Newsmakers

Banking

Thomas E. Howard joined Old Missouri Bank as senior vice president of lending. Howard has more than 35 years of banking experience and was previously the executive vice president at Metropolitan National Bank. He attended Missouri State University, the National Commercial Lending School, Robert Morris Associates Commercial Lending Program and the American Institute of Banking.

Education

College of the Ozarks was named to several lists in the 2010 edition of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report: the No. 9 Best Baccalaureate College in the Midwest, the No. 1 Great School, Great Price in the Midwest, No. 1 Best Baccalaureate College with the Lowest Acceptance Rate and the No. 1 Midwest Baccalaureate College with 2008 graduates having the least debt.

Engineering

Michael J. Pessina was named Young Engineer of the Year by the Missouri Society of Professional Engineers. He is a senior project manager with HDR Engineering and leads the water/wastewater team in southwest Missouri. Pessina holds a civil engineering degree from University of Missouri-Rolla and a master's degree in engineering management from University of Kansas. As winner of the state society's award, Pessina is qualified to represent Missouri in the 2010 Young Engineer of the Year award presented by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Health Care

Dr. Katie Weatherhogg joined CoxHealth's Southwest Spine and Sports. Weatherhogg, who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation, attended medical school at the University of Minnesota and completed her residency at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. She is a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Rachel Hurst joined CoxHealth's Springfield Inpatient Physicians as a physician's assistant. Hurst completed her master's degree in physician assistant studies at Missouri State University, and is a member of the state and national academies of physician assistants.

Family nurse practitioner Stella Bird joined The Clinic at Walmart, operated by CoxHealth. Bird graduated from Webster University in Kansas City, and earned her Master of Science in nursing at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Insurance

Paul M. Atchley of Modern Woodmen of America completed the estate planning course in the National Association of Fraternal Insurance Counsellors graduate study program.

Ollis & Co. hired Brad Mills as an employee benefits specialist and Terri Emmons as marketing-communications coordinator. Mills custom designs programs to help businesses control benefit cost, and Emmons creates marketing programs, manages company media and communications, and monitors agency production.

Law

F. Richard Van Pelt of law firm Van Pelt & Van Pelt PC was named in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for Family Law. Van Pelt has been listed in the publication every year since 2001.

Nonprofit

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks welcomed four new members to the board, with each serving six-year terms: Margie Berry, a registered nurse; Gloria Galanes, a Missouri State communications professor; Shari Hoffman, a senior managing adviser at BKD Wealth Advisors LLC; and Roger D. Shaw Jr., board chairman for the Ozarks Medical Center Foundation.

Sales

Dan and Dave Bryngelson and Brian Grimm, owners of Servpro of Greene County and Servpro of Nixa/Branson, received the Chairman's Gold Award during the Servpro 40th Annual National Convention. The award recognizes franchisee revenues.

Sports

The Greater Springfield Area Sports Commission board approved CoxHealth Vice President Ron Prenger to a one-year term.

Trucking

Two local executives were elected as 2009-2010 officers of the Missouri Motor Carriers Association. Brett Sheets of Steelman Transportation Inc. was elected third vice chairman, and Jim O'Neal of O&S Trucking Inc. was elected alternate ATA vice president. Also during the group's annual board meeting in Branson, David Sexton of D&D Sexton Inc. in Carthage received the Frank G. Campbell Outstanding Service Award and Derek Lawyer, a Missouri State University senior studying logistics and supply chain management, received the Logistics Scholarship.[[In-content Ad]]