Newsmakers

H Design Group hired Joel Thomas as architectural intern. Thomas received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Drury University and is working on his Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Banking

David Crader, CEO of The Bank of Missouri, was elected vice chairman of the Midwest Independent Bank board. Crader will continue to serve a three-year term on the board of directors of Midwest Independent Bancshares Inc.

Randall Bettis joined Postal Federal Community Credit Union in Springfield as vice president of lending services. Bettis has 22 years of credit union industry experience. He is a graduate of Western Credit Union National Association Management School.

Business Services

URS Corp. hired Kelly Hurst as environmental scientist. Hurst was recently appointed as a board member for the Springfield-Greene County Environmental Advisory Board.

Community

Rotaract Club of Springfield named Shauna Smith of Studio One Pilates the 2008 Rotaractor of the Year. Smith serves as the club’s community service co-chair, coordinating the club’s service projects with Boys and Girls Town of Missouri.

Education

Traci Sooter, associate professor of architecture at Drury University, received Habitat for Humanity’s Golden Hammer Award, the highest award given to volunteers. Last year, Sooter worked on a committee to raise about $50,000 to help build the Drury University Sustainable Habitat house.

Two Missouri State University professors received Outstanding Advising Certificates of Merit from the National Academic Advising Association. David Lutz, professor of psychology, and Kimberly Stanger, academic adviser for the College of Business Advisement Center, will be recognized at an awards ceremony Oct. 1 in Chicago.

Elizabeth Walker, assistant professor of agriculture at MSU, received a $74,836 grant from Whole Foods for her project, “Variation in Tannin Levels of Fodder Grazed by Small Ruminant Livestock in the Ozarks Plateau Region of the Central United States and Roles in Meat Goat Management.”

Bud Greve, professor of education at Evangel University, received the university’s E.M. & Estella Clark Award for Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship and Service. Greve joined the Evangel faculty in 1999, after retiring as superintendent of the Springfield Public School system.

Government

Bernard McCarthy, professor of sociology, anthropology and criminology at MSU, was appointed as a constituent member of the U.S. State Department Overseas Security Advisory Council and to the advisory board of the Turkish Institute for Security and Democracy. McCarthy is also the director of the Community and Social Issues Institute.

Springfield Public Works employees Donnie Garrison, Bryan Loughrige and James Williams achieved the designation of Certified Arborist from the International Society of Arboriculture.

Gov. Matt Blunt received the 2008 National Award for State Arts Leadership at the 76th Annual U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami, Fla., for his commitment to ensuring a vibrant arts community in Missouri. [[In-content Ad]]