Newsmakers: July 13-19, 2026

Accounting
KPM CPAs & Advisors promoted Kylie Gillen, Grace Percival and Colton Thomas to senior accountants from staff. Both Gillen and Percival are certified public accountants. Gillen has a bachelor’s in accounting from Missouri State University; Percival has a bachelor’s in accounting from Southwest Baptist University; and Thomas has a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in accountancy from the University of Missouri.

Banking & Finance
Arvest Bank hired Nicole Hopkins as branch sales manager for its Republic location. With 17 years of banking industry experience, Hopkins has a bachelor’s from Missouri State University.

Volt Credit Union was recognized in the Best of Southwest Missouri 2026 Awards. Volt Credit Union was a gold winner in the credit union category and won two bronzes in customer service and mortgage companies.

Education
Joseph Western, associate professor of history at College of the Ozarks, received the school’s Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Excellence Award. The award recognizes professors for their teaching ability and impact on the lives and careers of students. Western has a master’s in historical theology from Concordia Seminary, a master’s in history from Saint Louis University and a doctorate in medieval European history from Saint Louis University.

The Branson Public Schools Board of Education received the Missouri School Boards’ Association’s Governance Team Award. The board has won the award 12 times since 2013. The award recognizes school boards for ongoing professional development and effective governance practices.

Government
The city of Nixa promoted Wesley Young to city administrator from assistant city administrator. Young has more than 20 years of state and local government experience. A certified public manager, Young has a master’s in public administration.

Healthcare
Noah M. Ruybal joined the staff at Citizens Memorial Hospital’s Behavioral Health Transitional Clinic at Bolivar Family Care Center. With more than six years of experience in mental health care, Ruybal previously worked at Compass Health Network. He has bachelor’s and master’s in social work from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

CMH announced the addition of board-certified anesthesiologist Jacob Podleski to its medical staff. Podleski earned his bachelor’s and doctor of medicine from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. He completed his anesthesiology residency at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

Law
Twibell Pierson LLC hired Tarek Masri as an associate attorney. Masri studied political philosophy at the University of Dallas, where he graduated summa cum laude, and concentrated in criminal law and trial advocacy at the Saint Louis University School of Law. After passing the bar, he spent more than three years at the Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Manufacturing
Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co. appointed Lori Nickerson as senior manager of commercial marketing. Nickerson has more than 25 years of industry experience, most recently working seven years at Keurig Dr Pepper.