MSU department head seeks state House seat

Stephanie Hein, a department head at Missouri State University, announced her candidacy for the state House of Representatives.

Hein, who leads the university's hospitality leadership program, plans to move into a faculty emeritus role at MSU on July 1 to focus on her campaign, according to a news release. She’s running as a Democrat for the newly redrawn District 136 seat, which includes southeast Springfield.

"After spending decades working with the budgets of organizations and businesses, I can tell you that Missouri’s priorities don’t reflect the priorities of most Missourians,” Hein said in the release. “We should be focusing on providing educational opportunities for every child to set them up for success, an economy that works for everyone and an affordable health care system that is equipped to handle every patient."

Hein has worked at MSU for nearly 20 years, according to her LinkedIn profile. Her campaign announcement indicates she formerly served as chair of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau board, treasurer of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education and capital campaign assistant for the Ronald McDonald House.

The District 136 seat in the House is currently held by Rep. Craig Fishel, R-Springfield. Fishel and Hein have filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission as candidates for the Aug. 2 election.

For their January quarterly reports with the MEC, Fishel reported $12,931 and Hein $27,919 in money on hand.