Mid-America Port Commission Announces New Commissioners
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Karen Voss and Brian Munzlinger will be seated as Mid-America Port Commission (MAPC) commissioners at its April 14 meeting at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri.
Karen Voss was elected to serve as a MAPC commissioner by the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port District (MAIAPD) board at their March 4 meeting. She serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Ursa Farmers Cooperative Company, where she has dedicated nearly 25 years of her career. She has played a crucial role in managing the company’s river assets, successfully navigating challenges such as enduring 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 (CPA) certification in 1997 and graduated from Quincy University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Additionally, she spentseven years in higher education administration at John Wood Community College. Voss grew up on a farm in Adams County Illinois.
Brian Munzlinger, of Williamstown, was appointed by Missouri Governor Mike Keogh on March 13, 2025. 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. He is an active member of several agricultural and rural policy-based organizations including the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri CornGrowers Association and the NEMO Grain Processors Co-op board. He earned his Bachelor of Science in General Agriculture from the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Voss replaces Mike McLaughlin who fulfilled two six-year terms, the legal terms limit, where he served in all offices. He continuesto serve as chairman of the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port District based in Quincy, IL. The MAIAPD serves 11 Illinois counties and is an integral part of MAPC. MAPC commissioners from Illinois must serve on be elected by the MAIAP board.
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 9 commissioners with three each from the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The three state’s governors each appoint a commissioner while the others are appointed locally.
MAPC commissioners include Blake E. Roderick, Chairman (IL); Douglas Aeilts, Vice Chairman (MO); Mike Norris,Secretary/Treasurer (IA); H.O. Brownback, and Karen Voss (IL); Emily Benjamin and Rachel Lindeen (IA); and Norris Hinton and Brian Munzlinger (MO). Commissioners Brownback, Norris, and Munzlinger are governor appointees. The other six commissioners are appointed by county boards or commissions in their respective states.
