Newsmakers

Owen Meyer joined the staff of Bates & Associates Architects. Meyer, a Drury University architecture graduate, has more than 15 years of experience in the construction industry, including work with acclaimed architect Paolo Soleri.

Banking

UMB Financial Corp. promoted Michael Garner to assistant vice president of UMB Bank in Springfield. Garner, who joined UMB as a credit analyst in 2003, is responsible for business development, and portfolio and relationship management for commercial customers.

Community

Soroptimist International of Springfield elected officers for the 2006–07 year. They are: Jane Paul, president; Norene Rinker, vice president; Becky Keehn and Sara Beth Edwards, secretaries; and Bernadean McAfee and Nila Hayes, directors. Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who provide volunteer service to the community.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks added three staff members. Erin Jaeger is case manager for female matches and the coordinator of the Meal Time Buddies Program. Donna Clemens is case manager for all male matches and coordinates the Outdoor Sports Buddies Program. Josey Hedgpeth assists with the organization’s After School Mentors program.

BBBS also received donations from Rotary Clubs of Springfield and the 3M Foundation. Rotary Clubs donated $17,100 to Big Brothers Big Sisters, a result of Rotary’s Rock ‘n Ribs event, and 3M donated $200 in matching funds. Both donations will be used to cover operational costs.

Andrew Fitzpatrick joined Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield as director of the organization’s Henderson Unit. He previously was director of the East Side Unit for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City. Fitzpatrick has a bachelor’s degree in science in crime and society/sociology from Missouri State University.

Education

Ken Rutherford is the first provost fellow for public affairs at Missouri State University. Rutherford is responsible for all aspects of the Public Affairs Conference, including increasing the impact of the conference on the campus community. He also will establish conference relationships with the region’s private sector, educational institutions, and public and private schools. The next conference is scheduled for April 18–20.

Evangel University senior Amy Franklin received a $1,000 Sprint Teacher Scholarship. She is majoring in early childhood education. Sprint is underwriting $1,000 scholarships for each of the schools in the Missouri College Fund.

College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout was named one of Barron’s magazine’s Best Buys in College Education. In the magazine’s ninth edition of the guide, 247 colleges were selected based on several criteria, including tuition rates and the results of a questionnaire filled out by the students and the dean of students.

Hollister Elementary School received a $10,000 grant from Bank of America for the school’s Vision Intervention Program. Hollister Elementary was one of nine pilot schools that began offering the program, designed to screen children for vision challenges, in the 2005–06 school year.

Hospitality

Leslie Whitehead is the new director of sales for Comfort Inn & Gebhard Enterprises, which includes nine lodging and hospitality properties. Whitehead has five years’ experience with both group and catering sales. One of her responsibilities is to implement a new, local frequent-stay program for Comfort Inn guests.

Insurance

Cathy Powell, personal health insurance agent for Ollis and Co., was one of 15 insurance brokers from across the country to attend the Golden Rule’s first Broker Advisory Conference in Indianapolis. The purpose of the conference was to gather and exchange ideas in the individual health insurance market.

Mortgage

Michael Grieve joined Mid-Land Mortgage Co. as division manager and alternative mortgage specialist. Grieve has more than 19 years of mortgage lending experience. Mid-Land Mortgage Co. is a division of Mid-Missouri Mortgage.