Rep. Jeff Barnhart, a Republican from Concord, talks with Jenni Owen in a stairway Tuesday at the General Assembly Building.

Jenni Owen of the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University had an audience with Rep. Jeff Barnhart for about 30 seconds, and that was after she chased him down a flight of stairs. Barnhart was on his way to a meeting when Owen stopped him to talk about educational seminars the center organizes for policymakers. The first seminar, in May, received positive feedback, she said. "It gives a unique opportunity for legislators to learn more about critical policy issues from sources that don't have political agendas."