Accounting Davis, Lynn & Moots PC hired certified public accountants Eimee Wakefield and Misti Heide, both Missouri State University graduates, to serve in the firm’s audit department.
Elliott, Robinson & Co. staff accountant Wes Darnell passed his Missouri Bar examination in addition to his CPA certification. Darnell earned a law degree from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in accounting from Saint Louis University.
Donna Christian, a CPA and certified government finance manager, was appointed director of internal audit at MSU, effective Jan. 1. Christian reports directly to the school’s board of governors and works closely with the president. She holds a bachelor’s in accounting from MSU and has 24 years of auditing experience.
Banking BancorpSouth promoted Brandon Fisher to sales manager for the firm’s Springfield mortgage office and hired J.J. Zind as a mortgage loan officer. Fisher has 14 years of experience, previously as a mortgage loan officer, and Zind has nine years of experience.
Education Gov. Jay Nixon appointed Virginia Fry of Husch Blackwell LLP to the MSU Board of Governors. Subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate, Fry was selected to serve a term ending Jan. 1, 2019. The MSU board also elected officers Beverly Miller, volunteer executive director of the American Red Cross in Lebanon, as elected chairwoman; Steve Foucart, chief financial officer, as treasurer; and John McAlear, staff emeritus, as secretary.
Former MSU President Arthur Mallory was selected by the board of governors to receive the 2013 Bronze Bear Award. Mallory will be the 15th recipient of the award in December.
Nixon recognized Bolivar High School for its national Blue Ribbon Award. Bolivar was one of eight public schools in Missouri and 286 nationwide to be honored by the U.S. Department of Education for making significant progress to close achievement gaps.
Rick Breault, reading, foundations and technology professor at MSU, received a Fulbright award allowing the professor to study and research abroad. Breault will spend one semester teaching courses at the Ion Creanga Pedagogical Institute in Chisinau, Moldova.
Patrick Mureithi, an artist in residence at Drury University, visited Harvard University to screen and discuss his documentary, “Icyizere: hope,” as part of the university’s African Film Series. The film, which has been shown internationally, follows 10 survivors and 10 perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Southwest Baptist University was named one of America’s 100 Best College Buys by Institutional Research & Evaluation Inc. based on its affordability and factors that include the grade point averages of incoming freshman. More than 1,400 colleges and universities nationwide were considered.
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance recognized Drury University on its list of the country’s best values in private universities. Drury ranked No. 70 out of 100 private universities.
Four projects at three Springfield public schools are receiving part of the $50,000 headed to Missouri schools from U.S. Cellular and DonorsChoose.org. The local funded projects are Building Words for Brighter Futures and Building Sight Words at Jeffries Elementary School, Connect a Kindergartener to Books at Portland Elementary School and WISE Gals, connecting women to science and engineering careers, at Cherokee Middle School.
Government Nixa City Council selected Cindy Robbins to serve as city clerk. Robbins has worked since 1997 as a utility account supervisor in Nixa.
Rep. Lynn Morris, R-Ozark, represented Missouri at the 26th annual State Health Conference in Seattle. Morris, owner of Family Pharmacy Inc., serves on the Missouri Health Care Appropriations Committee, which oversees a state budget of $9 billion.
Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley earned the designation of certified municipal official from the Missouri Municipal League’s Municipal Governance Institute. Presley, recognized during the league’s annual conference, completed 16 credit hours of training.
The communities of Mansfield and Aurora were among 29 across the state recognized by the Missouri Community Betterment Board for their efforts to improve the quality of life for their residents. Mansfield won fourth place in Category III, and Aurora earned fourth place in Category VI.
Law Two area law firms and three lawyers were honored at The Missouri Bar annual meeting. The Greenwade Law Firm in Willard received a Pro Bono Publico Award recognizing service to persons in need of legal assistance. Husch Blackwell LLP, which has a Springfield office, earned a Young Lawyers’ Section Pro Bono Award. Timothy Garrison with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri was presented with the David J. Dixon Appellate Advocacy Award. Russell Dempsey of the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office received the Lon O. Hocker Award for achievement in trial advocacy. Derek Ankrom of Husch Blackwell received a Pro Bono Award from The Missouri Bar’s Young Lawyers’ Section.
Five partners from Neale & Newman LLP were named Super Lawyers in the 2013 edition of Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers magazine: Richard Owensby, estate planning and probate; Richard Schnake, appellate law; Kevin Hays Dunaway and Patrick Platter, workers’ compensation; and Brian Asberry, business litigation. Also, partner Jeffrey Goodnight was listed as a Rising Star in workers’ compensation.
Two attorneys from Polsinelli PC’s Springfield office also were listed as Super Lawyers in the magazine: Phillip Garrison, general and business litigation, and John Holstein, alternative dispute resolution, appellate law and general litigation.
Media The Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences inducted Fox KRBK owner Ted Koplar into the NATAS Gold Circle as a TV industry pioneer with 50 years of service.
Nonprofit The Chamber of Commerce Executives of Missouri elected Brent McCoy of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce as 2014 vice president. Also, Jeff Meredith of the Monett Chamber of Commerce was named a board member.
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
