Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance – Board of Directors
Posted On: 12-26-2021
There are some great people that work tirelessly to ensure the future of youth shooting sports in Missouri. MYSSA was formed as the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance in 2006 because of several concerns among the state’s youth shooting programs. There was no communication between organizations, no coordination for activities, and importantly, no consistent coaching certification in the fast-growing shotgun sports.
As a result, a group of individuals met and created an organization to address these concerns and provide a way to increase youth shooting sports participation in Missouri. In 2007, MYSSA was granted a 501(c) 3 designation by the IRS and is registered as a not-for-profit corporation with the state of Missouri. MYSSA has a 13-member board of directors who serve as 100% volunteers.
Currently MYSSA was approximately 175 affiliated youth shooting organizations that is over double the number of teams when MYSSA was organized in 2006
David Hart – President – David, a lifelong Missourian, is Owner and President of Hart Systems LLC and Advanced Machining & Automation Inc. He has a degree in Industrial Technology. Since 1994 he has been designing and building custom machines and assembly lines for clients around the world. He still enjoys farming and raising cattle. David works to ensure that the youth of Missouri have the opportunity to enjoy the shooting sports that fortified the values he grew up with, one of his deepest passions.
Jake Hindman – Vice President – Jake is the founder and President/CEO of the Student Air Rifle Program (SAR), a nonprofit dedicated to facilitating an introduction to the sport of target shooting to school aged youth in grades 4-12. Jake holds a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Conservation Biology and a master’s degree in Public Administration, both from Southeast Missouri State University.
Jennifer Laurent – Secretary – Jennifer graduated from St. Louis University and is currently a Staff Scientist at Washington University School of Medicine. Jennifer spends her free time with her husband and twin sons. An NRA certified shotgun instructor and range safety officer, Jennifer is the head coach of Team Henges, assistant director for Arnold YHEC, an assistant coach for Delta Waterfowl Arch Chapter Clay Busters and a Missouri State Advisor for the Scholastic Clay Target Program.
Tonya Bradley – Treasurer – Tonya is the owner/agent of Bradley Insurance Agency in Memphis Mo for the past 21 years. Tonya is mother of 3 children. Tonya helps and supports the Memphis FFA trap teams. Is active supporter of other adjourning county shooting sports teams and encourages youth to be involved in shooting sports. She is a member of the Turkey Federation and the NRA.
Lou Rupp – Lou is a life resident of Missouri. He is a graduate of Kemper Military Academy & University of Missouri. He retired after thirty-seven-year career of directing Packaging Engineering/Consulting services to a majority of the Fortune 500 companies. Lou is an accomplished hunter having successfully hunted game in 14 western states and 11 countries around the world. He is past chairmen of the Wild Sheep Foundation WSF, Big Game Hunters of St. Louis, and Packaging Advisory Board to University of Missouri – Rolla. He is a current benefactor member of the NRA, Life member and member of the Board of Trustees of WSF, Safari Club International/St. Louis Gateway Chapter, Mule Deer Foundation, Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and Wild Turkey Federation.
Tom Roberts – Tom is a native Missourian teaching and coaching in Missouri schools for 37 years. He holds degrees from Northeast Missouri State University. He is a member of the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame. He is a past president of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, past president and life member of the Missouri Trapshooters Association and Life member of the Amateur Trapshooters Association and the Iowa Trapshooters Association.
Rod Zeller – Rod is a native Missourian. He attended Southwest Baptist College majoring in biology. He is a retired commercial diver for the offshore oil industry and a retired chief engineer for Missouri River dredging operations Kansas City Reach. Rod is an NRA National Coach Trainer, Training Counselor, and benefactor member. He is a state shotgun coach and 4-H county shooting sports director and NRA Whittington Center Adventure Camp shotgun coach.
Ed Twehous – Ed has head coach of the Helias Catholic High School Shotgun Sports
program for the past several years. He owns Twehous Excavating Company Inc. in Jefferson City, MO, and has been an outdoorsman and shooting sports enthusiast all of his life. He has coached boys’ and girls’ youth tennis, baseball, softball, basketball, football and shotgun sports throughout his adult life. Ed is a member of the American Trap Association, Lifetime Member National Rifle Association, Lifetime Member Quality Deer Management Association, Member of United Sportsman’s Club of Jefferson City, MO, Owner and Member of Malinmor Hunt Club.
Jim Sappington – Jim is a native Missourian, avid hunter fisherman and 4-H volunteer. He serves 4-H shooting sports in several capacities as a volunteer on the local county, as an instructor in several shooting disciplines, as a state instructor in several disciplines and national instructor in Archery and Western Heritage. He also serves as a staff member and program coordinator for the Missouri 4-H Center for Youth Development and as the state coordinator for Missouri 4-H Shooting Sports.
James Walls – James has been a Boone County 4-H shotgun instructor since 2010 and Boone County Shooting Sports Coordinator since 2016. In 2014, he became a State of Missouri 4-H shotgun Instructor and has taken two teams to 4-H Nationals as the head coach in 2015 and 2019 and two teams as the assistant coach 2014, 2018. He also coached the Ashland FFA trap team from 2006 till 2015. He has coached a lot of great kids over the years including all three of my sons. My middle son shot 5 years with Mizzou Shotgun team and was the 2016 National Skeet Champion and an All-American. As a member of the State 4-H advisory committee I have helped raise money for Missouri 4-H shooting sports for the last several years. James has also helped with 4H archery and smallbore rifle but his focus is shotgun and specifically Skeet and Sporting Clays.
Dr. John Picone – Dr. Picone is the director of special education and scholastic shooting sports advisor for the Louisiana R-2 school district in east central MO. Dr. Picone is an NRA life member, level II trap coach, certified Range Safety Officer, certified Shotgun Instructor and MO Hunter Education Instructor.
David R. Vaught, Ph.D. – Executive Director – Dr. Vaught, has been associated with the shooting sports since he first began shooting skeet in the early 1980’s. Today he conducts the annual Mid-America Trap Academy and holds an endowment with the Midway USA Foundation. His efforts to promote the shooting sports have led him to hold an NRA Level II certification. Dr. Vaught retired from the University of Missouri in 2020 where he taught Parks, Recreation, Sport and Tourism for 25 years and advised the Mizzou Shotgun team and Collegiate Chapter of Ducks Unlimited.