Newsmakers: Feb. 6-12, 2017

Banking
Central Bank of Branson named Pam Rogers vice president of loan operations. She’s worked with the bank for 15 years and as assistant vice president since 2005.

Central Trust Co., an affiliate of Central Bank, hired Wayne Davis as a vice president and relationship manager. He has 28 years of experience in trust administration, most recently with American National Bank & Trust Co. in Virginia.

Guaranty Bank promoted Sarah Jarrett and Steven Hoaglin to retail banking officers. Jarrett joined Guaranty Bank in 2007 as a full-time teller and in 2013 was named a retail lead. Hoaglin joined Guaranty Bank in 2010 as a part-time teller and was promoted to retail lead in 2016.

Culinary
Askinosie Chocolate earned a medal for its dark milk chocolate and black licorice CollaBARation Bar at the Good Food Awards in San Francisco. It is Askinosie Chocolate’s third Good Food Award.

Education
The Willard School Board of Education selected Matthew Teeter as superintendent beginning with the 2017-18 school year. He currently serves as superintendent of Smithton Public Schools and as an adjunct instructor in education at William Woods University.

Three Ozark School District employees and one volunteer were honored by the Finley River Community Foundation during the Ozark Community Awards banquet: Michele Hughes for elementary teacher of the year; Teresa Picard for secondary teacher of the year; Gale Southard for support staff of the year; and Jordan Braden for volunteer of the year.

Foundation for Springfield Public Schools was ranked seventh in the nation in Stepping Up: The Nation’s Top K-12 Education Foundations 2016.

It marked the first year the Foundation was part of the national study alongside 188 other foundations.

The College Band Directors National Association chose the Drury Wind Symphony to honor during its annual March convention in Kansas City. The ensemble also will be featured at the CBDNA’s Small Band Showcase that identifies highlight performances by schools with an undergraduate enrollment of fewer than 4,500.

Insurance
Ollis/Akers/Arney hired Heather Douglas as a personal lines account manager. She has five years of experience in the insurance industry as a customer service representative and associate underwriter.

Municipal
David Holtmann was named Springfield’s finance director after serving in the interim since July. He succeeds the retired Mary Mannix Decker. Holtmann worked as city accounting manager for 14 years, and he has a bachelor’s in accounting and business administration from Drury University.

Greene County’s open-book management program, The Great Game of Government, was recognized by The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Among 100 programs named as semifinalists in the Innovations in American Government Awards, Greene County advanced from a pool of 500 applications and will compete in Cambridge this spring for the $100,000 grand prize.

Eric Jones of City Utilities of Springfield was recognized as 2016 Driver of the Year. He has driven with CU Transit for 26 years and has been a United Way volunteer for over 20 years.

Nonprofit
Christian Action Ministries, Taney County’s supplemental food pantry, hired Elizabeth Hughes as executive director. She served as the Kids Across America communications director from 2015-17 and as the College of the Ozarks public relations director from 2005-14. Hughes earned her master’s in journalism from University of Missouri Columbia in 2011.

Veterinary
The Missouri Veterinary Medical Association appointed Dr. Shelia Taylor secretary/treasurer at its 125th annual convention. Taylor practices at Galloway Village Veterinary Hospital.