COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed a community development official with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to the University of Missouri Board of Curators.

Nixon said in a news release Friday that Yvonne Sparks will fill a vacant seat on the board, which oversees the university’s four campuses. Her appointment must be confirmed by the Missouri Senate.

The system’s flagship Columbia campus has been facing racial strife for the past few weeks, which led the resignations of President Tim Wolfe and Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin.

Sparks is the reserve bank’s assistant vice president and community development officer and serves on numerous boards in the St. Louis area.
She would represent the First Congressional District. Her term would end Jan. 1, 2021.