Newsmakers

Jason Ashley joined O’Dell, Hagan & Co. LLP as a staff accountant. Ashley earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Accountancy from Missouri State University. He previously worked for Shapiro Flom & Co. LLC of St. Louis.

Charlotte T. Emery was promoted to senior accountant with BKD LLP’s Springfield office. Emery graduated cum laude from College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. With BKD, she provides tax services for a variety of financial institutions.

Banking

Brian McBride and Tori Messenger joined The Signature Bank as mortgage loan originators, working from the bank’s 3345 S. Campbell Ave. offices.

McBride has more than 10 years of experience in the banking and real estate industries and attended Ottawa University.

Messenger has more than 18 years of banking experience and received her bachelor’s degree from University of Missouri-Columbia.

She also has served as past president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Greater Kansas City.

Regions Bank promoted Jeff McNatt to commercial sales manager for its southwest Missouri region. McNatt, who earned a Master of Business Administration from Drury University, has more than 10 years of banking and commercial lending experience, previously working as corporate banking manager for Regions in Nashville, Tenn.

Education

Missouri Colleges Fund added two grants to its scholarship fund. The grants – $14,000 from The Edward D. Jones & Co. Foundation and $13,000 from The DaimlerChrysler Corp. Fund – will underwrite student scholarships at the 13 MCF member schools, including Southwest Baptist University, Drury University and Evangel University.

Duke Jones, assistant professor of Christian education in SBU’s Redford College of Theology and Ministry, and Dave Bennett, director of the school’s Jack Stanton Institute of Evangelism, are among the 2005–06 “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.”

Southwest Missouri School of Anesthesia, affiliated with Missouri State University, received continued accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Education Programs. The program received the maximum accreditation – 10 years with no progress reports required.

MSU has established a new scholarship in the name of Anson Elliott, head of the school’s agriculture department. The Anson Elliott Scholarship for Agricultural Leadership will be awarded to MSU students for their academic achievements and demonstrated potential to become future leaders in agriculture.

Finance

Jami Peebles joined U.S. Bank Private Client Group in Springfield as vice president of wealth management. She is responsible for providing high-net-worth clients with products and services. She has experience as a stockbroker and was previously independently employed as a financial consultant.

Insurance

Cindy Conway joined Farm Bureau Insurance in Greene County, working from its 2032 E. Kearney St. office. Conway completed two weeks of training emphasizing life, accident/health and property and casualty insurance.

Gloria Severson joined Connell Insurance as a consultant in the company’s Life and Health Department. Severson, a Wisconsin native, previously served as a flight dispatcher with Northwest Airlines before opting for early retirement from the industry.