Michael A. Williams, ’98, was appointed to the University of Missouri Board of Curators by Gov. Mike Parson. Williams is a founding partner of Williams Dirks Dameron LLC in Kansas City. He specializes in labor and employment law, litigating discrimination and retaliation claims on behalf of plaintiffs.

For more than a decade he has served as a mentor and board member for Higher M-Pact, a nonprofit group working with at-risk, inner-city youth. He has also worked closely with Hope House, the United Way Young Leaders Society, and numerous other civic organizations. The Missouri bar awarded him the Tom Cochran Community Service Award in 2014.

Williams fills the seat held by John R. Phillips, ’71.