Jean Peters Baker

Jean Peters Baker has spent more than two decades in the prosecutor’s office, serving in nearly every unit of the office. She was appointed Jackson County Prosecutor in May 2011, only the second woman to lead the office; the first, former-U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, hired Jean as a young assistant prosecutor. Baker is known as a prosecutor unafraid of tackling difficult cases. In 2011, she prosecuted the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for failing to report potential abuse of children by a priest. She was later named special prosecutor in a high-profile sexual assault involving high school football players in northwest Missouri. Recently, Baker successfully pursued the release of Kevin Strickland, who was wrongly convicted and served 43 years in a Missouri prison. During her decade as Jackson County’s top prosecutor, Baker has made gun violence a strong focus, including the development of innovative ways to reduce it.