Rob “Biko” Baker – Executive Director
The Executive Director of the League of Young Voters, Rob “Biko” Baker is a nationally-recognized young leader. In his home community of Milwaukee, he has organized town hall meetings and used the power and agency of art to inform, mobilize, and motivate young people to participate in civic life. Baker has served as the deputy publicity coordinator and young voter organizer for the Brown and Black Presidential Forum. He has appeared on C-SPAN, Fox News and CNN, has interviewed luminaries Cornel West, Russell Simmons, and Howard Dean, and has been on panels with many of the nation’s strongest progressive voices. Baker is a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA, a frequent contributor to The Source, serves on CIRCLE’s research advisory board and is a board member of the New Organizing Institute.
Follow: @bikobaker
LaToya Santiago – Executive Assistant
Latoya Santiago was a childcare teacher for three years, and has two beautiful children of her own: Marvin and Marriona, who keep her moving. When she isn’t with her kids, she attends Lakeland College, earning credits toward her bachelors degree in Accounting and Business. In 2004, Latoya worked for the Young Voter Alliance where her drive and ambition caught Biko’s attention. When Biko needed an Executive Assistant, he had his ideal candidate in mind – and luckily for all of us, she took the job. LaToya has grown tremendously and is proud to support the Wisconsin League. She loves doing this work because it helps her grow as a person and a woman who can do whatever she wants- as long as she puts her mind to it-so watch out!
Sean Gardner - Operations Director
Sean came to The League in early 2009, bringing along a bizarrely varied background (from retail store manager to legal writer to film editor). A 2006 graduate of The University of New Mexico with a major in Theatre, Sean remains behind the scenes, making sure we’re running smoothly on the Operations end of things. He currently lives in Brooklyn with his wife Rebecca, where he spends his free time eating too much, buying too many records and sometimes making videos for websites, including ours.
Sam Patton – Online/Systems Director
Sam graduated from Oberlin College in 2005 with degrees in Film Production and English; moved to New York City immately after college but rapidly lost interest in the overt commercialism of the entertainment industry. Through a home town (Oxford, Mississippi) connection, started as an intern at the League in early 2007 and has not looked back since. His commitment to social justice comes from the examples of his friends and family; the education he received in school and the education he receives every day, seeing the dignity of the working class and our undeniable opportunity for progress provided we treat each other as a real community. Sam identifies strongly as a Mississippian and feels a certain responsibility, as a Southern white man, to be an example for all the progressive kids in the South who feel that our cultural legacy must be to reinforce the positive ideals of our history – bravery in the face of challenge, the quest for redemption – while redefining progressive politics in the red states.
Rachel Bishop – Program Director
Rachel first got involved with youth organizing in 2004 as a high school junior, jumping on board with the anti-Bush youth movement as a volunteer in Oregon, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. She first joined the League in 2007 as an intern in our National Operations Office. Things quickly snowballed and by the time she graduated NYU with a degree in Politics in 2009, she was working full time as a National Operations Associate. These days she holds the even fancier-sounding title of National Programs Director, lives in Brooklyn with her best friend and an unwelcome mouse named Stan, and in her spare time enjoys playing guitar and other such activities that warrant complaints from the neighbors.
Carey Jenkins – Deputy Director
Carey Jenkins attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. He wore many hats during his stint at Running Rebels Community Organization – Youth Advocate, Crisis Mentor, Safe & Sound Program Director, Going Home Project Crisis Provider, and Tutor – and also an Educational Assistant for Milwaukee Public Schools. Currently he is the League of Young Voters’ National Training Director. Inspired by his son DeShawn T. Jenkins, he has come to feel a sense of pride in The League’s mission. Some of his accomplishments include winning an anti-gun commercial contest from which his song was featured on Milwaukee public transit and local television. He used to rap and opened for major acts such as Common. He has been a ball boy for the Milwaukee Bucks, coached basketball and soccer, and can generally play just about any sport. His passion is writing, his goal is to be a professor, he hopes to make violence a National Issue, and then maybe when he has some of those accomplished he’ll go ahead and settle down and get married.
