Dr. Barnes was the founder of American Decorative Art 1900 Foundation, a private foundation that works independently and in collaboration with museums across the United States to foster understanding and appreciation of American decorative art from the period around 1900. From 2000 to 2004, Barnes was CEO of Element K, a pioneer in online learning. Over the course of his career, Barnes has held senior executive positions at Ziff Communications Company, Ziff Brothers Investments, Wasserstein Perella & Co., Reservoir Capital Group, and QFS Asset Management.