Stan Barnes l Ian Calkins Faith Willman Alice Lara

Stan Barnes

Stan Barnes, a native Arizonan, is the founder and President of Copper State Consulting Group. For much of the past two decades, Barnes has been involved in virtually every facet of key political and media-related issues and is viewed as a seasoned veteran of both state and local public affairs battles in Arizona.

Before establishing the firm, Barnes served six years in the Arizona Legislature - First in the State House of Representatives where he was elected in 1988 as the youngest member of the 39th Legislature. He quickly rose to positions of leadership, serving in such capacities as Chairman of the Natural Resources & Agriculture Committee, where he was appointed in only his second term in office. At an early stage of his legislative career, Barnes was identified as a leader on key policy issues and a political force who could build diverse coalitions to get things done at the capitol.

Subsequent to serving in the State House, Barnes was elected to the Arizona Senate in 1994 where he served as Chairman of the Government Reform Committee. He was active on key legislative measures such as business tax reduction, streamlining environmental regulations and developing energy policy. During his service in the State Senate, Barnes was also appointed to the American Council of Young Political Leaders and led a delegation of elected officials from across the U.S. on a diplomatic tour of Australia.

In addition to running his practice, Barnes is a highly regarded political commentator, regularly appearing on Arizona television and radio news programs, as well as frequent guest editorials in state and local newspapers. He serves as Editor-In-Chief of West Washington, a bi-weekly political newsletter on Arizona's elected officials and public policy debate.

Barnes is a 4th generation Arizonan born and raised on a family farm in rural Pinal County. He received his B.S. degree from Arizona State University in 1983 and went on to work for several years in broadcast media including both television and radio. Barnes is currently serving a three-year term as a Governor-appointed member of the Governor's Regulatory Review Council. He is active in the community as a member of the East Valley Partnership and political committees of the Arizona and Phoenix Chambers of Commerce.

Stan and his wife Lisa live in Mesa with their five children.