University of Missouri Board of Curators elects officers for 2018

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – David Steelman of Rolla was elected to a one-year term as chair of the University of Missouri Board of Curators during the board’s December meeting in St. Louis, which concluded today. Darryl Chatman of St. Louis was elected vice chair. The leadership terms for Steelman and Chatman are effective January 1, 2018.

Steelman was appointed to the University of Missouri Board of Curators in 2014. Steelman received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia and graduated first in his class from the MU School of Law.

He is managing and senior partner at Steelman, Gaunt and Horsefield in Rolla and has operated a law practice since 1978. He was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1979 and served three terms. From 1981 to 1985, he was elected by colleagues to serve as minority floor leader. 

He currently serves as chair of the finance committee on the Board of Curators.

Chatman is the general counsel for the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Previously, he was an attorney with Armstrong Teasdale, LLP, in St. Louis and served as the leader of the firm’s agriculture and biotech practice group, working on legal disputes involving animal health, life sciences and agricultural issues as well as regulatory compliance, commercial litigation and employment litigation. From January 2015 until January 2016, Chatman served as a deputy director for the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Chatman previously served on the St. Louis Science Center Board of Trustees, the St. Louis Agribusiness Club Board of Directors and has served on search committees for the University of Missouri, including athletic director and dean searches in 2016.

Chatman holds multiple degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia including a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1997, a master’s degree in animal science in 2001, a master’s degree in agricultural economics in 2007 and a juris doctorate in 2008. He played football at MU from 1992 to 1996. Chatman also earned a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina State University in 2003.

He currently serves as the chair of the governance, resources and planning committee for the Board of Curators.

The board of curators is the governing body of the University of Missouri and consists of nine members who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Curators serve six-year terms with three terms expiring every two years.