Newsmakers

Rick Hale II joined the sales team at Thompson Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac Saab. Hale has a marketing and sales degree from Missouri State University and about five years of experience in automotive sales and sales management.

Arts

The Springfield Symphony hired Becky Wood as marketing programmer, responsible for group sales, promotions and special events. Wood has extensive experience in marketing, sales and graphic arts.

Community

Samuel Knox was appointed to the Missouri Humanities Council’s board of directors. Knox is the co-founder and president of Unite of Southwest Missouri Inc. in Springfield, which sponsors Springfield’s annual Multicultural Opportunity Festival on Martin Luther King Day as well as business and leadership conferences.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks announced that 14 agencies have received grants totaling $180,000 through its metropolitan Springfield community grant-making program. The following agencies received the grants: AIDS Project of the Ozarks, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, The Kitchen, Lost and Found, New Hope GYN Cancer Support Group, Republic Senior Friendship Center, Boys and Girls Town of Missouri, Families for Children, Greene County Detention Center, Ozarks Area Community Action Corp., Pregnancy Care Center, Village in Progress and YMCA Pearson Ward Branch.

Amy Stockton was promoted to senior program director in charge of membership, operations and gymnastics at the Ozark Mountain YMCA branch in Hollister. Stockton was previously the healthy lifestyle director at the Jones YMCA branch in Springfield.

Roger Worley was promoted to family involvement director at the Springfield Family YMCA Jones branch. He was previously the welcome center coordinator for the branch.

Education

MSU received more than $700,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to provide professional development for teachers working with visually impaired students. The first year of the grant, which began Oct. 1, is funded for $149,961. The goal of the project is to increase the support of teachers through the distance education courses already offered by the university.

Barbara Bushman, professor if health, physical education and recreation at MSU, and Janice Clark Young, assistant professor of health and exercise science at Truman State University, co-wrote the book, “Action Plan for Menopause.” The authors developed exercised-based strategies designed to help reduce symptoms, promote bone health and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Five Ozarks Technical Community College employees were awarded Excellence in Education Awards during the September board of trustees’ meeting. The recipients awarded were: Nancy Dalton, emergency medical technician in the full-time instructor category; Todd Daniel, psychology instructor in the adjunct instructor category; Corky McCormack, assistant director of learning resources center in the administrative/professional category; Brenda Woods, secretary to the dean of academic services in the clerical/technical support category; and Billy Robinson, groundskeeper in the custodial/general institutional support category. The annual presentation is designed to promote excellence among OTC faculty and staff.

Employment

William B. Dowling was named director of work force development at the Missouri Career Center. Dowling replaces Robert Simpson, who retired after 10 years in the position. Dowling ran the Chinatown Career Center in Los Angeles for five years prior to his new position.

Finance

Todd Brierly joined Guaranty Bank as vice president of business services. He is responsible for attracting new business and expanding services to the bank’s existing customer base, with primary emphasis on developing commercial deposit business and the sale of ancillary business services. Brierly has 15 years of experience in the banking industry.

Two employees of Springfield Trust Co. recently earned new professional designations. Vice President-Administrator Kathleen Norris and Assistant Trust Administrator Kelley Brockman were awarded the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designation from Canon Financial Institute. CTFA designation is awarded to individuals who demonstrate excellence in trust and investment management. CFTAs must pass a comprehensive exam and have certain levels of experience and education in the trust profession.

Health Care

Dr. Aaron Dannegger and Dr. Tom Stone, both general dentists in Springfield, were chosen to participate in the Inaugural Leadership Development Continuum at the Missouri Dental Association Executive Office. The leadership program was presented by MDA, in partnership with Missouri State University’s Management Development Institute and CDR Assessment Group Inc. The yearlong continuum program includes in-depth assessments, individual leader coaching feedback and a series of customized leadership development training workshops.

Insurance

Patrick Connell was named chair of the 2005 Missouri Insurance Advisory Panel. The panel, created in July by Gov. Matt Blunt, comprises 21 members from around the state who will hold meetings in Jefferson City to discuss industry topics and how the insurance industry can better serve consumers. Connell of Connell Insurance in Branson also has served on the board of directors of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents.

Leslie Reynolds joined Ollis and Co. as an inside sales representative in the company’s personal lines department. Prior to joining Ollis, she worked for 13 years in sales and management. Reynolds is an MSU alumna with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Law

Turner, Reid, Duncan, Loomer & Patton PC added John D. Hacker as an associate in the firm. He specializes in personal injury and insurance defense litigation. Hacker received his undergraduate degree from MSU in 2002, earned his law degree from Creighton University School of Law and was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 2005. He’s also a member of the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association and the Missouri Organization of Defense Lawyers.

Lathrop & Gage added two associates to its Springfield office. Scott J. Eckersley, who received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and his juris doctor from University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 2005, practices business litigation law. Erin Lary joined Lathrop & Gage LC as an associate in its Springfield office. Lary most recently served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Duane Benton of the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Lary earned her bachelor’s degree in business marketing from University of Missouri-Columbia and her juris doctor from University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2005.

Justin R. Meyer has joined Hamburg & Lyons LLC as an associate attorney, practicing in the fields of estate planning, probate, collections and general litigation. Meyer graduated from University of Minnesota Law School in 2005.

Medical

Bobby Honicutt, a Springfield hearing instrument specialist for National Hearing Centers, received specialized training in the management of the hearing condition tinnitus at the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. Honicutt learned a variety of methods which can help to manage the condition that has no cure. Honicutt holds a Hearing Instrument Specialist license issued by the state of Missouri; he also is board-certified in hearing instrument services.

Security

Secure Shred made several personnel changes. Mike Adams, previously a driver for Xpedx paper distributor, joined the company as regional representative. John Hall is a new Springfield representative. Hall joined the company in 2004, having previously served as transportation and assistant plant manager with Midwest Fibre Sales. Mike Allen was named tri-state area representative. Allen has been with the company since 2002. Curt Riekhof, a former account executive with Communications Associates, was named regional sales director.

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