JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Mike Parson has tapped Jeff Earl as his new legislative director.
Earl had been serving as the deputy legislative director for the Governor’s Office since 2017.
“Jeff brings valuable legislative experience and strong leadership to our team,” Parson said in a statement. “He has excelled in his role as deputy legislative director, and I am more than confident in him to take over as legislative director.”
Prior to serving in the Governor’s Office, Earl worked for the Missouri Department of Corrections as the legislative and constituent services director as well as the senior legislative advisor to former Auditor Tom Schweich.
“I am thankful for this opportunity the governor has given me, and I look forward to continuing to serve this administration,” Earl said while thanking his predecessor for his “leadership and guidance.”
Justin Alferman had served in the position since Parson took office in 2018. He has stepped down “to pursue other opportunities,” the Governor’s Office said. His last day is Friday.
“I want to thank Gov. Parson for the opportunity of a lifetime serving as his legislative director,” Alferman said on social media. “Serving as [the legislative director] for the [governor] was a dream job, and I can’t thank him enough for giving me the chance to serve.”
Parson said Alferman had “done great work” in the position.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
