Newsmakers in Banking & Finance

James Ward was promoted to senior vice president/senior loan review officer. He has more than 30 years of experience in the industry and has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Missouri State University.

Empire Bank promoted Andrew Tasset to vice president, marketing manager. Tasset has 15 years of marketing and advertising management experience.

Empire Bank promoted Joselyn Baldner was promoted to vice president, retail sales manager.

Empire Bank promoted Diane Rozier to vice president, retail sales manager. Rozier has 12 years of banking experience.

John F. Griesemer was appointed to the board of directors of Springfield-based Guaranty Federal Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Guaranty Bank. He is the executive vice president and chief operations officer of Springfield Underground, overseeing its crushed stone operation and new construction of underground and surface facilities.

BancorpSouth announced two staff promotions. Stephanie Callahan was promoted to retail operations officer. Callahan has been with the bank for more than seven years and has 12 years of banking experience. Sarah Schrader was promoted to regional deposit coordinator with BancorpSouth. She holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and criminology from Drury University, and she has 10 years of banking experience, more than half with BancorpSouth.

Liberty Mortgage hired two new loan officers. Gary Plemones, who has 28 years of experience in financial services, previously was financial manager for Pinegar Chevrolet in Republic and finance manager for Reliable Chevrolet in Springfield. Todd Dodge, who has more than 10 years of experience in mortgage banking, was most recently with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

Citi Smith Barney announced two staff additions and a staff accomplishment. Stacy Davis, who has more than 12 years of experience in financial services, joined the company as a financial adviser. Most recently, Davis served as a financial adviser for Morgan Keegan.

Steve Brooks also joined Citi Smith Barney as a financial adviser. A graduate of the University of Missouri, Brooks previously worked at Great Southern Financial Services Inc.

Kim Nichols, a certified financial planner and vice president of wealth management at Citi Smith Barney, earned her certified investment management analyst license from the Investment Management Consultants Association after completing a course and exam developed by the IMCA certification committee and staff and the faculty of The Wharton School of Business of The University of Pennsylvania. The curriculum includes study of asset allocation, ethics and due diligence.

Charles Spangler was appointed to the board of directors of Trust Company of the Ozarks. Spangler is chairman and president of First Independent Bancshares Inc. in Aurora; Countryside Bancshares Inc. in Republic; and Macks Creek Bancshares Inc. in Macks Creek. He also is on the boards of directors of Midwest Independent Bank in Jefferson City and Bates County Bancshares Inc.-Security Bank in Rich Hill.

Craig Dunn of Citizens National Bank participated in the Missouri Bankers Association’s Leadership Division Board, a professional development opportunity for young members of the banking community. The board is divided into seven groups, with two board members representing each group. Dunn represented the MBA’s Ozark Region, which includes most of southwest Missouri. During the board’s meeting, Dunn and other participants exchanged ideas, participated in continuing education and explored ways to promote financial education in Missouri.

Guaranty Bank earned a spot on the Top 200 Community Bank list in the June edition of U.S. Banker magazine. The list is based on a three-year average return on equity, which is a profitability ratio measuring how well equity capital is used. At No. 136 on the list, Guaranty Bank’s three-year return on equity average was 14.06 percent.

Sharon Crosswhite, a former financial analyst at Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., retired after 26 years in the accounting and finance division at AECI’s Springfield headquarters. She joined AECI in 1982, working her way to financial analyst from secretary and administrative assistant. Crosswhite was responsible for the cooperative’s cash management and short-term investments.

BKD LLP announced three promotions in the firm’s Springfield office. Rachel P. Dwiggins and Brian D. Todd were promoted to senior managers. Dwiggins is a member of BKD’s not-for-profit and government group, providing audit and consulting services for not-for-profit and government entities, colleges, universities and charitable organizations. She joined BKD after graduating magna cum laude from MSU in 1998. Todd is a member of BKD’s health care group, assisting for-profit, long-term care facilities with tax issues and reimbursement matters, and working closely with nonprofit health care entities. He is a 1999 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned a master’s degree in accounting.

Rebekah S. Wallace was promoted to managing consultant with BKD. A member of BKD’s health care group, she has more than 15 years of experience in coding, revenue-cycle management and operations. She also provides medical reimbursement consulting and operational reviews for physicians’ clinics, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics and behavioral health centers. [[In-content Ad]]