Newsmakers: March 25-31, 2024

Accounting
FORVIS LLP ranked No. 9 for the second year in a row on Accounting Today’s list of the top 100 U.S. firms, with a reported $1.7 billion in 2023 revenue. Accounting Today also ranked KPM CPAs & Advisors and Abacus CPAs LLC Nos. 21 and 22, respectively, on the Midwest region, based on annual revenues and growth rates.

Banking & Finance
Kristy Chastain joined The Bank of Missouri as a senior vice president and senior commercial loan officer. With 20 years of banking experience, mostly in commercial lending, she holds a bachelor’s in mathematics from Missouri State University.

Education
The Ozark School District Board of Education hired Robert Hedgecorth as executive director of finance and business operations, effective July 1. He’s succeeding Lori Wilson, who was promoted to district superintendent. Hedgecorth, a 20-year education professional as a teacher and technology director, currently works as executive director of support services for the Smithville School District north of Kansas City. He holds a master’s in education from Baker University and a specialist degree in educational administration from William Woods University.

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation named Tim Francka as administrative director of long-term care and Rachel Wilhite, a registered nurse, as director of long-term care nursing operations. A CMH staffer for 35 years and licensed nursing home administrator since 1991, Francka previously was administrator of Parkview Health Care Facility and the administrative director of long-term care for the east side of CMH’s service area. He holds a bachelor’s in finance and general business from Missouri State University. Wilhite, with 28 years of experience in long-term care, previously was director of nursing at Parkview Health Care Facility for eight years and holds an associate degree in nursing from Mercy College of Health Professions at Southwest Baptist University.

CMH’s Parkview Health Care Facility appointed Ryan Skopec as administrator to succeed Francka and Michele Burkhart as nursing director to succeed Wilhite. Also, Jennifer Nelson was named the facility’s assistant director of nursing. Skopec, a licensed nursing home administrator, has five years of health care experience, including stints as administrator at facilities in Iowa. He previously was a dietary worker at Parkview. Burkhart has 25 years of experience, starting her career at Parkview as a nursing assistant, then seven years as a clinical quality director in Arizona, before returning to Parkview last year to work as assistant director of nursing. An eight-year health care veteran, Nelson has experience in hospital, skilled nursing and rehabilitation, hospice and behavioral health settings for organizations in Springfield, as well as Alabama.

Recognition
Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe selected Rachel Anderson and Winter Kinne, both of Springfield, and Teresa Parson, of Bolivar, for his third-annual Women of Achievement Awards. Eleven individuals statewide were recognized in conjunction with Women’s History Month.

Recreation / Tourism
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame promoted longtime employee Kari Norris to executive vice president, succeeding Marty Willadsen, who retired in 2022 after 18 years at the organization. Norris, who previously was vice president of marketing for the Hall of Fame and the Price Cutter Charity Championship since 2019, started with the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Retail
Maschino’s Store Manager Joan Nutting won the national Retailer of the Year Award for North America at the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Expo.