Kyna Iman has been a lobbyist for Missouri Southern for more than six years now.

She said when she first started lobbying for Southern her main focus was on the budget and making sure the school received the funding it needed.

But then she got more involved and actually helped the college change it’s name to University.

“That opened up a lot of doors for Missouri Southern,” Iman said.

She said the distance learning program that she spends a lot of time lobbying for and adding new schools to wouldn’t have been possible had Southern not became a University.

She is also currently working on the SB 389 that would give Southern funding for a Health Sciences building.

“I talk to Sen. (Gary) Nodler (R-Joplin) everyday about MOHELA,” Iman said.

The bill is currently waiting to come back to the Senate floor for debate after being filibustered in March.

Iman is also working on a bill that would affect the sewer and water system in St. Louis, for Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, and another that would give nurse practitioners the ability to prescribe controlled substances, for the Missouri association of Rural Health Clinics and Missouri Nurses Association.

In total, Iman lobbies for about 15 different associations, including Metropolitan Employment and Rehab Services, Missouri Canoe and Floaters, Missouri Citizens for the Arts and Missouri Whitetail Breeders and Hunting Ranches.

She spends most of her time tracking down legislation having to do with these clients and making sure the bills pertaining to them are passed or not passed, depending on the circumstances.

“We do most of the work behind the scenes by maneuvering the legislation through the process,” Iman said.