Jamie Barnett

Jamie Barnett joined the National Aquarium in 2025 as the vice president of planning and design. In this role, Jamie leads the division responsible for the Aquarium's physical environment, overseeing the strategic integration of campus-wide planning, experiential design, fabrication, and comprehensive facilities operations. She ensures the ongoing strategic alignment of the institution's infrastructure—including on Piers 3 and 4, at the Animal Care and Rescue Center, and in the corporate offices—with the guest journey.

The multi-disciplinary division that Jamie oversees includes Exhibit Design and Planning, Exhibit Fabrication, and the Facilities department. Her leadership focuses on building the cross-functional teams necessary to maintain and enhance the current campus while actively shaping the roadmap for its future. She ensures the Aquarium's facilities foster an intuitive sense of place that inspires a deeper connection to conservation.

Jamie's career is defined by transforming environments through strategic design. Before joining the Aquarium, she owned and led her own design consultancy, and held leadership roles at Ayers Saint Gross and Gensler, specializing in architecturally integrated environments and wayfinding. Jamie holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in visual communication from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the University of Virginia.