Barney spent 35 years on active duty in the United States Army, serving in command and staff positions before returning to West Point’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership in 1984 as an Academy Professor. In 1991, he was promoted to Professor of Psychology and Leadership and in 1996 he was appointed Professor, USMA, and Vice Dean for Education, a position he held until his retirement in 2005. Upon retirement, he was advanced to
Brigadier General.
Barney’s service at West Point focused on leadership education and leader development. He supervised the core and electives courses in leadership, designed and taught in the Eisenhower Graduate Program in Leader Development, consulted on West Point’s Cadet Leader Development System, advised the L.A. Police Department and the Bangladesh Military Academy, and served as Director of the Center for Leadership and Organizations Research. In 2003, he led an international team that wrote the concept plan for the National Military Academy of Afghanistan.
Upon his retirement from the Army, Barney was selected to be the Senior Vice President and Dean of Faculty at Westminster College in Missouri. In February 2008, he was appointed Westminster’s 20th President, where he served until his retirement in 2015. While at Westminster, Barney put theory into practice by integrating leadership and character development with organizational effectiveness across the institution.