SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3/Edited News Release) – Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe announced the full slate of members appointed to the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force.

The Task Force, established by Executive Order 25-14, is charged with reviewing and recommending changes to Missouri’s K-12 school funding model and providing a final report to the Governor by December 1, 2026.

“To secure a better future for Missouri students and schools, we must rethink how we fund Missouri’s foundation formula,” said Governor Kehoe. “We need a modernized funding model that rewards outcomes, encourages innovation, and ensures fairness for all Missouri students. These Task Force members bring the experience, perspective, and commitment needed to make responsible changes at business speed. We look forward to reviewing their recommendations.”

The 16-member body represents a broad range of voices—urban and rural, traditional and nontraditional, academia and industry—who will help build a model that delivers results for every Missouri student. The Task Force will operate under core guiding principles that promote equal student access, local flexibility, performance accountability, and long-term funding sustainability.

Governor Kehoe’s appointments include the following individuals:

• Matt Davis, of Eldon, is a dedicated educational leader with more than 25 years of experience in the Missouri school system, including 17 years as the Eldon School District superintendent. Before serving as superintendent, he led career and technical education programs and prioritized securing grants and funding to enhance program offerings and facilities at Eldon Career Center. Davis will serve as the representative for superintendents from small rural school districts in Missouri.
• Noah Devine, of Kansas City, is the executive director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association. He previously served as the deputy director of the Kansas City Action Fund and led the implementation of the sixth iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP) standards for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as the MSIP 6 support facilitator. Devine will serve as the representative for charter schools in Missouri.
• Emily LeRoy, of Hermann, is a senior advisor at Missouri Farm Bureau, serving on a leadership team that advocates for the diverse interests of farmers. She began her career at the Missouri Department of Agriculture as a legislative assistant and youth program coordinator before rising to the position of legislative and budget director. LeRoy will serve as an additional member as appointed by the Governor.
• James “Jim” Meats, of Springfield, is the vice president of sales and marketing at Loren Cook Company and a licensed professional engineer. He previously worked as a technical consultant to manufacturers and municipalities in southwest Missouri, where he supported the development of formal plan reviews, permitting procedures, and construction inspection processes. Meats will serve as the representative for the business community.
• Mike Podgursky, of Columbia, is a school finance expert with more than 40 years of experience. He currently serves as the Chancellor’s Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri–Columbia and is an affiliated scholar at the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research. He is also the author of several peer-reviewed articles and the book Teacher Pay and Teacher Quality. Podgursky will serve as an additional member as appointed by the Governor.
• Donald “Don” Thalhuber, of Columbia, is the policy director for the Senate Minority Caucus. Prior to serving in his current position, Thalhuber worked as a senior research analyst crafting education, pension, financial, tax, and veterans’ affairs legislation. He also drafted Missouri’s most recent public school funding formula in 2005. Thalhuber will serve as an additional member as appointed by the Governor.
• Michael “Jeremy” Tucker, of Liberty, is the superintendent for Liberty Public Schools, managing the district’s $279 million budget and providing oversight and strategic guidance to executive leadership and their respective departments. Prior to serving as superintendent, he worked as an adjunct professor for Evangel University and Southwest Baptist University, as well as a social studies teacher at Logan-Rogersville High School. Tucker will serve as the representative for superintendents from large urban school districts in Missouri.
• Chris Vas, of Kansas City, is a senior director for the Herzog Foundation, working to implement school choice initiatives and trainings across the nation while overseeing an $8 million annual budget. He previously served as the executive director of Liberty Alliance USA, a regional, conservative grassroots network and watchdog organization. Vas will serve as the representative for non-profit organizations that work on expanding school choice in Missouri.
• Casey Wasser, of California, is the deputy executive director and chief operating officer for the Missouri Soybean Association, a grassroots organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of soybean producers and crafting state and federal policy initiatives that support farmers’ freedom to operate and improved profitability. He has an extensive background in public policy, previously serving as the legislative director for the Missouri Department of Revenue. Wasser will serve as the representative for the agriculture industry.
• David Wood, of Versailles, most recently served as a policy analyst and liaison for the Missouri State Tax Commission before retiring in June 2023. He previously served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2013 to 2020 and worked as an upper-level math and computer science teacher for Morgan County R-II Schools. Wood will serve as the representative for teachers from schools in Missouri.

These ten appointments will be joined on the Task Force by two members of the State Board of Education.

• Kerry Casey, of Chesterfield, recently retired from her position as vice president of Exegy, a global leader in financial market data, trading platforms, and predictive signals, where she was responsible for Global Sales Operations and Enablement. Casey was a founding board member of the KIPP Charter School in St. Louis and served on the board of directors until her appointment to the State Board in 2023.
• Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, of Pasadena Hills, is a former vice president of the Normandy Schools Collaborative Joint Executive Governing Board and recently retired general partner from Edward Jones, where she co-led the Internal Audit Division. She previously worked for Express Scripts, Anheuser-Busch, and Bank of America in senior governance, risk, and compliance roles and held certifications in financial, operational, and information systems auditing.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin and Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson have also appointed Senators Rusty Black and Travis Fitzwater, as well as Representatives Ed Lewis and Marlene Terry, to serve on the Task Force.

Senator Black, a former educator, will chair the task force.

“As a former educator, I know firsthand the challenges our teachers face and the importance of ensuring that every dollar we invest in education has a meaningful impact,” said Senator Black. “I’m honored to help lead this important work as we build a funding model that supports student success in every corner of Missouri.”

For more information on the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force, click here.

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