Audrey Freshwater Merritt

Audrey Freshwater Merritt, M.A., currently serves as the Safe Babies Statewide Coordinator for ZERO TO THREE since October 2023. In addition, Audrey is the Vice President of The Mean Pig BBQ LLC, a position held since January 2023, and has been the Owner, Therapist, Trainer, and Consultant at Compassion Informed Care since August 2015. Previous roles include State Director and Deputy Director at Save the Children US from March 2020 to October 2023, Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Administrator and Early Childhood Education ACEs Administrator at the Arkansas Department of Human Services from September 2018 to March 2020, and Program Director at Williamson County CASA from September 2011 to March 2018. Audrey’s early career involved working with the Department of Children's Services from July 2009 to April 2011 in Child Protective Services. Audrey holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University and two Bachelor of Science degrees in Social Work and Psychology from Arkansas State University.