces Press Service produces news and feature articles on all aspects of military life, with articles posted on www.defenselink.mil, the Defense Department homepage. Web operations also include www.defendamerica.mil, with complete coverage of the war on terrorism; and www.americasupportsyou.mil, which highlights what the American public is doing to support our troops.

Stars and Stripes is a first amendment newspaper that is distributed to troops overseas and is available to anyone via the Internet at www.estripes.osd.mil

Ms. Barber's Public Liaison responsibilities include oversight of outreach programs, such as the Secretary's Joint Civilian Orientation Program and the Department's Speakers. Bureau, as well as policies and initiatives that provide community and other organizations with opportunities to better understand Defense policies and strengthen support of America's Armed Forces.

Past Experiences: Ms. Barber comes to her position with extensive experience in public relations and advertising. Prior to this position, Ms. Barber was the President of Sodenta, her public relations firm in Washington, D.C. Previously, she was President of the Washington D.C. office of PlowShare, a Connecticut-based advertising agency. From 1992 to 1998, she was a Public Relations Director for the American Red Cross. From 1986 to 1991, Barber was a grade school teacher at Merrillville Public School in Indiana and served as Vice President of the Teachers Association.

Education: Ms. Barber holds a BS in Elementary Education from Tennessee Temple University and a MS in Elementary Education from Indiana University.