Newsmakers: March 3-9, 2025

Banking & Finance
OMB Bank promoted Madison Foster to digital marketing manager after she joined the company in 2022 as marketing coordinator. Foster also recently earned the certified digital marketing professional designation from Digital Marketing Institute and the professional certified marketer in digital marketing designation from the American Marketing Association.

Education
Nixa Public Schools’ athletics program was recognized at the Exemplary Level of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association’s Quality Program Assessment. Fifty school districts have been recognized with the honor nationally, including three in Missouri.

Food & Beverage
Vital Farms, which operates its Springfield Egg Central Station in Partnership Industrial Center West, was recognized by Fast Company on its Brands That Matter list for the fourth consecutive year. The list recognized 121 companies for marketing efforts that demonstrate purpose, establish cultural relevance and resonate with customers.

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Hospital/Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation appointed directors to four positions in the areas of community relations and development, nursing, information technology and accounting. Tara Akins, the new director of community relations and development, has a bachelor’s in sports management, a master’s in education and technology and a master’s in administration from Southwest Baptist University. The health system’s new director of hospital nursing operations, Sara Hennessy has a bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and more than nine years of nursing leadership experience. Now serving as director of information technology is Jon Moores, a CMH employee for more than 16 years with a bachelor’s in computer information sciences from SBU. Jolene Warren, named director of revenue cycle, has a bachelor’s in nursing from Cox College and has worked at CMH for 26 years in nursing and administrative roles.

Shelbi Cockrum joined the staff of CoxHealth Cassville Clinic as a family nurse practitioner. With her nursing degree from Crowder College, Cockrum earned her master’s in nursing from Chamberlain University.

Community Springs Healthcare Facility, a CMH long-term care facility in El Dorado Springs, received a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Community Springs, which specializes in memory care, skilled nursing, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and independent living, received the top possible score.

Nonprofit
Friends of the Zoo, a nonprofit that supports Dickerson Park Zoo, added six board members in 2025. They are Ricci Bonebrake of Black Rabbit Designs; Sonya Kullmann Cox of O’Reilly Automotive Inc.; Chris Moss of Volt Credit Union; Lynlee Perretta of CoxHealth; Kelli Roberts of Drury University; and Matthew Suarez of Central Trust Co. Board members serve two three-year terms.