About Us

 

Rod Jetton

President, Missouri Times L.L.C. 

The former Speaker of the Missouri House not only brings a wealth of friendships, marketing experience, sales know how, and public relations expertise to our endeavor, but he also has a strong business and management background as he is the Marketing Director for Schultz Surveying & Engineering.

Long before he became Speaker, Rod developed the understanding and ability to organize and manage people. He learned discipline, hard work and key organizational skills through his time as a young officer in the US Marine Corps. Additionally, Rodney served as a company commander in the Marines, which taught him how to manage both personnel and resources in challenging circumstances.

After serving in the Marine Corps, Rodney returned to Missouri where he started a successful real estate company and was elected to the Bollinger County Commission. At the age of 28, he had become the youngest commissioner in the state at that time. Running a small business and serving as a local elected official has helped Rodney understand and serve our customers better.

His election as a state representative and meteoric rise to become the youngest Speaker in state history has been well documented in the statewide media. He is the last speaker to serve more than two years since Speaker Gaw and the only one to serve more than one term since term limits were imposed.

One of the top issues Rod focused on while in the legislature was investing in our state’s infrastructure. He supported initiatives to increase funding for building Missouri’s road, bridge, sewer, and water improvements. He was also a key leader in the effort to streamline the process for bringing electric power, natural gas, and internet broadband services to all Missouri citizens.

Rodney has three children. He lives in Branson Missouri with his wife Jami and her two boys. Rod is an avid football fan. In his spare time he enjoys watching the Green Bay Packers and helping Jami with the cleaning business she owns called Kajun Kleaning. He loves to read and is a marathon runner.

Faith in God and trust in Jesus Christ are very important to Rodney. He has experienced the wonderful highs as well as some disheartening lows in life and credits the grace of God for helping him make it through both. He and Jami support and regularly attend the Sanctuary of Hope Church in Branson. Besides their church, they support several charities including, St. Jude’s, Small Cloud Ministries, Teen Challenge, Prison Fellowship, and various church mission programs.

Readers can contact Rod by calling his personal cell phone at 573-225-4444, via email at rod@themissouritimes.com, or on twitter @jedijetton. 

Scott Faughn

Publisher, The Missouri Times

Scott Faughn is the publisher of The Missouri Times and the owner of the SEMO TIMES a weekly newspaper in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Before beginning his publishing career Faughn was elected the youngest mayor in the history of Poplar Bluff, Missouri at the age of 22. While mayor Faughn began and spearheaded the effort to four lane Highway 67 between Poplar Bluff and St. Louis.

The Daily American Republic called him, “at the age of 24, he is the father of highway 67”. They would go on to call him many more things less flattering. Before being mayor Faughn served on the staff of State Representatives Rod Jetton and Mark Richardson, and after leaving public life he was a registered lobbyist in the state of Arkansas.

He now lives in Stringtown, Missouri with his wife Sarah Jane, their daughter Millie, and their dog Maybelle on the same farm where he grew up. Faughn is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, and Three Rivers College. His publications have interviewed Senators, Governors, several members of Congress, and many music artists. In his spare time he grows grapes and is an aspiring vintner.

Faughn is a member of the Missouri Sunshine Coalition, The National Association of Alternative Newsweeklies of America, and The St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Americans for Free Speech, the Poplar Bluff Downtown Business Owners Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and a registered lobbyist in the state of Arkansas.

Readers can contact Scott by calling his personal cell phone at 573-429-5770, via email at rod@themissouritimes.com, or on twitter @scottfaughn. 

Collin Reischman

Lead Reporter, The Missouri Times

Collin Reischman is a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He spent 18 months reporting on municipal government and school administrations in the St. Louis-area for Patch.com. He was Managing Editor of the student publication, The Montage, at St. Louis Community College at Meramec prior to working at the Webster University Journal at Webster University. Reischman was the Opinion section editor and senior columnist at The Journal before being named senior news writer in his final semester.

He has won awards from the Missouri College Media Association for Investigative Reporting, News Reporting, In-Depth Reporting and Column Writing. The Society of Professional Journalists also awarded him the National 1st place Mark of Excellence Award for Sports Reporting. Reischman studied history, political science and foreign affairs while studying in Vienna, Austria, for one term. He considers himself a political junkie and is thrilled to be working at The Missouri Times.

Readers can contact Collin by calling his personal cell phone at 314-775-4174, via email at collin@themissouritimes.com, or on twitter @CReischman. 

Ashley Jost

Reporter, The Missouri Times

Ashley Jost is a junior Communication major with an emphasis in public communication at Truman State University. She has a strong passion for news reporting and writing, especially when it involves politics.

Currently, Jost is the President of the University’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

After starting out as a political science major at Loyola University Chicago, Jost transferred to Truman State during Spring 2011 and started writing for the student newspaper just weeks later. She said it took her a semester — and four other majors — to realize that journalism was ultimately what she was supposed to pursue.

Jost said her passion for journalism started during her time at Hazelwood West high school, which is in the district that the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court censorship case originated in. She said she experienced first-hand what it feels like to have administration censor for no reason, and since then has had a deep-rooted passion for fair and honest reporting. She looks forward to bringing that passion and excitement to The Missouri Times.

Readers can contact Ashley by calling her personal cell phone at 314-397-5484, via email at ashley@themissouritimes.com, or on Twitter at @ajost.