Missouri Governor Eric Greitens’ (R) deputy chief of staff is leaving to become the new vice president at the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC).
Former State Rep. Caleb Jones, R-Columbia, served three terms in the Missouri House, representing parts of Boone, Cole, Cooper and Moniteau counties. He was first elected to the House in 2010 and was re-elected in 2012, 2014 and in 2016.
Jones served as Governor Greitens’ deputy chief of staff for about eight months, starting with the new administration in January.
As Deputy Chief of State, Jones helped to secure funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help Missouri’s electric cooperatives bring high-speed internet service to underserved areas in rural Missouri.
“During Caleb’s time in the Missouri House he was not only a member of the leadership but also a champion for the issues that affected rural people and their electric cooperatives,” Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives CEO Barry Hart said in a news release. “Whenever our voice needed to be heard we always went to Caleb because he understood the issues and never forgot his own rural roots.”
Jones also worked for former U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia, focusing on agricultural and environmental issues.
Jones graduated from California High School and earned a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri School of Law.
The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ website says AMEC is a statewide organization, based in Jefferson City, representing Missouri’s 47 electric co-ops.
AMEC was found in 1937, during the Great Depression.
The AMEC website says their mission “is to provide a means for electric cooperatives to work together and accomplish things collectively that they could not do as effectively or efficiently on their own.”