Newsmakers

The Springfield office of BKD LLP announced several promotions.

Rachel R. Dwiggins was promoted to manager in the Not-for-Profit and Government Group, where she provides audit and consulting services for not-for-profits, government organizations, colleges, universities and charitable organizations.

William W. Ladd was promoted to manager. Ladd provides services for the real estate industry, working with developers of low-income housing tax-credit properties and providing services in the areas of audits and cost certifications.

Brian D. Todd was promoted to manager in the WealthPlan services team, where he provides tax planning and preparation services for corporations, partnerships, individuals and not-for-profit organizations. Todd is also a member of the BKD Health Care Group.

Jo Anne Thompson was promoted to managing consultant in the BKD Health Care Group, where she manages the skilled nursing facility and rehab billing outsourcing and recovery services division. She also provides financial and operational consulting services to the long-term care industry.

Banking

The Signature Bank added John Flowers as a compliance officer. Flowers has more than 32 years of experience in the financial services industry. He received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Pittsburg State University and is a graduate of the National Graduate Compliance School at the University of Oklahoma.

Community

Anne Tucker was named resident director for Boys & Girls Town of Missouri’s southwest region, based in Springfield. Tucker coordinates all on-campus activities and provides supervision and direction for other departments. Tucker, formerly the group’s director of child-care services, earned her Licensed Professional Counselor accreditation in 2000.

The Urban Neighborhoods Alliance gave out several awards to neighborhood volunteers at its annual Volunteer Recognition Picnic at Jordan Valley Park. Honorees were: Pauletta Dunn and Grant Avenue Baptist Church for Grant Beach; Jim Downing, Nancy Hackett and Drury University for Midtown; Sid Needham and Bartley-Decatur Neighborhood Center for Sherman Avenue Project Area Committee; Mary Carey for West Central; and Joanne Watkins and ESC Architects & Engineers for Woodland Heights.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Springfield added two new members to its board of directors: Jason Brawner, public relations director for PaperWise, and John Q. Creller, field representative and vice president of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers, Local 15.

Education

Evangel University senior Bryan News-wander was elected national vice president of Phi Beta Lambda during the national convention in Orlando. He will serve the north central region of Phi Beta Lambda, the collegiate division of Future Business Leaders of America, covering Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

The Springfield School Board approved appointments to seven positions for the 2005–2006 school year. The individuals and their positions are: Chris Mendel, principal at Wanda Gray Elementary; Janell Bagwell, principal at Mark Twain Elementary; Melissa Riley, principal at Horace Mann Elementary; Brady Quirk, principal at Carver Middle School; Teresa Wise, assistant principal at Glendale High School; Matthew Hudson, assistant principal at Parkview High School; and Linda Jones, district coordinator of alternative programs.

Parkview High School senior Rhett Roberson is one of 10 Missouri high school students to qualify for the International Distributive Education Clubs of America competition. Roberson presented an 80-page book of 2004–2005 Parkview Chapter DECA activities he compiled and a PowerPoint presentation at the competition in Anaheim, Calif.

Six Southwest Missouri State University students received $1,500 Pepsi-Cola Public Affairs Scholarships. The students are Jessica Nadolski, Stacy Lipskoch, Kimberly VanLeer, Tanya Harper, Jamie Kaibel and Christine Biondo. Students receiving the annual scholarships are undergraduates who have a demonstrated record of service, leadership and qualities consistent with the university’s statewide public affairs mission.

Finance

Dan Machnicki was appointed principal broker at Sunbelt Business Advisors. Machnicki, a business broker for two years, is in charge of all business operations in the Springfield area office, a locally owned franchisee that serves Missouri and Arkansas. He has more than 20 years of experience as an international business consultant and business owner.

Government

Warren Wood was appointed director of the Missouri Public Service Commission’s utility operations division, which comprises telecommunications, energy, water and sewer, and manufactured housing departments.

The utility operations division provides the commission technical expertise in energy safety, utility rates, tariffs, rules and regulations, economic analysis, engineering oversight, investigations and construction inspections. The PSC also appointed Colleen Cully Dale as chief regulatory law judge.

As part of the appointment, Dale also becomes director of the adjudication division, where regulatory law judges handle cases before the commission. Dale also is in charge of the PSC’s data center, which stores and preserves the official case files, tariffs and other official documents of the commission.

Health care

Stephen Holmes joined the internal medicine department of Ferrell-Duncan Clinic. Holmes attended medical school at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He completed an internship and residency at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis and is a member of the American College of Physicians.

Two Springfield Public Schools nurses were among the five nurses from southwest Missouri to receive the Florence Nightingale Memorial Award at the Southwest Missouri Nurses annual recognition dinner. Jean Grabeel, SPS student health coordinator, and Tammy Teeling, nurse at Reed Middle School, received the award, intended for those who go above and beyond in the field of nursing.

Insurance

Roy W. Kern of Roy W. Kern & Associates Insurance Agency attended the Christian Fidelity Life Insurance Co.’s agents’ conference in San Antonio. He received awards as top producer as well as for the best persistency in the company for the last two years. Kern also took part in the Mutli-Life Long-Term Care Insurance Boot Camp in Kansas City, where he was a corps instructor for the certified long-term care designation.

Law

Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin recently received two accolades from a book listing the nation’s top business lawyers. “Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” ranked the firm No. 1 for corporate work in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.

The firm also was ranked at the top of the list for labor, employment and real estate law in Missouri. The book was compiled after more than 7,000 interviews with clients and lawyers nationwide.

Transportation

Two of Peterbilt of Springfield Inc.’s employees were named among the national company’s top 100 salespeople in 2004. Jeff Barclay, a six-year employee, and Randy Angus, a two-year employee, were chosen from more than 2,000 staff members in Peterbilt’s 219 locations nationwide.

Utilities

Chris Hamon, general manager of White River Valley Electric Cooperative in Branson, was appointed as a district representative to the training and development committee of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives in Jefferson City. AMEC is the service organization of the state’s 47 electric cooperatives, which serve more than 500,000 rural customers.