Newsmakers

Boys & Girls Club is one of 200 groups worldwide selected to receive a $2,500 grant from the National Football Association and the NFL Players Association. The grant will be used to expand the group’s existing tackle football program for area children.

Adie Williams joined Girl Scouts of Dogwood Trails Council as a membership consultant. Williams, a graduate of Southwest Baptist University with a bachelor’s degree in middle school education in English and science, previously served as an education presenter with Barceda Families.

Construction

Buck Van Hooser joined the sales team at Prestressed Casting Co. Van Hooser, who has more than 30 years of sales and management experience, previously worked in sales at Jenkins Diesel Power. He is also president of the Concrete Promotion Council of the Ozarks.

Killian Construction Co. received the President’s Award and first place in the more than $25 million category for work on Branson Landing from the Associated Builders and Contractors Heart of America Chapter. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Overland Park, Kan.; they are the highest honor awarded to a general contractor, given for work that exemplifies quality construction, safety and teamwork.

Education

Southwest Baptist University Phi Beta Lambda President Toni Wade and her adviser, Rhonda Agee, recently attended local officer training at Evangel University. Wade is a senior accounting major. PBL is the world’s largest student business organization.

Paul Kincaid, chief of staff and assistant to the president for university relations and governmental relations at Missouri State University, received the Marvin D. “Swede” Johnson Achievement Award during the 2006 State Relations Conference in San Antonio. One of the highlights of Kincaid’s work in state relations was the change of the school’s name to Missouri State University in 2005.

Government

Greene County officeholders were elected to head two Missouri county associations. Greene County Recorder of Deeds Linda Montgomery will serve as the president of the Missouri Association of Counties in 2007, and Presiding Commissioner Dave Coonrod will serve as the 2007 president of the County Commissioners Association of Missouri. It’s the first time the two positions have been held by officials from the same county.

Health Care

Mary Braun, nurse manager for the adult psychiatric unit at Cox North hospital, recently obtained certification in healing touch, a non-invasive complementary approach to traditional health care. Braun is the first healing touch practitioner in Springfield.

Ann Cobb, administrator of The Manor of Elfindale, attended the five-day Vetter Foundation Fall Administrators’ Conference in Omaha, Neb. The conference focused on researching and building new technologies for elder care.

Children’s Miracle Network of CoxHealth announced newly elected officers and members to its leadership board. New officers are: Susan Bell, president; Max Perryman, vice president; and Beckie Collins, secretary. New board members are: Sam Coring, Shayne Brock, Charleen McKinney and Nancy Walsh.