About the Author
Lori Barnhill
Three decades at the intersection of quality, technology, and public service.
Areas of Expertise
Lori Barnhill is a quality management executive with more than 30 years of experience in the United States federal government. Her career spans the Department of Defense and broader civil service, where she has led quality assurance programs for some of the nation's most complex and mission-critical systems.
Throughout her career, Lori has witnessed the full arc of technological transformation in government — from the early adoption of digital systems to the emergence of artificial intelligence as a foundational capability. That vantage point informs everything she writes and teaches.
Her work is grounded in the Deming philosophy of continuous improvement, systems thinking, and accountability. She has applied these principles not only to traditional quality management but to the emerging challenge of governing autonomous AI agents — systems that act, decide, and learn without direct human intervention.
Lori's book, Agentic Quality Assurance: Autonomous AI Agents for Next Generation Quality Management, is the first comprehensive framework to bridge classical quality theory with the realities of agentic AI. It draws on her firsthand experience managing quality in high-stakes government environments and translates those lessons for practitioners across every sector.
Agentic Quality Assurance is available now on Amazon. It is the definitive guide for quality professionals, AI developers, and government leaders navigating the age of autonomous AI.
Get the Book on Amazon30 Years of Public Service
Early Career
Began federal service in quality assurance roles, developing foundational expertise in government technology programs and systems evaluation.
Mid Career
Advanced to senior quality management positions within the Department of Defense, overseeing quality frameworks for mission-critical defense systems.
Senior Leadership
Led enterprise-wide quality initiatives and began applying Deming principles to emerging digital and AI-enabled government programs.
Today
Author, speaker, and thought leader on agentic AI quality management — translating 30 years of government experience into frameworks for the next generation of quality professionals.
Invite Lori to Speak
Available for keynotes, panels, workshops, and media appearances on AI quality management and autonomous systems governance.