| Judy Baker | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 25th district |
|
| In office 2005 - 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Vicky Riback Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Mary Still |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 10, 1960 Columbia, Missouri |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. John D. Baker |
| Residence | Columbia, Missouri |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary |
| Occupation | consultant, adjunct professor |
| Religion | Baptist |
Judith W. "Judy" Baker (born April 10, 1960) was a Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives, representing the 25th District from 2005-2009. She was the Democratic nominee for US Congress in Missouri's 9th Congressional District seat in 2008, but was defeated in a close race by former State Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer.
Baker is a college professor and a small businessperson. She lives in Columbia, Missouri with her husband John and their three children, Sarah, Lauren and David.
The daughter of an elementary school teacher and a military doctor, she graduated in 1978 from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. She went on to obtain a B.S. in Educational Psychology from the University of Missouri in 1981, a master's degree in Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1986, and a master's degree in Health Administration from the University of Missouri in 2002. She has been an adjunct professor of managerial economics at Columbia College of Missouri, and is a healthcare consultant and President of Cura Advantage.
She is a deacon at First Baptist Church in Columbia, where her husband is senior pastor, and a member of the American Association of Healthcare Executives and the Kiwanis Club.
She was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2004, and again in 2006, and she served on the following committees:
On November 17, 2009, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appointed Baker to Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Region VII which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.[1]
Baker lost a 2008 run for Missouri's 9th Congressional District, in which she ran against Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer and Libertarian Tamara Millay. In late November 2007, Baker announced that she would be filing with the Federal Elections Committee to raise funds for a possible run for the U.S. House of Representatives Ninth District.[2] This position was held by Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Columbia) since 1996, but Hulshof declined to run again in order to pursue a gubernatorial run. On February 25, 2008, Baker formally initiated her campaign for the MO-9 seat,[3] and on August 5, 2008, Baker won the Democratic primary in a four person race with 44.1% of the vote.[4] Baker was defeated by Leutkemeyer in a close race; she received 47.5% of the vote.