Newsmakers: March 18-24, 2024

Cannabis
Readers of Missouri cannabis industry magazine Greenway selected several Springfield area businesspeople and companies for the 2024 Greenway Best of the Industry awards: Carnahan Evans PC attorney Joseph D. “Chip” Sheppard III, best industry lawyer; Heartland Labs Operations Director Maddi Pearcy, Executive of the Year and Woman of the Year; Flora Farms, Best Cultivator; Ozarks Protective Services, Best Security Company; Big Time Logistics, Best Transportation Company; and Heartland Labs – FECO Transdermal Patch, Best Topical. Recipients were nominated by readers, who then cast over 100,000 votes statewide.

Education
New Covenant Academy appointed Tim Casey as chief academic officer beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. He’s served as fifth-to-eighth-grade principal for two years and holds a doctorate in education from Liberty University.

Branson High School Principal Jack Harris was named 2024 Jim L. King Missouri High School Principal of the Year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. Recognized for his leadership and contributions to the school community, Harris has worked 13 years as an administrator and the past eight years in his current role.

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Hospital added certified family nurse practitioner Shelby Bailey at its Health & Wellness Clinic. With a bachelor’s in nursing from Southwest Baptist University and a master’s in nursing-family practitioner from Maryville University, she previously worked as a family nurse practitioner hospitalist at Mercy Hospital Springfield and in the same role for a hospital in Iowa.

Mercy Hospital Springfield ranked No. 107 on Money.com’s list of the 115 best hospitals of 2024. The only hospital listed in Missouri, Mercy received an overall B grade and a B-plus for price transparency.

The Alliance for Healthcare Education named Shallina Goodnight as executive director. She’s worked in health care for 20 years, including the role of administrative director for CoxHealth at Home.

Human Resources
Human Resource Advantage LLC added Anita King as learning and development adviser. She has 22 years of HR experience, including diversity and leadership development training and employment investigations.

Manufacturing
Sam Smith, president of home furniture for Leggett & Platt Inc., was appointed as a senior vice president and president of furniture, flooring and textile products, effective April 2, upon the retirement of Steve Henderson. Smith has been a company employee since 2014. Henderson also led the manufacturer’s specialized products division, which President and CEO Mitch Dolloff will oversee in the interim.

Ryan Kleiboeker was promoted to executive vice president and chief strategic planning officer at Leggett & Platt. A company employee since 2005, he’s served as SVP over strategic planning since mid-2023.

Marketing
ADsmith Marketing and Advertising hired Emily Falbe as an account executive. She holds a bachelor’s in business analysis from Missouri State University.

Nonprofit
Wes Buchholz was promoted to vice president of programs at Council of Churches of the Ozarks Inc. He previously worked three years as director of the nonprofit’s food pantry, Crosslines.

Real Estate
Viviana Writer was promoted to partner and chief operating officer at Prosperiti Partners LLC. She’s worked for the company six years and also is a partner and principal broker of related business Prosperiti Brokers LLC.