He is a 1976 graduate of St. Charles High School and a 1981 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration. In 1982, he received his Masters of Public Administration from the University of Missouri- Columbia.

Senator Gross was a licensed real estate appraiser and owned a small appraisal firm in St. Charles. He currently is Vice President of Business Development for UMB Bank.

He was elected to the Missouri Senate in November, 2000. He serves on the following committees: Appropriations; Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence; Commerce and Environment; Financial and Governmental Organization, Veterans’ Affairs and Elections; Pensions and General Laws, Chair; and State Budget Control, Vice-Chair. Senator Gross also chairs the Interim Joint Committee on Telecommunications and Energy.

Senator Gross was first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in November, 1992. He was reelected in 1994, 1996 and 1998, and served on the Budget, Appropriations-General Administration and Transportation; Municipal Corporations; Tourism, Recreation and Cultural Affairs; and Utilities Regulation Committees.

Senator Gross’s community involvement includes being a board member of D.A.R.E., St. Charles, Youth-in-Need; Bridgeway Counseling; Volunteers in Medicine Clinic; St. Charles Regional Child Assessment Center; and the University of Missouri Graduate School of Public Affairs Professional Advisory Board. In addition, he serves on Lindenwood University’s Board of Overseers, sits on the Steering Committee of Health Communities 2000 and is a member of the St. Charles Kiwanis.

He is listed in who’s Who in America from 1996 to the present and is the recipient of the “Heroes” Award from the Crider Center for Mental Health as well as Missouri Christian Coalition Award for his work in the legislature.