Senator Rusty Black

Rusty Black is a Republican state senator representing District 12 in Missouri. He currently resides in Chillicothe, Missouri, with his wife Karie. Together they have four children—Jameson, Jessica, Jaryn, and Jon—and seven grandchildren.

Before his political career, Senator Black spent 33 years working as an Agriculture Educator before retiring in 2016. His district encompasses Andrew, Atchison, Caldwell, Carroll, Chariton, Clinton, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Holt, Linn, Livingston, Mercer, Nodaway, Sullivan, Worth, and part of Buchanan County.

Education

Senator Black earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Missouri in 1983. He later completed his Master's degree in Agriculture Education from the same institution in 1993.

Political Experience

Senator Black was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2016, where he represented Grundy, Livingston, and a majority of Linn County. He was subsequently elected to the Missouri Senate in November 2022.

In the Senate, he serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Vice-Chair of Fiscal Oversight. He holds membership on the Senate Committees on Local Government, Elections and Pensions, and Rural Economic Development. Additionally, he serves on the Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment and is a member of the State Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees. He also participates in the Missouri Food Security Task Force and the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force.