Newsmakers

Kevin Rusenstrom, head of marketing and public relations at Creekside at Elfindale Retirement Community, recently earned his communications degree from Evangel University. Rusenstrom has been with Creekside for about six years, three in his current position.

Banking

Great Southern Bank added Don Cowherd to the commercial lending department of its East Battlefield Road branch.

He serves as a commercial loan officer for Springfield and the surrounding area, and specializes in commercial and residential construction, business acquisitions and subdivision development. Cowherd has more than 25 years of banking experience, most recently with The Signature Bank.

First National Bank hired Chris Ray as a mortgage loan officer. Ray has banking experience with several companies, including Brown & Wagner Mortgage. He also served as communications director for the Clemons for Senate campaign in 2002. Ray graduated from Drury University with degrees in communication, business administration and education.

Community

Four Springfield business and civic leaders were among the 33 graduates of the 2005 Leadership Missouri program. The graduates were: Stacy Burks, district office manager for Sen. Kit Bond’s Springfield office; Jill Duncan, associate director of admissions for Missouri State University; Fred Marty, MSU associate vice president of administrative services; and Todd Murren, director of SpringNet for City Utilities.

Leadership Missouri is a seven-month leadership enhancement program sponsored by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Republic Fire Department received Residential Fire Safety Institute’s Life Safety Achievement Award for 2004. The department qualified for the award because it recorded zero fire deaths in structure fires during the 2004 calendar year.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing Community Blood Center of the Ozarks as a member of America’s Blood Centers. ABC and its members were honored for working to ensure the adequacy and safety of more than half of the nation’s blood supply, as well as the critical roles they play in disaster response and preparedness and infectious disease research.

The Hawthorn Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals chose Greg Burris as the 2005 Executive of the Year. Burris, vice president for administration and information services at Missouri State University, has an MBA and provides leadership and management for information services, human resources, administrative services and Web services.

Education

The Missouri College Fund recently received a $15,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation. The fund is a not-for-profit consortium of 13 Missouri independent colleges, including Drury, Evangel and Southwest Baptist universities. The grant money will be put toward the fund’s efforts to raise money for need-based student financial aid.

Drury University received a $100,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation for Education.

The university will use the money for its College Bound! Program, which works to increase access to higher education for students who have the potential to succeed at college. The grant supports organizations that enable students, particularly first-generation college students and low-income students, to gain access to post-secondary education.

Deborah Preston, a teacher at Phelps Center for Gifted Education, received the Dede Smith Scholarship Award at the annual Missouri Conference on Gifted Education at Tan-Tar-A resort. The Gifted Association of Missouri presents a yearly $500 scholarship at the conference in memory of Dede Smith, one of the organization’s founders. Honorees are nominated by gifted education teachers across the state.

Engineering

Scott Consulting Engineers PC announced several new additions: Milton Dickensheet and Michael Jones are now project managers with the firm. Carl Carlson is the firm’s resource coordinator, Carl Burnett joined the firm as survey crew chief and Carole Arnold is a survey technician. In the firm’s Willow Springs office, Fred Schlegel was named branch manager, Teresa Sigman was hired as office manager and Dave Kunstel was added as a project manager.

Government

Gov. Matt Blunt appointed M. Sharon Beshore, a former educator at Missouri Southern State University School of Education, to the Missouri State Council on the Arts. Beshore is the president of the George A. Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin. She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Colorado and an education specialist degree in higher education from Pittsburg State University.

Insurance

Carla Bonner, senior sales associate for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, received her license as a Missouri insurance agent after passing the health and insurance state exam in September. Bonner has been with Blue Cross since 1995, the last five years in Missouri, and was promoted to senior sales associate with Missouri BBBS in March.

Law

Gary Cunningham, who practices law in the Springfield office of Lathrop & Gage LC, was selected to serve on the Missouri State Committee for the American College of Trial Lawyers. Cunningham earned his law degree from University of Missouri-Columbia and is a past president of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association.

Springfield attorney Dee Wampler was selected as a 2005 Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer. The selections are made by peer nomination of 25,000 ballots, sent to nearly 50,000 Missouri and Kansas lawyers. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers who have obtained a high degree of recognition and professional achievement.

Marketing

G. Kim McDonald was named president of marketing for Branson-based HCW Development Co., the development company for Branson Landing. McDonald has experience in the resort and timeshare business dating back to 1979, including a stint as vice president of marketing in Fairfield Resorts’ Branson office.

Rob McCarville, a consultant with Medical Consulting Group LLC, presented a seminar on marketing for ambulatory surgery centers during the Nov. 11–12 Today’s SurgiCenter Conference in Las Vegas. The seminar, entitled “Marketing Considerations for ASCs,” addressed meeting the marketing needs of ASCs. McCarville has experience in health care facility management, administration and strategic planning.

Tourism

Patricia Ketchum joined the staff of the Grand Crowne Travel Center, a travel agency affiliated with Grand Crowne Resorts in Branson.

Ketchum brings more than 20 years of travel industry experience, having owned and operated Travel Marketing Solutions in Texas.

Transportation

Mike Walker of TCSI/Transland Inc. in Springfield was elected first vice chairman of the Missouri Motor Carriers Association at the association’s annual convention.

Also at the convention, Jim O’Neal of O & S Trucking Inc. received the Frank G. Campbell Outstanding Service Award.

Utilities

Matt McKenzie joined Empire District Electric Co. as director of financial services. McKenzie is responsible for operations and construction budgeting and reporting, financial forecasting and accounting systems coordination.

Prior to his employment with Empire District, he worked as controller and director of customer service for SIRI Communications Inc.