The Festus R-6 School Board has appointed a new member, William Conway.
He fills the seat vacated by longtime board member Marcus Shepard, who resigned in February.
Mr Shepherd said he had served on the board for 17 years but had to step down due to work obligations.
With two years remaining on his three-year term, Conway will fill the seat until the April 2025 election.
Board of Education President Doug Wendell, R-6, said Shepherd's resignation came too late for the district to put an unexpired term on the April 2024 ballot.
The school board voted on March 28 to appoint Conway to the vacant seat, and he was sworn in at the April 16 meeting.
Kevin Pope, the district's communications and special projects coordinator, said Conway, 41, of Festus, was chosen from among nine people who applied to fill the board vacancy.
He is a graduate of Festus High School and a lifelong resident of the district.
Conway and his wife, April, have two children enrolled in the district, daughters Chloe, an eighth-grader, and Willa, a third-grader, and a 1-year-old son, James.
Conway is a law enforcement officer in Jefferson County, and his wife is a nurse for veterans with spinal cord injuries at the Jefferson Barracks Veterans Affairs Hospital in St. Louis.
“I am honored to have been voted in and look forward to contributing,” Conway said.
Additionally, on April 16, the Board of Directors re-elected officers, with Doug Wendell continuing as Chairman, Mike Wolk as Vice Chairman, Richard Fadler as Treasurer, and Barbara Womack as Secretary. .