The Missouri Senate confirmed another slate of appointees on Thursday to serve on state boards, commissions, and in statewide leadership.
The latest round of four appointed by Gov. Mike Kehoe includes Jessica Bax. She was tapped to be confirmed last week but was taken off of the appointment list at last moment. She was appointed by Kehoe to oversee the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Bax previously told the Missouri Senate Gubernatorial Appointments Committee that she will ensure all of the department’s programs and services are effectively managed and aligned with the department’s mission. She acknowledged that doing so will be an uphill battle.
“We’ve inherited a lot of issues at that department that need to be resolved,” said Bax. “So, what I am excited about is really looking at that from a holistic perspective in terms of getting down to the basics of what we are supposed to be doing.”
Bax is inheriting a department that’s been under scrutiny for lengthy delays in the distribution of welfare benefits, students reportedly being abused at boarding schools that were previously unlicensed, and the handling of missing foster kids.
Kehoe has also chosen Alfred Brandt to continue serving on the State Milk Board. Brandt explained how increasing cases of avian influenza are impacting the dairy industry.
“That farm would go under some sort of quarantine,” Brandt told the committee. “The milk is still able to be shipped, as long as it’s being pasteurized. It can go into pasteurized. Pasteurization will kill the virus. But the cows, the heifers, on that farm could not leave that farm and go to another farm. They would be quarantined. They could go straight to slaughter.”
Infected dairy cattle often experience a substantial drop in milk production, leading to increased costs and reduced productivity for farms. Brandt, of east-central Missouri’s Linn, has been a member of the State Milk Board since 2009 and served as president from 2011 to 2024.
Another confirmation included Thaddus “Dan” Danford to serve on the Missouri Western State University Board of Governors. Danford previously served on Missouri Western’s Board of Governors from 2007 to 2012 and also served as president of the university’s Alumni Association.
He told the Senate committee that recruitment is his main priority.
“2010 was the peak year for enrollment for Missouri Western State University,” said Danford. “So, it is now roughly half the enrollment that it was in 2010. So, the drops in enrollment, obviously, are of concern to everybody.”
The last name in this round of appointees is Timothy Flora of Ellisville. He was appointed to serve on the Missouri State Board of Private Investigators and Private Fire Investigator Examiners. He currently serves as President and Certified Licensed Polygraph Examiner at Mid-West Protective Service, Inc.
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