Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Barbara Palmer would continue to serve as the Director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) in December 2018. She was appointed Director of APD by Governor Rick Scott in August 2012. Previously, she had served as the agency's chief of staff since September 2011.
Before coming to APD, Palmer was the assistant secretary for administration of the Department of Children and Families. Palmer served more than 15 years as president and CEO of Palmer, Musick & Associates, where she represented the interests of a variety of issues including athletics, education, mental health, health care, and regulation before state and local governments. She previously served as associate vice-president for governmental relations at Florida State University and was FSU's first women's athletic director. She also served as director of the Division of Hotels and Restaurants in the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Palmer earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida State University. She was inducted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990 and also was among the first group of women inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame in 1982.