Betty Van Uum

Betty never expected this life. Being a product of the time in which she grew up, she expected to go to college, get married, have children and never work outside the home. But at the age of 26, with two small children, Betty became a widow. Needing something to fill her time, she returned to college where much of what she knew about her life would change. She was always interested in civil rights but now met people who were involved in the movement and began her own social activism. Betty’s new-found activism taught her about how political and social movements work. She became aware of the challenges women faced prior to the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and worked to get a woman elected to office and get the ERA passed. After working for two years as a lobbyist to get the ERA passed in the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate, Betty ran for St. Louis County Council. In 1974 she was the first woman elected to the County Council and served two terms. Betty joined the staff of UMSL in 1983. Today she is the campus’ senior officer for public affairs and economic development. She has helped foster the growth of the campus foot print by over 100% by acquiring property and developing buildings as well as attracting Express Scripts headquarters to campus. She serves on the Community Development Corporation Board and chairs the Urban Redevelopment Corporation Board. She played a major role in assuring that the UMSL campus was served by Metro and served on the Agency’s governing board from 1994-2000. She was the Chairman of the Board from 1998-1999 and also served as interim Director of the Agency in that period. Betty continues to support women in politics through organizations like the National Women’s Political Caucus. Her life’s work may not be what Betty expected, but so many in the St. Louis community are better for what she has done.