Education College of the Ozarks was ranked No. 6 Most Desirable Rural School and No. 10 Most Desirable School in the 2010 Kaplan/Newsweek Finding the Right College for You guide. There were 25 colleges in 12 categories recommended in the guidebook.
Springfield Public Schools named graduates John Ashcroft, Walter Jacob and Larry D. Young to its inaugural class of the SPS Hall of Fame. Ashcroft, a 1960 Hillcrest High graduate, served as U.S. attorney general under President George W. Bush, a U.S. Senator and Missouri’s 50th governor. He attended Yale University and received a juris doctorate from the University of Chicago School of Law. Jacob, a 1947 Springfield High graduate, is a retired rabbi and currently a senior scholar at Rodef Shalom congregation, president of Abraham Geiger College in Berlin, and president of the Institute for Progressive Jewish Law and Ethics. He is a graduate of Drury University. Larry D. Young, a 1972 Hillcrest High graduate, is president and CEO of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, chairman of the American Beverage Association and a member of the Beverage World Soft Drink Hall of Fame.
Jann Holland was hired as executive director of marketing and communications at Drury University. Holland, co-owner of Sugar Design Studios, earned a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Missouri. Finance Certified Public Accountant Randy Renkel joined American Dehydrated Foods as senior vice president after more than 30 years in public practice. He has a master’s in accounting from University of Kansas.
Robin Robeson joined Pension Consultants Inc. as a member of its senior leadership team and director of RetireAdvisers Services. Robeson, a certified trust and financial adviser, directs the firm’s investment strategies for affluent individuals, endowments and foundations, as well as education services for retirement plan participants. Her experience includes 10 years at Commerce Bank, and she most recently was vice president of corporate services at Duck Creek Technologies.
Laurie Tomko joined Pension Consultants as marketing manager responsible for marketing and public relations and for planning for the annual Pension Focus conference. She has a bachelor’s in marketing from Clemson University.
Chase Tweel was hired as Employee Retirement Income Security Act research analyst at Pension Consultants. Tweel manages ERISA compliance service, the QP Review, provides client consultations and develops educational materials related to ERISA. He has a juris doctorate from University of North Carolina, Master of Law in Taxation from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s from UNC.
Government U.S. Reps. Roy Blunt and Ike Skelton were named guardians of small business by the National Federation of Independent Business. Blunt and Skelton were among 202 representatives recognized for voting favorably on key small-business issues at least 70 percent of the time during the 111th Congress.
Carmen D. Parker-Bradshaw was appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon to the MO HealthNet Oversight Committee, which reviews participant and provider satisfaction, and reports best practices to ensure compliance with state law. Parker-Bradshaw, executive director the Health Commission for Springfield and Greene County.
Deborah S. Fritz, a shareholder and CPA for Samek, Fritz & Co., was appointed by Gov. Nixon to the Missouri State Board of Accountancy, which regulates and certifies state certified public accountants and firms. Her term ends July 1, 2013. Government
Joan M. Keiser was reappointed by Gov. Nixon to the Organ Donation Advisory Committee, which assists in the development of organ donor awareness programs, recommends priorities of expenditures from the Organ Donor Fund, and establishes a central organ donor registry within the Department of Health and Senior Services. Keiser, a pastor who has worked in the neurotrauma intensive care unit at St. John’s Hospital for 13 years, will serve until Jan.1, 2015. Insurance
Eric Austin, manager of commercial auto and liability claims at American National Property And Casualty Co., was named manager of the quarter for the second quarter of 2010. Austin earned the recognition for his role in improving customer service, including the development of training seminars in litigation management and the handling of unique claims. Chance D. Potts, principal at Employee Benefit Design, was elected to the board of United Benefit Advisors. Potts attended the UBA fall meeting in Chicago, along with more than 400 benefit professionals, to discuss health care reform, state level experiences, compliance tools, advantages of self-funding and technology.
Manufacturing Chantel Gebhard joined American Dehydrated Foods Inc. as vice president of human resources. Gebhard has a Master of Business Administration from Missouri State University and previously worked in human resources management at Reckitt Benckiser and Kraft Foods.
Nonprofit Stephanie Archer and Miles Figg joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks as Meal Time Buddy coordinators. The two organize and manage the programs, which pair children with adult mentors for one hour each week, at the three local Boys and Girls Clubs.
Deena Ward and Marshall Kinne were named to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks Board of Directors. Ward is associate director at Novo Nordisk, and Kinne is director of compliance at Med-Pay.
The Ozarks region chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals named its 2010 Philanthropy Day winners: Rob Fulp, outstanding volunteer fundraiser; Jack and Cathryn Lipscomb, outstanding philanthropist of the year; 88.3 The Wind, outstanding media organization of the year; Friends of the Springfield-Greene County Library District, outstanding philanthropic organization of the year; Jump Mania, outstanding small business of the year; DeWitt & Associates, outstanding corporation of the year; and Cardinals Care Foundation, outstanding foundation of the year.
The winners will be recognized at a Nov. 19 event at Highland Springs Country Club.
Sales Hali Spencer joined Executive Data Control as sales representative for ad specialties and promotional products. She is responsible for generating new sales and maintaining customer relations. Spencer has a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University.
Bill Stuart joined National Enzyme Co. as account executive for its retail natural health market. Stuart’s responsibilities include customer service on new product launches and marketing initiatives. He has 17 years of sales and management experience and is a graduate of Drury University.
Tourism Melissa Divincen joined the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau as partner development manager. She is responsible for advertising sales in bureau publications and on the Web site, and manages the marketing partnership program.
Most recently, Divincen served as assistant director of the Greater Springfield Area Sports Commission.
She has a degree in business marketing from Drury University.[[In-content Ad]]
