Sara Baker is the legislative and policy director for the ACLU of Missouri. She is responsible for working with elected officials and community organizations on issues related to the rights of all Missourians. She is returning to her home state after serving as Special Projects Manager and Stephen M. Rivers Memorial Fellow at the Center for Democracy in the Americas in Washington D.C.
While at the Center for Democracy in the Americas, Sara provided research on the role of women in Cuba’s evolving economy and worked directly with high-level congressional delegations to the island.Her thesis, “Alternative Futures for the Civil Military Relationship in a Post-Castro Cuba,” was published on the Director of National Intelligence’s Virtual Americas Network, widely circulated in the White House, and led to an opportunity for Sara to brief the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
Sen. Brian Williams represents the 14th Senatorial District in St. Louis County. Sen. Williams grew up in Ferguson MO, attained an undergraduate degree from Southeast Missouri State University, and earned Masters degrees in Public Administration and Legal Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.
Studying government and public health policy led Sen. Williams to pursue a career in public service. After graduating he went on to work for several years as a congressional staffer and oversaw the rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace in Missouri as a Congressional ACA Coordinator.
Sen. Williams currently is a member of the following Standing Committees: Appropriations; Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy & the Environment; Government Reform; Gubernatorial Appointments; Progress and Development; Small Business & Industry; Transportation, Infrastructure & Public Safety.
Betty Frizzell began her law enforcement career in 1997 with an aim to assist victims of sexual assault. She served as a Deputy Sheriff in both the Lincoln and Ripley County Sheriff’s Departments. During her time with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, she helped develop the first sexual assault response team and was the first female officer to join the S.W.A.T. team. She later worked as a police officer and gang investigator for the city of Louisiana, Missouri before becoming the Chief of the Winfield Police Department.
Upon retiring from policing, Frizzell began teaching courses on sexual assault investigations as an adjunct professor of criminal justice. She holds an M.F.A in Writing and a M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration. She served as a member of the Citizens Advisory Board for the State of Missouri Department of Corrections: Probation and Parole Division and was honored as the Lincoln County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in 2001. She is the author of If You Can’t Quit Cryin’, You Can’t Come Here No More: A Family’s Legacy of Poverty, Crime and Mental Illness in Rural America. Frizzell currently residesin Seattle, Washington, but remains closely connected to Missouri.
Jae Shepherd (they/them) is a 27 year old Black, queer, non-binary messy work in progress. They are passionate about the liberation and healing of all Black people, twerkin, and staying hydrated. Jae is the Abolition Organizer at Action St.Louis. Jae day dreams about the divestment from police and prisons, and investment into a St. Louis where Black people have the resources and care to thrive.
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