RuthAnne Oakey-Frost is the Policy Director and General Counsel of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children where she utilizes her background as a legislative attorney and legislative liaison to promote sound public policy on behalf of young children. While at LPIC, she has helped secure sports betting revenue for the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Fund, helped LPIC partner with state officials to examine how COVID-relief funds should be distributed, and helped guide the efforts of the 100+ member Ready Louisiana Coalition on behalf of children aged birth to four.
Prior to joining the Policy Institute, RuthAnne was the Director of Licensing and Compliance for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. At the Department, she provided advice to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, drafted administrative rules to guide thousands of businesses in Utah, served as the Department’s legislative liaison, supervised investigations, and managed and restructured her team of compliance officers to ensure greater efficiency. RuthAnne’s experience also includes serving in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, where she worked as an attorney for eight general sessions. While at the Utah Legislature, RuthAnne drafted hundreds of pieces of legislation, provided legal advice to lawmakers, assisted in complex negotiations, and litigated on behalf of the Legislature. She has also worked at the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson in the tax and government relations sections.
RuthAnne received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in political science. Between college and law school, she was a United States Senate intern for the Senate Judiciary Committee. She graduated with honors from the S.J. Quinney College of Law where she worked on the Family Law Journal, was a member of the Jessup International Moot Court team, and received a Quinney Fellowship.
RuthAnne is licensed to practice law in Utah and Louisiana, formerly licensed in Arizona, and is a registered lobbyist in Louisiana.