Joshua V. Barr is an Emmy and national award-winning, transformational leader who has trained people on human rights and DEI issues from all 50 states and 5 continents. From 2010 to 2012, Joshua worked in Colombia, South America, on institutional corruption and leading the English language immersion program at Javeriana University Cali teaching law and business classes. Upon returning to the US, Joshua practiced civil rights law with the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission. During his time with the Commission, Joshua assisted them in finding more than 60 probable cause discrimination violations in 2015, the highest number of cause cases in SC history at that time.In 2015, Joshua became the director of the Des Moines Civil & Human Rights Commission. As director, he increased the number of complaints filed in the office by 170% and the number of probable cause cases by 500%. One of Joshua’s proudest accomplishments was the Bridging the Gap initiative where the Commission conducted community dialogues throughout the city to increase opportunity and make a safe, more just community for all. Through Bridging the Gap, nearly 20 new city policies were designed and implemented to improve community-government relations and help residents move up the socioeconomic ladder. Because of his efforts, Joshua was named the 2019 Public Servant of the Year by the Des Moines Neighborhood Associations and received the 2020 Greater Des Moines MLK Make-A-Difference Award.In 2020, Joshua debuted his Emmy award-winning documentary Breaking Bread, Building Bridges where 34 strangers were matched up together based on their differences to have dinners over the course of a few months. Joshua served as the creator, director, & executive producer of the project. The documentary won the 2020 Governor’s Emmy Award by the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.In 2020, Joshua won the Traeger Award, listing him as #5 of the top 100 influencers in local government in the US by Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL) in part for his article A Better Way: 50+ Action Items to Fight Against Racism In Your Community. In 2021, Joshua was selected as one of the US’s Top 100 Corporate Executive Leaders Under 50 by Diversity MBA. Joshua now serves as the Chief Strategist and Founder of his own organization, Raising The Barr, LLC, where he trains and presents to organizations on how to reach new heights by investing in their employees and stakeholders through inclusive and equitable policies and practices.