Activist Ady Barkan Official Biography and Headshot

Ady Barkan is an organizer and campaigner, who Politico deemed “the most powerful activist in America.” Over his career, Ady has specialized in bringing policy makers face to face with the people whose lives their decisions shape, and generating public attention and political pressure out of those confrontations. Since 2017, Ady’s work has focused on health care, marshaling his own paralysis from A.L.S. to urge Americans to demand more of our government. He received his juris doctorate from Yale Law School and now lives in Santa Barbara, CA, where he works as the founder and Co-Executive Director of Be A Hero. His story is told in the new documentary Not Going Quietly.