Sundvold, Brncic elected chair and vice chair of UM Board of Curators

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Jon Sundvold and Julia Brncic were elected chair and vice chair, respectively, of the University of Missouri Board of Curators at the board’s December meeting in St. Louis. The terms are effective Jan. 1, 2019. 

Sundvold was originally appointed to the UM Board of Curators in 2016 and reappointed in 2017. Sundvold received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Trulaske College of Business in 1983. After playing basketball for MU, Sundvold went on to play nine years in the National Basketball Association, playing for the Seattle SuperSonics (currently the Oklahoma City Thunder), San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. Following his basketball career, Sundvold founded Sundvold Financial, a financial services firm in Columbia. Currently, he serves as president; he also works as a color analyst for ESPN, CBS Sports and the Tiger Sports Network. 

Sundvold also serves as president of the Missouri Junior Golf Foundation, which recently opened the Ken Lanning Golf Center in Jefferson City.  It is the first 9-hole course in the country especially designed to meet the unique needs for children and individuals with disabilities. He and his wife, Tamara, have three children: Wilson, Caroline and Anna Kate.

“The best teams understand their strengths and weaknesses, both collectively and individually,” Sundvold said. “The strengths that we have across the board make us pretty ‘deep.’ If there is a storm now and then, this group can handle it. I’m honored to be the chair and look forward to starting in the new year.”

Brncic is vice president and deputy general counsel for Express Scripts Holding Company. She was appointed to the board in 2017. In her role at Express Scripts, she is responsible for all litigation. Prior to joining Express Scripts in 2008, Brncic was with the law firm Polsinelli P.C.

Brncic graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Purdue in 1996, earning a law degree in 2000 and an MBA in 2013 from Washington University in St. Louis.

“I’m really excited about how much alignment there is with the leaders of the UM System, chancellors, provosts, chief financial officers, and on and on,” Brncic said. “The changes that we’ve been making are tough, but necessary and rewarding. I’m very honored to serve with Jon and continuing to lead these changes, and I’m available to anyone who wants to talk about the future of the University of Missouri.”

Note: While Sundvold’s term was set to expire on Jan. 1, 2019, Missouri Governor Mike Parson recently extended Sundvold’s and David Steelman terms for one additional year.

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