Newsmakers

Jack Henry & Associates Inc. named 12-year employee Vernon “Pete” Hopkins Jr. as general manager of Internet solutions. In the newly created position, Hopkins provides executive oversight of the development, quality assurance, support, installation, operations, communications and education departments that support the company’s Internet banking channels.

Community

Sunrise Rotary Club of Springfield installed officers at its annual banquet. New officers are: John Himmel, president; Paula Dougherty, president-elect; Jeff Werner, secretary; and Richard Russell, treasurer. Other directors are Marci Bowling, Loren Lundstrom, B.J. Richardson and Doug Twigger.

Sertoma Club of Springfield installed new officers and board members. Officers are Ken Childers, president; Don Angell, president-elect; Chris Shelton, secretary; Brian Thompson, treasurer; and Mel Saunders, sergeant-at-arms. New board members are John Maupin, Jared Horst, D.C. Dean, Cody Smith, Reed Hopper, Dan Reiter and Matt Foster, who serves as chairman.

The Sertoma Club also distributed its annual awards. The Service to Mankind award went to Tony Shalloup of Regions Bank, and the Sertoman of the Year award went to newly appointed officer Shelton of Boys & Girls Club of Springfield.

Education

Ozarks Technical Community College promoted Vanessa Germeroth to division chair of the business and accounting department. Her duties include developing the planned articulation agreement with Missouri State University’s College of Business Administration. Germeroth, an OTC instructor since 2006, has a Master of Business Administration from MSU.

Health Care

The city of Springfield appointed Clay Goddard as assistant director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, effective Aug. 6. Goddard is currently director of the city’s information systems department and was previously the administrator of community health and epidemiology for the health department. He has a master’s degree in public administration from MSU.

Donald G. LaFerla, board chair of McCune-Brooks Hospital in Carthage, received the 2007 Excellence in Governance Award from the Missouri Hospital Association. LaFerla was one of six honored during the MHA Leadership Forum on June 14 in Lake Ozark. LaFerla has been on the board of the hospital for 11 years.

Orthopaedic Specialists of Springfield received a three-year term of accreditation in magnetic resonance imaging as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology. ACR awards accreditation for facilities that achieve high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation.

Human Resources

The Springfield Area Missouri Employers Committee named four officers. Jack Burk, human resources manager with Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co., is chairman. Burk has 22 years of human resources experience. Karen Smith, human resources and finance manager for the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, is vice chairwoman. She has been with the CVB since 1999. Thomas Lawson, deputy county clerk for Christian County, is secretary. He has 16 years of experience as a treasurer and controller. Kelli Fleck, human resources director for Brown Derby Stores, is treasurer. She has been with Brown Derby for five years. The MEC was established by the Missouri Division of Workforce Development and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.