Missouri Bar executive director relocating to New York

Tom Bender, 2019-20 Missouri Bar president, announced today that Sebrina Barrett, executive director of The Missouri Bar, will be leaving the organization as her family is relocating to the state of New York in the coming months.

“I am thrilled to report that Sebrina and her family are embarking on a new adventure; I am saddened that the adventure will require her to leave us,” Bender said. “While here, she has continued to find ways to help us even better work as an organization and to better serve our attorneys and the public.”

Barrett is the first woman to serve as executive director and only the third person to hold the title since 1957. She has led The Missouri Bar since Jan. 1, 2013, after being chosen from a national search in 2010. Barrett joined the bar’s staff in early 2011 as deputy executive directive before transitioning to executive director.

“It has been an honor to work with such dedicated and caring board members and officers, current and past, as we have helped lawyers even better serve their clients” Barrett said. “The activities of The Missouri Bar are supported by a highly skilled and professional team, and it has been my honor and pleasure to serve alongside each of them.”

Barrett added that she is “incredibly proud” of what the board members, officers and staff have accomplished working together during her tenure. Some of those activities include:

• Continued education and protection of Missouri’s Non-Partisan Court Plan.
• Successful advocacy for the passage of significant legislation, including the revised Criminal Code.
• Addition of a third-floor conference center to The Missouri Bar Center.
• Improved security at the Bar Center and at off-site events.
• Enhanced the organization’s financial position through a new investment strategy and various cost-saving mechanisms.
• Conducted an in-depth technology audit, which led to a comprehensive IT action plan and improved IT infrastructure to support members and staff.
• Developed and implemented a thorough strategic plan and program review process, which included the first-ever Missouri Bar Leadership Institute.

Bender noted Barrett’s efforts in the role have captured the attention of others, resulting in several awards recognizing her achievements. Those awards include the 2015 Enterprise Award from Missouri Lawyers Weekly and the 2019 President’s Award of Excellence by the National Association of Bar Executives.

Prior to working for The Missouri Bar, Barrett spent five years at the New York State Bar Association, where her work culminated as senior director of public affairs and administrative services. Previously, she clerked in 2002-03 for then-Supreme Court of Missouri Judge Michael Wolff, and in 2003-05 for the New York State Court of Appeals.

Barrett received her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated first in her law class from Southern Illinois University School of Law. She is originally from Southwest Missouri.

Missouri Bar officers and staff applaud Sebrina Barrett, executive director, for her election as secretary of the National Association of Bar Executives at the Spring Board Meeting held May 9, 2019, at The Missouri Bar Center in Jefferson City.