Newsmakers: April 8-14, 2024

Athletics
Missouri State University hired Cuonzo Martin as its new head basketball coach. Martin led the MSU Bears basketball team 2008-22 and has a career record of 264-198 in 14 seasons as a Division I head coach.

Banking & Finance
Arvest Bank in Springfield selected three new branch sales managers. Parker Davis was promoted to branch sales manager at the company’s Republic Road branch, with Jen Eldridge joining Arvest in the same role at its National Avenue location and Shelby Monnig at its Sunshine Street branch. An Arvest employee for three years, Davis has a bachelor’s in mathematics from Drury University. Eldridge has an associate degree from Ozarks Technical Community College and a certificate in business and commercial lending from the American Bankers Association. Monnig has 10 years of industry experience and an associate degree in general education from OTC.

Chambers of Commerce
The Ozark Chamber of Commerce hired Chris Russell as president and CEO. He takes over for Ashley Johnson, the organization’s interim leader since late last year who is continuing to serve the chamber as a board member. Russell previously led the Nixa Chamber of Commerce for five years.

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Healthcare’s Butterfield Residential Care Center appointed Ash Carrel as administrator and Stacy Black as activities director. Carrel, who succeeds the retiring Tammie Callaway, has 23 years of experience in the health care industry. A licensed nursing home administrator, Carrel has a bachelor’s in gerontology and an MBA from Missouri State University. Black, who has health care experience in marketing, data coordination and serving as an executive assistant, has a bachelor’s in design from MSU.

Information Technology
Jack Henry & Associates Inc. (Nasdaq: JKHY) is promoting Greg Adelson to CEO, effective in July. He’ll retain his president position he took on in early 2022 in addition to the CEO job. Adelson joined Jack Henry in 2011 as group president of the company’s iPay division and was promoted to general manager of JHA Payment Solutions in 2014. He became chief operating officer in 2019.

Marketing
The city of Ozark hired Benjamin Ward as communications manager. He previously led internal and external communications for Adult & Teen Challenge USA and has a decade of experience in the communications field.

Nonprofit
Community Foundation of the Ozarks issued $120,000 in grants to six collaborative projects. Projects receiving $30,000 apiece are CASA of Southwest Missouri, in partnership with the Greene County Juvenile Office and Missouri Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division; Generations Village, in partnership with FosterAdopt Connect and MSU’s Center for Ozarks Poverty Research; and United Community Change, in partnership with Central High School and Study Alternative Center, MU Extension, Hamra Enterprises, U.S. Department of Agriculture and several urban farms. PFLAG Springfield, in partnership with the GLO Center and Sarah Fry Counseling, received $11,000; League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri, in partnership with Leadership Springfield and the Springfield chapter of the NAACP, received $9,600; and Springfield Center for Dyslexia and Learning, in partnership with CoxHealth and Springfield Public Schools, received $9,400.

Transportation
Columbia-based OATS Inc., dba OATS Transit, promoted Rene Frazier to regional director. In her new role, she oversees 17 southwest Missouri counties and succeeds the retiring Jeff Robinson. Frazier previously was OATS Transit’s operations manager in southwest Missouri since 2018.