Committed to reforming public health, Cescily Barnes leads and educates health and community outreach professionals. In her current role as the public health project leader at the Detroit Health Department, Barnes oversees performance management, accreditation and community health improvement initiatives that support equitable health care. She also teaches public health and community organizing courses as an adjunct faculty member at University of MichiganÐDearborn. Outside of her career, Barnes a board member of Focus: HOPE and the selections chairperson on the New Leaders Council Ð Detroit Chapter, both of which support social and political change rooted in equity. A resident of Farmington Hills, Barnes earned her bachelorÕs degree in gender and health from the University of Michigan Ð Ann Arbor and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The information presented here was accurate as of Jan. 1, 2026.