Newsmakers: May 25-31, 2026

Banking & Finance
Arvest Bank promoted Chelsey Hanger and Macy Kritch to branch sales managers in Branson and Springfield, respectively. Hanger has five years of banking industry experience, and Kritch has been an Arvest employee since 2022.

Branson Bank promoted Stacy Cash to assistant vice president and business services and operations officer. Cash has more than 16 years of banking industry experience.

Education
College of the Ozarks named Josh Mawhorr as the fifth head men’s basketball coach in the history of the program. Mawhorr previously served as assistant men’s basketball coach at College of the Ozarks during the 2023-24 season and most recently worked as a graduate assistant with Baylor University men’s basketball. Mawhorr has a bachelor’s in business management from Indiana Wesleyan University, a seminary certificate completed in 2024 and a master’s in sports management from Baylor University.

The Lance, Evangel University’s student newspaper, won Best in State-All Divisions at the Missouri College Media Association/Missouri Broadcast Educators Association awards ceremony. Best In State honors are awarded by the Missouri College Media Association. Additionally, editor Madison Mabry, a senior, and managing editor Morgan Sparks, a junior, received the traveling Avis Meyer Perpetual Cup.

Government
Gov. Mike Kehoe appointed southwest Missouri residents Bob Bromley, Warren Brooks, Douglas Healy and John Black to the newly formed Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force. Bromley is a state representative from Carl Junction who serves as chair of the Missouri House of Representatives Committee on Utilities. Brooks is vice president of electric operations at City Utilities of Springfield. Healy is an attorney at Healy Law Offices LLC, an energy law firm. Black is a state representative from Marshfield.

Healthcare
Citizens Memorial Hospital added Dr. Brett Neill to its CMH Dermatology Clinic in Bolivar. A board-certified dermatologist and Mohs and reconstructive surgeon, Neill completed his medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and his dermatology residency, including integrated Mohs training, at the University of Kansas. Neill additionally completed a fellowship in Mohs micrographic and reconstructive surgery at Epiphany Dermatology Skin Cancer Institute and a fellowship in procedural dermatology at Oregon Health and Science University.

CMH recognized auxiliary volunteer Kent Brummell with the 2026 Lillian Hutcheson Award. The award is named for Lillian Hutcheson, the founder of the auxiliary program, and is given to outstanding volunteers. Brummell has volunteered 6,887 hours since 2017 in areas such as the hospital information desk. The auxiliary has 300 volunteers who donate nearly 30,000 hours annually.

Law
Andy Peebles, an attorney at Carnahan Evans PC, was named the Missouri Advisor of the Year by the American Cancer Society. An estate planning attorney, Peebles has advised clients on making donations to the American Cancer Society. Peebles earned a bachelor’s in history and Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri.