Gov. Nixon appoints Yvonne Sparks to the University of Missouri Board of Curators
Governor Jay Nixon announced the appointment of Yvonne S. Sparks (D), of St. Louis, to serve on the University of Missouri Board of Curators Friday.
Under the Missouri Constitution, governance of the University of Missouri System is vested in an independent board of curators, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Missouri Senate.The board oversees the operation of the four-campus University of Missouri System.
This appointment was subject to confirmation by the Senate. If the senate confirms the appointment, Sparks will fill the currently vacant seat on the board representing the First Congressional Districtfor a term ending Jan. 1, 2021.
It was unclear how long that spot was vacant Friday. On December 26 of last year, Governor Nixon appointed Mary E. Nelson (D), Of St. Louis, to serve on the board as a representative the First Congressional District. ABC 17 News is working to find out when that board position opened up again and why.
On Friday Governor Nixon said, “Yvonne is a proven leader who has dedicated her career to strengthening and enriching communities. Each Curator serves to help the university meet the highest standards of excellence. Yvonne’s career and experience have prepared her well for this important responsibility.”
Sparks is currently the Assistant Vice President and Community Development Officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where she is responsible for overseeing the community development functions of the 8 th Federal Reserve District.
She also serves as a member of the Federal Reserve System Subcommittee on Community Development. Sparks joined the Federal Reserve in 2008 as senior manager of community development, managing field staff in branch offices throughout the seven-state 8 th District Federal Reserve Bank System. Headquartered in St. Louis, 8 th District includes all of Arkansas and portions of six other states including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
Sparks is a native of Troy and previously served as the Executive Director of the Vashon/JeffVanderLou Initiative in St. Louis; Vice President and Regional Manager of Community Development at Bank of America; Vice President of Community Development Banking at NationsBank; and Executive Director of Neighborhood Housing Services of St. Louis.
Sparks has served on numerous boards including the St. Louis Public Library, Ecumenical Housing Production Corporation, the St. Louis Regional Empowerment Zone, the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission, and the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.
As a member of the Community Partner Group at St. Louis University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Sparks provided policy recommendations for the implementation of a Missouri Foundation for Health grant award for joint academic research on the health, educational and economic status of African Americans in St. Louis.
Sparks earned a B.S. in the Administration of Justice, cum laude, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis; an M.A. in Management and Leadership from Webster University; and an M.A. in Public Administration from St. Louis University. She also attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Program for Senior Executives in Government.
