Newsmakers: Feb. 2-8, 2026

Banking & Finance
Samuel Ackerman, a financial adviser with Achieve Private Wealth, Ameriprise Financial Services LLC in Springfield, earned the certified financial planning certification. Requirements include course work and a series of examinations. An Ameriprise Financial employee for 15 years, Ackerman has a degree in finance from Missouri State University.

Communications
Mediacom Communications Corp. presented awards to six Springfield employees who achieved top performance rankings over the past year. Amber Hardin was named Business Sales Support Employee of the Year; Michelle Ehlert was named the Sales Agent of the Year; Charles (Marshall) Heflin earned a People’s Choice Award for customer service; Jason Young received a People’s Choice Award in the technical operations category; Dianalynn Sparkman received an Employee’s Choice Award; and Kelly Davis was honored as System Technician of the Year.

Entrepreneurship
Kim Rippy joined the 1 Million Cups Springfield volunteer leadership team as a community organizer. With more than 27 years of experience in advertising, Rippy works as an account executive at Lamar Advertising Co.

Health Care
Dr. Curtis P. Schreiber, a neurologist and dementia specialist with the Missouri Memory Center at Citizens Memorial Hospital, presented at the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease conference in San Diego. Schreiber served as the lead author and presenter of a poster titled, “Stability and Improvement in Early Alzheimer’s Disease with Lecanemab: Sub-analysis From a United States Multicenter, Retrospective Real-World Study.” Additionally, Schreiber contributed as an author on a second poster presentation titled, “P-tau217 Testing Impact on Patient Management in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population: Six-Month Follow-Up in a Randomized Clinical Utility Study.” Schreiber earned his medical degree and completed his neurology residency at the Mayo Clinic.

CMH hired Ashley Dawson and Jared Martin. Dawson, who joined the health system’s Ash Grove Family Medical Center, is an advanced practice clinician with a bachelor’s and master’s in nursing from Cox College. A member of the medical staff at CMH Heart Institute Clinic, Martin has a bachelor’s in nursing from Idaho State University and a family nurse practitioner master’s from University of Cincinnati.

Phoenix Home Care & Hospice promoted Cassidy Adams to director of business development for the southwest Missouri community. Previously a health care consultant at the company, where she’s worked for nearly four years, Adams has a bachelor’s in communication from Missouri State University.

The Alliance for Healthcare Education received a $20,000 donation from the Arvest Foundation. A partnership between CoxHealth, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools, the alliance will use the funding for an interactive wall at Cox College.

Human Resources
Mandy Rosdahl joined HR Advantage as business development manager. With seven years of experience in sales-driven roles, Rosdahl has a bachelor’s in hospitality administration and management from Missouri State University.

Tourism
Visit Springfield, Missouri hired Madison Woods as its communications manager. Most recently serving as public relations manager for Bass Pro Shops/Big Cedar Lodge, Woods also has journalism experience as a news reporter at KY3.