New Treasurer Malek makes history as Missouri’s first person of color in statewide office
Political newcomer Vivek Malek, a Republican, took the oath of office as Missouri treasurer on Tuesday, becoming the first person of color to hold statewide office in Missouri after more than two centuries since the state joined the union.
He will fill the role previously held by Scott Fitzpatrick, who was sworn in as state auditor earlier this month. Malek, 45, previously owned and operated his own law firm in Wildwood, a St. Louis suburb.
Malek was born and raised in India. He immigrated to Cape Girardeau in 2001 to attend Southeast Missouri State University with just $300 in his pocket and took a graduate assistant position to help pay his tuition, he said Tuesday.
Dozens of Malek’s family members, friends and former clients packed into the Missouri House chambers in Jefferson City to attend his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. Two buses — one from St. Louis, one from Kansas City — shuttled them there.
“This is a proud moment for Missourians, for everybody, for Americans, for all of us — especially people who have migrated to this country and made this country their home,” Malek told reporters. “This is a matter of pride for them and I share that pride with them.”
Malek’s wife Riju and the couple’s three children were in the crowd for the ceremony.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson appointed Malek to the position last month, touting Malek’s life story as an embodiment of the American dream. Parson said he picked Malek because of his intelligence and because he felt he would put Missourians before himself.
“Some people will say it had a lot to do with color. Some people will say a lot of other reasons why somebody gets picked when it comes to me,” Parson said Tuesday. “It’s about, ‘Are you a man of faith? Are you a family man? Do you believe in this country? And, are you willing to work hard?’... Vivek checked every one of those boxes.”
The state treasurer serves as Missouri’s chief financial officer and is tasked with protecting state funds from fraud and abuse. The position manages the state’s revenue, oversees the disbursement of funds and handles the state’s more than $6 billion investment portfolio.
Previous state treasurers have also used the office as a pathway to higher office. Senator-elect Eric Schmitt served as treasurer before Parson appointed him as attorney general in 2018.
And, most recently, Fitzpatrick was elected auditor after serving as treasurer since 2019.
Malek previously said he plans to run for a full term in 2024. Parson has said it was important to pick someone he felt would stay in the position and he would support Malek in that race.
Missouri state law prohibits treasurers from running for more than one additional term if they’ve held the position for more than two years of a term. Because Malek will hold the office for less than two years, he will be able to run for two full terms.
Malek has practiced law in Missouri since 2006, focusing mainly on legal immigration litigation and business immigration consulting. He formed his own firm, the Law Offices of Vivek Malek, in 2011.
Malek told The Star Tuesday that he would no longer practice at his firm.
“I am a full time treasurer of the state,” he said.
He holds a bachelor’s degree and law degree from Mahrishi Dayanand University in Rohtak, India. He also has a master’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University and a master’s of law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, according to the governor’s office.
This also isn’t the first time Parson has tapped Malek for a position. In 2020, the governor appointed Malek to the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Governors, where he focused on fiscal responsibility.
Malek resigned from that position effective at noon Tuesday, Tonya Wells, the school’s assistant vice president of marketing and communications, told The Star.
