Newsmakers

Jack Ball Architects PC added Ryan Faust as an architectural intern. Faust works to enhance quality control by providing the office with additional support and assistance. Faust has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Drury University.

Communication

RJ McAllister, news director for Meyer Communications’ Springfield stations as well as for the Ozarks News Network, was named president of The Associated Press Missouri Broadcasters Association for a one-year term. McAllister has been news director for KTXR, KWTO and KBFL radio since September 2003 and has been with Meyer Communications for 16 years.

Community

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks awarded an $8,000 grant May 31 to Carol VanBenthusen, family self-sufficiency caseworker with the Springfield Housing Authority. VanBenthusen leads a weekly support group called Hearts that provides emotional support to women seeking to overcome negative behaviors, including substance abuse and unhealthy relationships.

Education

Drury University won the 2005 Students in Free Enterprise national championship at the national SIFE competition May 23 in Kansas City. The team now proceeds to the World Cup Competition Oct. 4–7 in Toronto. Southwest Missouri State University was the first runner-up in its flight and Evangel University’s SIFE team was second runner-up in its flight. The competition featured 180 four-year colleges that advanced to the national level from 21 regional competitions.

Mark Kelton, associate professor of communication at Evangel, received a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Kelton, a 1982 Evangel graduate, wrote “The Relationship Between Communication Styles of College Presidents and Use of Power in Leadership” as his doctoral dissertation.

Frank Einhellig was named acting vice president for academic affairs at SMSU. He replaces Bruno Schmidt, who is stepping down from the position June 30 and retiring Sept. 30. Einhellig has spent the last 13 years as associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of SMSU’s Graduate College. The appointment is in preparation for an apparent change to a provost system.

Drury students Travis Baker and Justin Purdy led a presentation at the International Conference on Business Incubation May 15–18 in Baltimore. The students, along with Breech School of Business Dean Robert Wyatt, presented “Student-Led Incubation: A Real Life Success Story,” a discussion of the rewards and problems associated with DSIFE Inc., Drury’s student-run business incubator, the first of its kind in the United States.

Parkview High School senior Kelsey Tindle and junior Adam Testerman won a state championship in policy debate at the 2005 Missouri State High School Activities Association Speech and Debate Championships, held at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The pair debated on whether the United States should increase its support of United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Government

Rob Fulp was elected vice chairman of the Missouri Housing Development Commission May 20 during the commission’s annual meeting in Jefferson City. Fulp, who is the president of The Signature Bank, fills a spot on the commission that had been vacant since January. By Missouri statute, the commission consists of the governor, lieutenant governor, state treasurer, state attorney general and six members selected by the governor.

Springfield City Clerk Brenda Cirtin was elected to the board of directors of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks - Region VII, which serves Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, during the IIMC annual conference in St. Paul, Minn. Cirtin, who has been the city clerk of Springfield since she was appointed in 1993, will serve in the position through 2008.

Health care

Dr. David Barbe, board-certified family physician from Mountain Grove, was selected to serve as president of the Missouri State Medical Association for 2005–2006. He was inaugurated during MSMA’s annual convention in Kansas City. Barbe is regional president of St. John’s Clinic, with direct responsibility for the development of health care services in a 22-county area of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas.

Law

Two law students will join the Springfield office of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin’s 2005 Summer Associate Program. Amanda Dysart and Kevin Meyers are both students of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. A total of 21 summer associates will work in the firm’s offices in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Omaha, Neb.

Real estate

The Greater Springfield Board of Realtors held its annual Award of Excellence Banquet April 26. Carol Jones was awarded the Realtor Broker of the Year, and Elaine Dozier of Murney Associates was named the Realtor

Salesperson of the Year. Phyllis Miller of Murney received the Margaret Martin Cooperative Spirit Award for community involvement and contributions to the association. Eileen Perry of Sunshine Realtors was named the Women’s Council of Realtors Member of the Year. C.J. King of Murney earned Rookie of the Year, and Kevin Dull of The Signature Bank was given the Affiliate of the Year award.

Keri S. DeWard joined Tri-Lakes Metro Title Co. as a closing officer. DeWard has three years of experience, doing title insurance underwriting, closing, construction disbursement and most recently as an office manager for a title company.

Teri LoPresti joined the staff of Sunbelt Business Advisors as a business broker. LoPresti is a graduate of Action School of Real Estate. She enters the business brokerage field after 10 years in the funeral service industry. Sunbelt is the nation’s largest business brokerage network and has area offices in Springfield, Joplin and Fayetteville, Ark.

Melody Brandenburg was the top producer in May for LaDon Mortgage in Ozark, writing $3.5 million in mortgage loan applications. She specializes in residential, commercial and investment properties, and home financing.

Recreation

Warren Muldrow joined the staff of Aquasports Scuba Center, having recently completed the requirements established by Scuba Schools International for Open Water Instructors and Stress and Rescue Instructors. He will teach diver stress and rescue, open water diving, passport diving and scuba skills courses.

Restaurants

Downtown Springfield restaurant Agrario was chosen for the second time by Wine Spectator magazine to receive an award for its wine program. Each year, the magazine selects restaurants from around the world for inclusion on its list, based on wine offerings, menu and the knowledge of the staff. The entire list of winners will be published in Wine Spectator’s Aug. 31 issue.

Television

Jerry Jacob, evening anchor for KY3 News, was named co-anchor for the station’s 6 p.m. newscast. He takes over for Tony Beason, who retired from the station May 27. Jacob also anchors the newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., though a search is under way for a 5 p.m. anchor.

Transportation

Shawn M. Schroeder, assistant director of aviation at Springfield-Branson Regional Airport, was elected vice president of the Missouri Airport Manager’s Association May 24 during the spring MAMA conference in Overland Park, Kan. The association seeks to uphold professional standards among aviation executives through active, consistent and constructive participation among its members.

Peterbilt of Springfield announced that it had two of Peterbilt’s top 100 salespeople nationwide in 2004. Jeff Barclay, who has been with the company for six years, and Randy Angus, who has been with the company two years, were recognized for their achievement.

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