About RDB Strategies and Rebecca Barson

I found my passion for public policy during a summer internship in college in the New Jersey state government when I realized that enacting the right public policies could change the lives of hundreds, thousands, or millions of people. It was a lesson reinforced for me when I went to graduate school in public health nearly a decade later and an excitement I still feel every time I testify at a public hearing or work with a policy maker to enact a new law or regulation that will expand access to health care.

RDB Strategies is built on this passion, coupled with 20 years of experience and expertise in reproductive health care policy, politics, and programs at the federal and state levels. I’ve worked with family planning providers, state health agencies, and Planned Parenthood affiliates to navigate both opportunities and challenges in the ever-changing health care environment, with a focus on maintaining and expanding access for the clients that depend on these providers. I also have specific expertise in the major funding streams and programs that support women's and reproductive health, including Medicaid; Titles V, X, and XX; as well as the Affordable Care Act. I’m particularly passionate about expanding access to health care for low-income and underserved populations, reducing health and other disparities, and destigmatizing abortion and other reproductive and sexual health care.

I’m a proud native of New Jersey but equally proud of my adopted hometown of Washington, DC, where I’m actively involved in my community. I serve as co-chair of Jews United for Justice’s DC Leadership Council, and I am a Founding Member of the New Synagogue Project. In November of 2019, I was appointed to serve on the Standing Advisory Board for DC’s Health Benefit Exchange as a consumer representative. 

You can find out more about me on LinkedIn.