COLUMBIA, Mo. ― A second Black member of the University of Missouri system’s governing board has resigned in a week, leaving no minority representation on the panel as the Columbia campus tries to mend from racial unrest.
Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday confirmed the David Steward’s departure, which leaves three vacancies on the nine-member board.
Steward, chairman and founder of World Wide Technology based near St. Louis, didn’t return messages seeking comment Monday about this reason for resigning.
Yvonne Sparks, who also is Black, stepped down from the board last Wednesday. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis executive said she couldn’t devote sufficient time to both positions.
The university system’s president and the Columbia campus’ chancellor resigned in November after protests over what some saw as university leadership’s indifference to racial issues.
