Barry earned his baccalaureate at UC-Davis and his MBA from Pepperdine University. He earned his law degree at NCCU in 1999 while serving as a vice-president of marketing and communications at Divers Alert Network (DAN), an international medical research and safety organization affiliated with Duke University Health System. During his tenure, the organization grew from $4.5 to 14 million in consolidated revenues. In 1997, he received national recognition from the American Society of Association Executives for a member-acquisition program he developed at DAN. He has also received regional recognition from the International Association of Business Communicators for writing.