University of Missouri Curators pick new leadership

University of Missouri curators on Friday elected David Steelman of Rolla as the new chair of the board.

Darryl Chatman of St. Louis was elected vice chair. Both will serve one year in those board leadership positions, starting Jan. 1.

Steelman, a lawyer and senior partner at Steelman, Gaunt and Horsefield, was appointed to the University of Missouri Board of Curators in 2014. An MU graduate, Steelman was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1979 and served three terms. Currently he serves as chair of the nine-member board’s finance committee.

Chatman, who is the general counsel for the Missouri Department of Agriculture, currently chairs the board’s governance, resources and planning committee.

From January 2015 until January 2016, Chatman served as a deputy director for the Missouri Department of Agriculture. He was appointed to the Board of Curators by Gov. Eric Greitens earlier this year.

A a graduate of MU, where he played football from 1992 to 1996, Chatman holds a bachelor’s and master’s in animal science a masters in agricultural economics and a doctorate. He also has a masters in public administration from North Carolina State University.

The curators sit on the governing board for the four-campus UM System including schools in Rolla, Columbia, Kansas City and St. Louis.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 12:25 PM with the headline "University of Missouri Curators pick new leadership."