Board of Governors elects new officers for 2026

The Missouri State University Board of Governors elected new officers during its regular meeting Oct. 3.

Dr. Melissa Gourley, Mountain Grove, was elected chair. Travis Freeman, Chesterfield, was elected vice chair.

Gourley is a veterinarian at Whetstone Veterinary Service in Mountain Grove. She previously owned Whetstone Veterinary Service.

She is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association. She has served as a member of the Missouri State University's West Plains Development Board and the Federal Appropriations Committee for Mountain Grove High School.

She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Missouri State and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Missouri - Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine.

Freeman is a certified financial planner and partner with Moneta in St. Louis. He has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining the Board of Governors, he served as a trustee on the Missouri State Foundation and established the Travis and Marina Freeman Family Endowed Scholarship for first-generation students at Missouri State.

He is the past president of the Financial Planning Association of St. Louis, a former board member with College Bound, and current chair of both The Fulton School and Moneta Charitable Foundation.

He holds a bachelor's degree in finance with a minor in economics from Missouri State.

The terms for the new officers will begin Jan. 1, 2026.