Newsmakers: Aug. 5-11, 2024

Accounting
KPM CPAs & Advisors promoted Madison Moore to manager, Sarah Lee to supervisor, and Ethan Whiteis and Duke Johnson to seniors. With more than five years of experience, Moore has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from College of the Ozarks. With a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Missouri State University, Lee is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Missouri Society of CPAs. Whiteis has more than two years of experience, and he’s currently pursuing his CPA certification after earning a bachelor’s in accounting from College of the Ozarks. With more than two years of experience, Johnson is pursuing his CPA certification and has a bachelor’s in accounting from MSU.

Eli Fearn, Holly Lemon, Destiny Louis, Grace Percival, Miguel Preciado and Colton Thomas were hired by KPM CPAs & Advisors as staff accountants. Fearn has a bachelor’s in accounting and finance from Drury University; Lemon, a bachelor’s in accounting and master’s in accountancy from the University of Missouri-Columbia; Louis, a bachelor’s in accounting from Evangel University; Percival, a bachelor’s in accounting from Southwest Baptist University; Preciado, a bachelor’s in accounting from College of the Ozarks; and Thomas, a bachelor’s in business administration and master’s in accountancy with an emphasis in taxation from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Education
The Nixa Public Schools Board of Education earned the Missouri School Boards’ Association 2024 Governance Team Award. The award recognizes the school board’s commitment to ongoing professional development in areas such as student achievement, school law and finance, board operations and school safety, as well as regional and statewide leadership and legislative advocacy.

Insurance
Higginbotham Insurance Agency Inc. named Brady Brashers as associate insurance consultant. With an MBA from MSU, Brashers has experience at Central Bank and CoxHealth. He works out of Higginbotham’s Branson office serving clients in southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas.

Media
Evangel University student media organizations recently earned more than 40 awards at a variety of state and national media contests. The awards recognized student media collateral produced or published during the 2023-24 academic year. Some of the award highlights include first-place Missouri Broadcast Educators Association wins for Evangel Valor Media, EU’s student news website, for “Unhinged,” a short film, and “Archived,” a feature film; a first-place finish for The Lance in the Missouri College Media Association’s Division 3 Best Overall Newspaper competition; and a first-place Society for Collegiate Journalists win for the Excalibur yearbook in the Yearbook Overall Excellence, small college category.

Nonprofit
United Way of the Ozarks Inc. appointed Drury University President Jeff Frederick to its board of directors. His term, which started July 1, runs through March 31, 2027. Frederick became the 19th president of Drury in June, and he has 21 years of experience in higher education, including 17 years as faculty member, chair and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and four years at Wingate University as provost and executive vice president. He holds a doctorate in history from Auburn University.