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Newsmakers: Feb. 1-7, 2016

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Accounting
The Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants recognized Elliott, Robinson & Co. LLP partner Amanda Kastler with the Women to Watch-Experienced Leader Award for dedication to the profession and leadership in community service.

Architecture
Buddy Webb & Co. Inc. added LaToya Ashley to its architectural staff. With a bachelor’s in architecture and a master’s in interior design, she has 15 years of industry experience.

Hood-Rich Inc. hired Brandon Hoch as an architectural designer. He holds a master’s in architecture from Drury University.

Justin Petersburg of Esterly, Schneider & Associates Inc. received his license as an architect in the state of Missouri. He has worked at the firm for four years handling project design management.

Banking and Finance
Assemblies of God Credit Union hired Bruce Webb as president and CEO. A 30-year banking veteran, he has worked as president and vice president for banks in Minnesota and Michigan. Webb has a bachelor’s in business administration from Siena Heights University in Michigan.

The January 2016 issue of Consumer Reports magazine lists Arvest Bank as the eighth best traditional bank in the United States based on a poll of 49,000 readers.

Education
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine included Drury among the country’s best values in higher education. Drury ranked 40th for private universities and in the top 150 overall. Factors included admission and graduation rates, percentage of returning students, student-faculty ratio, costs, financial aid and average debt at graduation.

Government
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce named its 2016 board of directors. Officers are Chairman Debbie Shantz Hart, Housing Plus LLC; Chairman-elect John Wanamaker, BKD LLP; Treasurer David Ross, Morelock-Ross Builders Inc.; Assistant Treasurer Bill Hammitt, American Products LLC; Vice Chairman-Economic Development Doug Neff, Commerce Bank; Vice Chairman-Membership Krystal Russell, Payroll Vault; Vice Chairman-Public Affairs Jennifer Wilson, nForm Architecture LLC; and Vice Chairman-Workforce Development Denise Silvey, Paul Mueller Co. New board members are Jeff Childs, Sperry Van Ness/Rankin Co.; Regina Cooper, Springfield-Greene County Library District; John Gentry, Positronic Industries Inc.; Mike Meek, Meeks Building Center; Joe Reynolds, Central States Industrial Equipment and Service Inc.; Mary Beth Hartman, Hunter Chase & Associates Inc.; Kim Hogan-Chaffin, Hogan Land Title Co.; Frederick James, 3M; and Marshall Kinne, Med-Pay, Inc.


Health Care
Ron Prenger, senior vice president and chief hospital officer at CoxHealth, was elected to a one-year term as president of the Missouri Hospital Association’s Southwest District Council. He holds a bachelor’s in medical technology from Missouri State University and an MBA from Drury.

United Access added Jenna Davis as a mobility specialist in the sales department at its Springfield store.

Insurance
Connell Insurance added three employees. Cari McNeilis was hired as a commercial account manager in Springfield. Samantha West joined the accounting department in Hollister. Landon Maberry was hired to handle employee benefits out of the Joplin office.

Law
Lowther Johnson Attorneys at Law LLC promoted Aaron Klusmeyer to firm member from associate. With a bachelor’s in political science from MSU and a law degree from the University of Missouri, he began working as a law clerk in 2008.  

Marketing
DL Media Inc. added Tonya Gomas to its media and client services team. With a bachelor’s in accounting from MSU, she previously served as an account executive for KY3 Inc.

Nonprofit
Discovery Center of Springfield hired Jackie Douglas as education director. Douglas worked since 2009 as a high school science teacher at Gloria Deo Academy, where she taught biology, chemistry and physics and led the school’s accreditation process.

Craig Alsup joined Manna Worldwide as a missionary and assistant director for Asia. Formerly a counselor with McGuire Christian Counseling and founding director of nonprofit Jyoti Nepal, Alsup partners with churches, businesses and individuals for Manna’s outreach in Asia, where he assembles teams to run orphanages, feeding centers and medical clinics.

Feeding America awarded Ozarks Food Harvest $50,000 worth of equipment and food-safety supplies to boost food rescue efforts among its member agencies. Through the Retail Pick Up program, area grocers donated nearly 7 million pounds of food last year.

Mark Arnoldy, a Springfield native, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, who lived in Mansfield until she died in 1957, were selected for induction to MSU’s Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame in April. Arnoldy is CEO of Possible, a nonprofit health care company that works to deliver inexpensive, quality care to the world’s poor. Wilder was an accomplished author, mother, teacher, journalist and businesswoman, who wrote the “Little House” children’s book series. Others selected are H&R Block Inc. co-founder Henry Bloch, Democratic Congresswoman Patsy Danner and St. Louis Circuit Judge Jimmie Edwards.

Pat Davis, of Branson, was named community volunteer leader in the tri-lakes area for the American Red Cross of Southern Missouri. Davis previously worked as executive director of the Christian Action Ministries’ food pantry in Taney County.

Real Estate
Jared Enterprises Inc. hired Brent Kembell as chief financial officer and David Havens as a senior broker in commercial real estate. Each has over a dozen years of experience, including Kembell’s work for UMB Bank and Haven’s time with Havens Commercial.

Recreation
Kids Across America’s board of directors promoted Bruce Morgan to CEO of the Christian sports camp. He previously served as chief operating officer and Kaleo director.

Retail
The Academy of Missouri Squires inducted Charlie O’Reilly among nine new members, including actor John Goodman, retired athlete Ozzie Smith and state Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge. O’Reilly is the retired president of the store division of Springfield-based O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (NYSE: ORLY), which his father and grandfather founded in 1957.

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