Greitens appoints local businesspeople to state posts

Gov. Eric Greitens appointed two area businesspeople and another two with local ties to state posts.

James Heatherly, owner of Springfield-based private investigation firm S2 Consultant LLC, was chosen for a spot on the Missouri Division of Professional Registration’s Board of Private Investigator and Private Fire Investigator Examiners, according to a news release.

The seven-member board is tasked with licensing and renewing private investigators and disciplining them for violations, according to its website.

Greitens chose Doug Russell, president of Lebanon-based electrical utility manufacturer The Durham Co., to serve on the state Board of Education, according to the release.

The eight-member board sets the standards, and approves courses and professional programs, for the state's public and private higher education institutions, among other duties, according to its website.

The governor also appointed the former CEO of Springfield’s HealthcareFirst Inc. to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education and an executive for St. Louis insurance firm Wise F&I LLC to the Missouri State University Board of Governors, according to the release.

Now chairman of health care software firm HealthcareFirst, Bobby Robertson exited his CEO post in November. The current CEO of St. Louis-based Omnigo Software, Robertson will serve on the nine-member education board that oversees the Board of Education, according to its website.

Amy Counts, senior account executive for Wise F&I, joined the MSU governing board. She earned her bachelor’s in hospitality restaurant administration from the Springfield college, according to the release.