Jennifer Barrera took over as president and chief executive officer of the California Chamber of Commerce on October 1, 2021.

She has been part of the CalChamber team since 2010 and stepped into the top position after serving as CalChamber executive vice president, overseeing the development and implementation of policy and strategy for the organization, as well as representing the CalChamber on legal reform issues.

Barrera is well-known for her success rate with the CalChamber’s annual list of job killer legislation, efforts to reform the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and leadership working with employers on critical issues, including most recently those arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, she advises the business compliance activities of the CalChamber on interpreting changes in employment law. She led CalChamber advocacy on labor and employment and taxation from September 2010 through the end of 2017. As senior policy advocate in 2017, Barrera worked with the executive vice president in developing policy strategy. She was named senior vice president, policy, for 2018 and promoted to executive vice president on January 1, 2019. 

From May 2003 until joining the CalChamber staff, she worked at a statewide law firm that specializes in labor/employment defense, now Carothers, DiSane & Freudenberger, LLP. She represented employers in both state and federal court on a variety of issues, including wage and hour disputes, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, and wrongful termination. She also advised both small and large businesses on compliance issues, presented seminars on various employment-related topics, and regularly authored articles in human resources publications.

Barrera earned a B.A. in English from California State University, Bakersfield, and a J.D. with high honors from California Western School of Law.