Newsmakers

BancorpSouth promoted Linda Zander to regional trainer for Missouri. She has been with BancorpSouth for more than 10 years and has 16 years of banking experience.

Education

Parkview High School senior Natalie Akins received a $1,000 scholarship from Chase Card Services for being the top performer in the yearlong Chase Leadership Academy.

Students spend two hours every other week at Chase, receiving mentoring from Chase managers on life and career skills and financial literacy.

Missouri State University received a three-year, $175,099 research grant from the National Cancer Institute. The funding will be used for a project led by chemistry professor Gary Meints to explore the dynamics of damaged DNA using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance instruments.

Evangel University student media won 13 awards at the 2008 Society for Collegiate Journalists contest. The university television station, ECTV, won three awards in Division 3; the yearbook, Excalibur, received six awards; and the student newspaper received four awards.

Finance

Ken Roberts of Bolivar Investment Services was named a member of the LPL Financial Chairman’s Club, a group reserved for less than 6 percent of LPL’s 11,000 advisers nationwide.

Government

Several Springfield residents were appointed to state boards and commissions.

Elizabeth B. Aull, recycling coordinator for Nestlé Purina PetCare in Springfield, was appointed to the Hazardous Waste Management Commission.

She has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia. 

Gordon L. Kinne, president of Med-Pay Inc., was appointed to the Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee. Kinne has a bachelor’s degree from MSU. 

Kenneth McClure, associate vice president for administrative services for MSU, was appointed to the Personnel Advisory Board and the Second State Capitol Commission.

He has a bachelor’s degree in history from MSU and a master’s degree in history from the University of Missouri-Columbia. 

Health Care

CoxHealth earned the Primary Stroke Center certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. CoxHealth received the distinction after an on-site review in February. The certification is based on recommendations published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association for primary stroke centers.

Denise Mills, director of corporate services for Burrell Behavioral Health, received a national award from pharmaceutical manufacturer Astra-Zeneca for her work educating others on having a family member with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Mills was selected for an essay she submitted about living with the mental disorders.

Trish Wagner, a member of the nursing faculty at Cox College of Nursing, received certified geriatric nurse practitioner certification. The certification requires a master’s degree in nursing and passage of an assessment process to document knowledge and expertise in geriatrics. Wagner is one of 600 nurse practitioners nationally with the designation.

Insurance

Casey Chastain, account executive with Sentry Insurance, was appointed to the Sentry Leader Council. The council comprises the top 18 account executives nationwide based on client service and business growth.

Chastain provides retirement plan and commercial insurance services to companies with 25 to 1,000 employees.

Michael Greenlee, employee benefit specialist for Ollis and Co, was named a member of Cox HealthPlans’ 2008 Million Dollar Club. The honor goes to agents with a book of business of more than $1 million in premiums with Cox HealthPlans through 2007. Greenlee has been with Ollis and Co. since September 2006.

Marketing

The Team Inc. received the National Agri-Marketing Association’s National Best of NAMA award for its work on the European SmartFresh Apple Kit.

Media

Chris Brewer, president of MoneySaver Publishing Inc., gave a presentation at the American Free Community Papers Association conference in Palm Springs, Calif. Brewer, an instructor with AFCP’s The Leadership Institute, spoke about “How to Handle Your Competition” and “Four Essentials of an Effective Advertising Campaign.”

Sales

Metro Builders Supply promoted Judy Bilyeu from local marketing director to corporate marketing director. Bilyeu is responsible for directing all marketing and advertising in eight stores in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas.