Missouri Governor Eric Greitens appointed three new members to the eight-member State Board of Education today.

Melissa Gelner is chief kinship officer at Askinosie Chocolate, executive director of Chocolate University and principal at M Gelner Marketing in Springfield. She previously worked for 14 years at Tyson Foods, most recently as the director of National Account Customer Marketing. Ms. Gelner earned a management and marketing degree from the University of Tulsa. Gelner will fulfill the remainder of Peter Herschend’s eight-year term. 

Eddy Justice is owner and an agent of Eddy Justice State Farm Insurance Agency in Poplar Bluff. He has built his business in the region for the last 17 years. Mr. Justice earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from John Brown University. Justice replaces Maynard Wallace on the board.

Delbert Scott is president of Kansas Christian College in Overland Park, Kansas. He served as a Missouri state representative from 1985 through 2002, culminating in his election to House minority leader in 1997. In 2002, Scott was elected as a state senator and served through 2011. Mr. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Southwest Missouri State College. Scott replaces Russ Still for a term that began on July 1, 2017.

“We welcome our new members, and we look forward to working closely with them to provide excellent education to Missouri’s more than 900,000 students in public schools,” Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said. “We appreciate the many years of selfless service our outgoing members have dedicated to the children of Missouri.”

All three appointees will begin their service immediately, and they are subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate.