Mid-America Port Commission to seat two new commissioners on April 14

CANTON, Mo. — Karen Voss and Brian Munzlinger will be seated as commissioners for the Mid-America Port Commission (MAPC) at its April 14 meeting at Culver-Stockton College in Canton.

Voss was elected by the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port District board at its March 4 meeting. She serves as the chief financial officer at Ursa Farmers Cooperative Company, where she has dedicated nearly 25 years of her career. She manages the company’s river assets, successfully navigating challenges such as floods, optimizing barge transportation and collaborating with the Small Business Administration, the Corps of Engineers and the National Flood Insurance Programs.

Voss earned her certified public accountant certification in 1997 and graduated from Quincy University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She spent seven years in higher education administration at John Wood Community College. Voss grew up on a farm in Adams County, Ill.

Munzlinger of Williamstown was appointed as a commissioner by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on March 13. He is a lifelong farmer and former state legislator with extensive experience in agriculture, trade and infrastructure policy. He served as a Missouri state senator from 2011 to 2019 and a state representative from 2003 to 2010, where he chaired the Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee. Munzlinger also served on the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole from 2019 to 2024.

Munzlinger is an active member of the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Corn Growers Association and the NEMO Grain Processors Co-op board. He earned a degree in general agriculture from the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Voss replaces Mike McLaughlin, who fulfilled two six-year terms. McLaughlin continues to serve as chairman of the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port District in Quincy, Ill., which serves 11 Illinois counties.

The Mid-America Port Commission, located in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River basins, exists to increase economic development in rural and underserved areas in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri through improved river infrastructure and increased use of the inland waterways.

MAPC has nine commissioners with three each from Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Each state’s governor appoints a commissioner, while the others are appointed locally.

The othert MAPC commissioners are

• Blake E. Roderick, chairman (Illinois);
• Douglas Aeilts, vice chairman (Missouri);
• Mike Norris, secretary/treasurer (Iowa);
• H.O. Brownback (Illinois);
• Emily Benjamin (Iowa);
• Rachel Lindeen (Iowa); and
• Norris Hinton (Missouri).