Newsmakers

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development appointed Morris Westfall, of Halfway, Missouri state director. Westfall served for more than a decade in the Missouri General Assembly. He also was state executive director of USDA’s Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service for 12 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Banking

Alan Engleman joined Peoples Bank of the Ozarks as assistant vice president of lending at its Nixa location. Engleman, a Nixa resident, is a Missouri State University graduate with 16 years of banking experience.

Arvest Bank promoted Lance Nicholson and hired Chad Buckwalter. Nicholson was promoted to branch manager from assistant branch manager at the bank’s Gretna Road branch. Nicholson started with Arvest as a teller in northwest Arkansas in 1997 and has worked at the Gretna Road branch since October. Buckwalter was hired as commercial lender at the Gretna Road location. He has 23 years of banking experience, including time with Bank of America.

Community

Chris Tuckness, vice president of community development and special events for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, was appointed to serve on the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri. CCEM promotes efficient management by chamber of commerce executives. Tuckness has undergraduate and graduate degrees in communication, graphic design and business administration from Drury University.

Construction

Leo Journagan Construction Co. of Springfield received recognition as the top-performing, heavy-volume highway contractor in Missouri from the Missouri Department of Transportation. Journagan earned the highest ratings for meeting construction deadlines.

Richard Gebken, assistant professor of construction management at MSU, received the 2008 Outstanding Junior Faculty Award from the National Association of Home Builders. The award recognizes up-and-coming faculty in construction management programs. Gebken is in his second year as a faculty member, after earning his doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Texas.

Engineering

SCI Engineering promoted Matthew Jung and Julie Carroll. Jung, who has been with the company for 18 years, was promoted to branch manager and now oversees the Springfield and Rolla offices. Carroll was promoted to project engineer for SCI’s geotechnical and construction services groups in Springfield and Rolla.

Health Care

Missouri Alliance for Home Care nominated Cheryl Fitch, assistant vice president at Oxford HealthCare, to a three-year term on its board. The board works with the executive director to oversee operations, including statewide advocacy, education, training, research and analysis for home health care agencies and hospice organizations. [[In-content Ad]]