Newsmakers in Banking & Finance

Melissa Baumgartner joined Old Missouri Bank as vice president of loans. She has a bachelor's degree in agricultural business from Missouri State University. Baumgartner has more than 15 years of experience in lending and economic and community development, most recently as vice president and commercial loan officer at Mid-Missouri Bank.

Reece Tarwater joined Arvest Bank as a financial services representative at its Walmart Supercenter branch in Nixa. He has a marketing degree from MSU and previously served as associate director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Stephen Brooks joined Empire Bank and InvestorServices as a financial adviser. He is responsible for managing customer investment portfolios. Brooks is a registered representative of Invest Financial Corp. with more than 23 years of financial planning and portfolio management experience.

Darwin Bickford, senior vice president and commercial loan officer at Arvest Bank, graduated from American Bankers Association's Stonier National Graduate School of Banking in Philadelphia, a three-year program for bank executives. Bickford has a bachelor's degree in agricultural business from Fort Hays State University. He joined Arvest in January.

Jeremy Clopton, senior vice president with BKD LLP's forensics and valuation services division, received the ACL Certified Data Analyst designation from ACL Services Ltd. The designation is for audit and finance professionals who make optimal use of the company's technology within their organizations or for their clients.

Jeffrey Jones, assistant professor of finance at Drury University, completed the requirements to earn the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He completed his bachelor's degree and Master of Business Administration at Drury, and he also holds a doctorate in finance from University of Arkansas.

Julie Wagner was promoted to manager with Kirkpatrick Phillips & Miller CPAs PC. With KPM since 2004, her previous experience includes management at a local credit union and working at the Missouri State Auditor's office. Wagner specializes in litigation and valuation services and has a bachelor's degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration from MSU.

Vicki Lindsey was promoted to supervisor with KPM, where her duties include accounting, financial reporting, payroll, tax and software setup and support services for business clients. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and more than 16 years of experience in public and private accounting.

Drew Stoner joined Arvest Bank's Republic Road branch as a mortgage loan officer. A graduate of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, he joined Arvest Mortgage Co. in Lowell, Ark., in June 2008 as a mortgage loan officer in training.

Lorna Creech was promoted to manager of Arvest Bank's Branson branch on Gretna Road. She has been with Arvest for nine years: seven in Bentonville, Ark., and two in Branson. Creech, a graduate of Crowder College in Neosho, oversees daily branch operations, retail associates and consumer loans.

Ashley Boswell was promoted to private banking relationship manager in the Springfield region for the private client group at The Commerce Trust Co. She has a bachelor's degree in business management from MSU and more than 10 years of experience in banking, lending and relationship management. She provides custom banking and borrowing solutions to professionals, executives and high-net-worth individuals.

BKD promoted Amber Harsha, Adriana Iacob, Jake Krafve, Gerald Ostapko and Megan Van Asch to senior and Lacee Richmond to senior consultant. Harsha is a member of BKD's national health care group and a magna cum laude graduate of MSU, where she earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a Master of Accountancy. Iacob provides audits and consulting for employee benefit plans. She is a magna cum laude graduate of MSU, where she earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees. Krafve is a member of BKD's national health care group and a cum laude graduate of MSU, where he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a Master of Accountancy. Ostapko performs audit and employee benefit services for clients in multiple industries. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees at MSU. Van Asch provides audit services for clients in several industries. She also holds both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from MSU. Richmond, a member of BKD's national health care group, provides reimbursement consulting for home-health and hospice care providers. She earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from MSU.

Michael Gandy was named marketing officer for Arvest Bank's Springfield region. He previously was marketing officer for Arvest in Joplin. He is a graduate of Missouri Southern State University.

Ann Conus was promoted to director with BKD LLP. A certified public accountant, she has been with the firm for 20 years as part of its WealthPlan services team. She holds a bachelor's degree in allied medicine from Ohio State University and a Master of Business Administration from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

U.S. Bank announced three promotions in Springfield. Joshua Sapp was promoted to assistant vice president of consumer banking. Cindy Street was promoted to assistant vice president, and Anna Eskelson as promoted to vice president in U.S. Bank's Private Banking Group.

Cassondra Harris was promoted to manager of Arvest Bank's Republic Road branch, where she previously was assistant branch manager. Harris oversees daily operations, associates and consumer lending.

Amanda Lentz joined Arvest as the assistant manager of the Republic Road branch. She is responsible for teller operations. She previously worked at Liberty Bank in several positions, including teller supervisor and assistant retail location manager.

BKD LLP promoted Jim Ashley, Sara Griffin, Stacey Kaden and Lindsey Oakley to supervisors. Ashley is a member of WealthPlan and BKD's national manufacturing and distribution group. He has a bachelor's degree in accounting and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Griffin is a member of BKD's national construction and real estate and not-for-profit and government group. She is a magna cum laude graduate of MSU, where she earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a Master of Accountancy. Kaden is a member of WealthPlan and the firm's national health care group. She earned her bachelor's degree in accounting and her Master of Accountancy at Truman State University. Oakley is a member of BKD's construction and real estate group and not-for-profit and government group. She is a cum laude MSU graduate with a bachelor's degree in accounting and a Master of Accountancy.[[In-content Ad]]