Contact: Scott Holste, (573) 751-0290
Channing Ansley, (573) 751-0290
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2014
Gov. Nixon makes board and commission appointments
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon today announced his appointments to five boards and commissions. The appointees will be subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate, with the exception of the Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council. The appointees, along with their boards and hometowns, are:
n Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Board of Trustees (Viola Schaefer – Jefferson City)
n Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors (William Gipson – Shell Knob)
n Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council (Donna Borgmeyer – Jefferson City; David Gray – University City; Gary Maddox – Springfield; Deborah Peabody – Sparta; Bettina Vinson – Glendale)
n Public Defender Commission (Craig Chval – Columbia; Allison Crista Hogan – Springfield; Charles Jackson – Jefferson City)
n University of Central Missouri Board of Governors – Student Representative (Elizabeth Wood – Adrian)
Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Board of Trustees
The Governor has appointed Viola Schaefer, of Jefferson City, to the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Board of Trustees. The board is responsible for the general administration and operation of the plan covering medical expenses of the employees and retirees of the state and participating member agencies, as well as eligible dependents and survivors; functions as fiduciaries of the trust and is responsible for the financial viability of the trust; establishes all eligibility and participation requirements for members wishing to join the plan; and develops all rules and regulations necessary to efficiently operate the plan.
Schaefer is retired from 33 years of service with the State of Missouri, and worked at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Attorney General’s Office and the Governor’s Office. The Governor has appointed her for a term ending Dec. 31, 2016.
Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors
The Governor has appointed William Gipson (R), of Shell Knob, to the Missouri Southern State University Board of Governors. The Board of Governors acts on behalf of the people of Missouri to oversee the successful implementation of well-planned and sound academic programs of higher learning for the benefit of the students of the college.
Gipson has worked in multiple positions with Empire District Electric Company for more than 30 years, Currently, he serves as the company’s director and previously served as president and CEO. Gipson is a graduate of Missouri Southern, with a degree in management technology. The Governor has appointed him for a term ending Aug. 30, 2017.
Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council
The Governor has re-appointed Dr. David Gray, of University City; Deborah Peabody, of Sparta; and Bettina Vinson, of Glendale; and appointed Donna Borgmeyer, of Jefferson City; and Gary Maddox, of Springfield, to the Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council. The council develops and submits the state of Missouri’s plan required by the Rehabilitation Act, the federal legislation that authorizes the formula grant programs of vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, independent living, and client assistance. The council also will monitor, review, and evaluate the implementation of the State plan.
Dr. Gray is a community-based rehabilitation scientist working in the Occupational Therapy program at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis. He lectures in courses including disability and social policy, therapeutic use of assistive technology, and research project development. The Governor has re-appointed him for a term ending Oct. 29, 2016.
Peabody is an employment resource/youth transition coordinator for the Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Developmental Disabilities, where she works with individuals and families on early age expectations, as well as with schools on training and outreach to better transition youth to adulthood. The Governor has re-appointed her for a term ending Oct. 29, 2016.
Vinson is an employment specialist for Starkloff Disability Institute. She obtained her master’s in rehabilitation counseling from Maryville University. She previously was a children’s services worker for the Missouri Department of Social Services from 1994 to 2009. The Governor has re-appointed her for a term ending Oct. 29, 2016.
Since 1976, Borgmeyer has worked for the Governor’s Council on Disability, serving as a program assistant, a disability program representative, and currently as a disability program specialist. She is a board member of the Independent Living Resource Center, and a member of the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind. The Governor has appointed her for a term ending Oct. 29, 2016.
With more than 18 years of service with disability-independent living programs and home and community based services, Maddox has served as the chief executive officer for the Southwest Center for Independent Living since January 2006. The Governor has appointed him for a term ending Oct. 29, 2016.
Public Defender Commission
The Governor has appointed Craig Chval (I), of Columbia, Allison Crista Hogan (R), of Springfield, and Charles Jackson (D), of Jefferson City, to the Public Defender Commission. The commission is responsible for the hiring of the state public defender director and makes any rules needed for the administration of the state public defender system.
Chval is associate general counsel for Veterans United Home Loans in Columbia, and previously operated a private law practice in Columbia. From 2003 to 2008 he was chief of the high tech and computer crime unit for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. The Governor has appointed him for a term ending July 16, 2020.
An attorney, Hogan has served as executive director for the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, Springfield Metropolitan Bar Foundation since 2001. She serves on the standing committee on judicial independence of the American Bar Association. In 2012 she received the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Rotary Club of Springfield. The Governor has appointed Hogan for a term ending July 16, 2020.
Jackson served as the Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety from 2001 to 2005. During his 30-year law enforcement career, he developed the statewide Amber Alert System in 2003, and helped develop a plan to pass legislation for controlling ingredients used to make meth. The Governor has appointed him for a term ending July 16, 2020.
University of Central Missouri Board of Governors
The Governor has appointed Elizabeth Wood, of Adrian, as a student representative to the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors. The board is the highest policy-making body of the university.
Wood is a member of the Academic Retention Team, the National Society of Leadership and Success, the Public Relations Student Society of America, and is a reporter for the university newspaper, The Muleskinner. The Governor has appointed her for a term ending Dec. 31, 2016.
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Scott Holste
Press Secretary for Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
573-751-0290
