Former GOP leader picked for University of Missouri board

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Former Missouri Republican Party Chairman Todd Graves has been appointed to the University of Missouri Board of Curators.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson said he will send Graves’ nomination to the state Senate on Monday. Appointments to the board are subject to Senate confirmation.

The Board of Curators governs the four-campus University of Missouri System, an influential force in the state.

Former Gov. Eric Greitens endorsed Graves to lead the Missouri Republican Party shortly after he was elected. Greitens resigned in 2018 amid the fallout of a sex scandal and ethics investigation.

Graves previously served as a U.S. attorney under former President George W. Bush. His brother is Republican U.S. Rep. Sam Graves.

He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Parson picked Graves, of Edgerton, to replace Curator Phillip Snowden, a Democrat from Kansas City. Snowden was appointed by former Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, and his term expired in January.

Parson picked Cape Girardeau businessman Keith Holloway to fill the seat of Curator David Steelman, another Nixon appointee and a Republican. His term expired last year.

Parson has an opportunity to significantly shape leadership at the University of Missouri System through appointments to the nine-member board. Two other curators are serving expired terms, and three others’ terms expire in 2023.