Jack Barksdale

Associate - Cohort 001

Jack Barksdale relishes the chance to restructure ideas and systems. His biggest fear is stagnation, and his best talent is eluding complacency.

He views a multi-disciplinary approach as the key to dynamic interactions with the world and employs a broad arsenal of perspectives to constantly reform his understanding of the world and its processes.

Prior to working as a summer associate for Normal>Next, Barksdale worked as an elementary school literacy assistant, where he helped improve comprehension, vocabulary, and motivation in an underserved community. Sparking a love of reading in youngsters allowed him to pass on some of the lessons he learned from the outstanding teachers he’s had in his life, some of whom he considers his greatest role models.

Inspired by a love of the messy public policy process, Barksdale spent time learning about and interacting with professionals from the government, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors in the hopes of crafting a future that harnesses the knowledge and resources of each group to create a more equitable and efficient society.

In keeping with his multidisciplinary approach, Barksdale has also worked in the orthopedic supply business, where he spent time optimizing logistical operations and coordinating the movement of crucial surgical equipment between hospitals. As part of the job, he sat in on more than twenty orthopedic surgeries. The experience gave him a deeper respect for medical professionals, whose job presents them with a new challenge each day.

Barksdale graduated from the Episcopal School of Jacksonville as the Salutatorian. There, he was a two-year captain and three year starter on the football team and contributor to the school newspaper. His science project sought to harness the unique properties of algae to produce renewable energy, earning him statewide recognition. He spent his last semester examining the intersection of new world piracy, western outlaws, and pre-Marxist thought.

Barksdale currently attends Dartmouth College on an ROTC scholarship. He is a member of the men’s rugby team and co-hosts a weekly talk show.

In his free time, Barksdale enjoys New Hampshire’s cold-weather activities, novel to the native Floridian.