Education Ashley Whaley, a graduate student in the biology department at Missouri State University, was awarded an $8,400 fellowship by the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation. Whaley will evaluate rangeland education curriculum developed by the Welder Wildlife Foundation, train teachers to use the curriculum and serve as the conservation educator for the foundation’s refuge programs.
Springfield Public Schools hired Anthony Hays as head football coach at Parkview High School. Hays, who succeedsWes Beachler, is currently head football coach at King City High School. Hays, a graduate of Southwest Baptist University, was an assistant football and track coach at Kickapoo High School 2006–08.
Engineering GeoEngineers Inc. of Springfield received the Grand Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Missouri for its use of horizontal direction drilling to install three pipelines for Chevron beneath the Mississippi River near Empire, La. The engineering council also awarded EFK Moen LLC with the Honor Award for its six-lane diverging diamond design at National Avenue and James River Freeway.
Financial Nadia Cavner, executive vice president for BancorpSouth Investment Services, was named the No. 1 adviser nationwide in the investment banking division for Franklin Templeton Investments in 2010.
Ron C. Penney, a private wealth adviser with Ameriprise Financial, was named a Top 1,000 adviser in Barron’s magazine. He was chosen based on assets under management, revenue produced for the firm, client satisfaction, and his regulatory and compliance records.
Government Gov. Jay Nixon nominated Eric Latimer, of Nixa, to the Missouri Fire Safety Advisory Board. The board advises the state fire marshal on matters pertaining to the responsibilities of the fire marshal and the Division of Fire Safety. Latimer is a captain with the Springfield Fire Department, where he has worked since 1998. Nixon also nominated Barbara Brown, of Springfield, to the Child Abuse and Neglect Review Board, which provides independent reviews of child abuse and neglect determinations in instances in which the alleged perpetrator has challenged the decision of the Children’s Division. Brown has served as the executive director at Child Advocacy Center Inc. since 1998. Both Latimer’s and Brown’s nominations are subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate.
State Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Nixa, was appointed to the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight. The committee comprises 14 Missouri House and Senate members, who manage the Department of Transportation’s revenues and expenditures.
Legal Lathrop & Gage attorney Gary Cunningham was named a 2011 Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting Group, which interviewed nearly 300 corporate counsel from Fortune 1,000 companies. Cunningham is a trial attorney with a focus on personal injury and product liability litigation.
Nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks was awarded a $25,000 challenge grant from the J.E. & L.E. Mabee Foundation Inc.
Ozarks Regional YMCA named its 2011 executive officers: President John Himmel, Commerce Bank’s Springfield market chairman; President-elect Stacey Zengel, a general manager with Jack Henry & Associates; Treasurer Mark Sharp, a partner with BKD LLP; and Secretary Shannon Boggs, a financial adviser with Merrill Lynch.
The Ozarks Regional YMCA was selected to receive $107,676 from the Missouri Foundation for Health to help develop wellness, nutrition and physical activity programs at 15 area schools and work sites.
The Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame awarded a $1,000 grant to Ambassadors for Children, an operating agency of the Council of Churches of the Ozarks, to help purchase sporting equipment for foster children in Greene County.
Ozarks New Energy elected six people to its board of directors: Melissa Cox of Green Building Certification Institute, Zeke Fairbank of The Alternative Energy Co., Jason Hainline of Architectural Energy Corp., Josh Jones of Renew Missouri, Doug Neidigh of Ozarks Center for Sustainable Solutions at Drury University, and Cindy Stephens of Ozarks Technical Community College.
Real Estate Realtor Swanie Marsh was granted life membership in the Missouri Association of Realtors. Marsh, who joined Carol Jones Realtors in 1990, is a 30-year member and has served as director.
Service Matt Scheihing, owner of J. Miles Personnel Services, was recognized as a Top 25 Producing Recruiter in Top Echelon Network, a professional search firm association that represents more than 900 recruiters in North America. Scheihing joined the network in February 2010.[[In-content Ad]]
A franchise store of a Branson West-based quilting business made its Queen City debut; Grateful Vase launched in Lebanon; and Branson entertainment venue The Social Birdy had its grand opening.
