Stephannie Lane Baker is excited to put her passion into practice as Executive Director of Emerge Arkansas, building community, fostering a ‘lift as you climb’ culture, and working toward a truly representative democracy.
Stephannie has over two decades of experience in political advocacy and organizing work. Highlights of this work include studying the child health impact of estrogens in the Miami table water, fighting for smoke-free environments for restaurant workers, registering voters and serving as a patient advocate at Planned Parenthood, and advocating for safer gun laws with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Her varied public health advocacy work eventually led her to political campaigns, as she realized that the best way to make progress is to help progressive leaders get a seat at the table.
Stephannie honed her political training with Vote Run Lead, Demand a Seat, the Arena Academy, EMILY’s List, and the inaugural Emerge Arkansas bootcamp training. She’s spent the last several years working in campaigns and volunteering for school board, city council, and state representative races. Most recently, she has directed campaign communications at both the federal and state level.
She’s long understood that the road to change is multifaceted and takes science, a bit of art, and a lot of heart. Stephannie’s passion is helping women realize their innate skills and tapping into their full potential. Helping progressive women run for office is truly her favorite thing, and she knows when women win, communities do better.
Stephannie holds a BS in biology and chemistry from Anderson University in South Carolina and a masters in public health from Florida International University.
Stephannie resides in Northwest Arkansas with her two children and enjoys hiking in the beautiful Ozarks, family movie nights, listening to podcasts – especially Pantsuit Politics, hanging with her crew of amazing friends, and prioritizing sleep. She will never not miss the ocean and visits her hometown of Charleston, SC as often as possible.