Missouri state Sen. Travis Fitzwater is leaving the legislature to become the executive director of the Missouri Technology Corp.
The Callaway County Republican announced on Monday he was appointed to lead the public-private partnership that, among other things, provides grants to startup businesses and works with higher education institutions to foster entrepreneurship.
That means he won't run for another term representing the 10th Senate District, which includes Callaway, Montgomery, Pike and Lincoln counties. It also encompasses a small part of St. Charles County.
He said it's still to be determined if he'll have to resign before his term ends in early January 2027.
"We're having conversations with everybody about that, including the governor, legislative leaders, partners, the board of MTC," Fitzwater said. "We're trying to determine what's best for that. So we're still working on that detail."
Fitzwater served in the Missouri House from 2014 to 2022. He handled a number of key bills during his tenure there, including measures enhancing job training programs. He was chairman of the House Ethics Committee.
After he was term-limited out of the House, Fitzwater entered a crowded contest to succeed state Sen. Jeanie Riddle of Callaway County. He won a narrow victory over Wentzville Municipal Judge Mike Carter to represent the heavily GOP-leaning district.
While Fitzwater had to deal with nonstop infighting during his first couple of years in office, he said Republicans have become more cohesive to pass major parts of Gov. Mike Kehoe's agenda.
"I leaned into some really hard things my first two years, and I think because of that, I earned a lot of respect and earned several wins that I'll always be proud of," he said. "My name may not be on stuff. But I know that the work that I did moved the needle on some big policy."
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