January 13, 2025 Organizational Background Empower Missouri is a 501(c)(3) organization. The mission of Empower Missouri is to secure basic human needs and equal justice for every person in our state through coalition-building and advocacy. We lead three statewide coalitions (food security, affordable housing, and community justice) and offer a variety of training programs for...Lee mas

I am so honored to have the opportunity to work on food security policies as the second Food Security Policy Manager with the Empower Missouri Team. I intend to help further the incredible work Empower Missouri has been doing for over 120 years.  I started my work in food security before I knew what food...Lee mas

Greetings Empower Missouri Community, I am delighted to introduce myself as the new Operations Director at Empower Missouri, and I am thrilled to be a part of this incredible community dedicated to addressing poverty and inequality in our state. In my role, I will be focusing on streamlining processes within our organization to ensure efficiency...Lee mas

I am so grateful to be a part of the Empower Missouri policy team as the newest Affordable Housing Policy Manager. I have been involved with the organization, first as a coalition member and then as a board member, before joining the staff, and I knew this was where I wanted to be. In this...Lee mas

I’m excited to join the Empower Missouri team as Lead Policy Strategist! In my new role with the organization I’ll be partnering with our policy managers to advance state-level policy priorities related to food and nutrition security and affordable housing. My accidental love affair with public policy started 12 years ago when I accepted a...Lee mas

My name is Sara Patterson, and I am excited to be joining Empower Missouri as Development Manager! I have lived in the Springfield, Missouri area for the majority of my life and have over 20 years of non-profit experience. Starting at the age of 18, I co-founded a humanitarian aid organization focused on international poverty...Lee mas

Hello! I’m Maurice Auberry. I was born in Joplin, Missouri, and moved to Columbia at the start of my undergraduate schooling. I currently attend Mizzou, where I am a senior. I anticipate graduating with a BS in Psychology, with minors in Black Studies and Criminology.  My goal after my time at Mizzou is then law...Lee mas

I am ecstatic to join the Empower Missouri team and make an impact on this organization and on our community. Having the opportunity to be the Communications Intern for the rest of the calendar year, I am looking forward to working under Amber Foster-Hobart, our Communications Director, and assisting with marketing and communications efforts such...Lee mas

Empower Missouri is growing, and we’re excited to have introduced you to several new team members over the last few weeks. Today we’re rounding out our team with Holly Honig-Josephson, our new Policy Director: Hello Empower family, I am thrilled and honored to be here in community with you all, working to realize Empower Missouri’s...Lee mas

Empower Missouri is growing, and we’re excited to introduce you to several new team members over the coming weeks. Today let’s hear from Gwen Smith, our Criminal Justice Policy Manager: Hello everyone! My name is Gwen Smith and I am honored to be joining the Empower Missouri team as the Criminal Justice Policy Manager. In...Lee mas