Accounting Afton Weimer was named a partner with Jack E. Weimer CPA PC. With a bachelor’s in accounting from Southern Methodist University, Afton Weimer previously worked for certified public accounting firm Deloitte LLP.
Banking Dominic Karaba joined UMB Bank as executive vice president of small-business sales. Working out of Denver but covering a region that includes Springfield, Karaba is responsible for developing the bank’s small-business sales strategy throughout its eight-state footprint.
UMB Bank promoted Justin Butler to assistant vice president of commercial banking in the Springfield region. With a bachelor’s in business administration from Drury University, Butler has five years of experience and previously worked as a commercial banking officer.
John Wagaman joined Hawthorn Bank’s Springfield office as senior vice president and commercial loan officer. Wagaman comes to Hawthorn with 30 years of banking experience, working most recently at Ozark Bank.
Guaranty Bank named Jackie Humphreys a loan administration manager. A Drury graduate, Humphreys has 10 years of local banking experience.
Education Discovery Garden Montessori School received full membership from the American Montessori Society, recognizing the school’s certified Montessori teachers in each classroom.
Southwest Baptist University recognized three faculty members and a staff member at its fall convocation. Theology department Chairman Bing Bayer was named the Orien B. Hendrix Distinguished Teacher, selected by the current and three previous graduating classes for teaching ability and personal guidance. Music professor Kathy Brown received the 2013 Parkway Distinguished Teacher Award, selected by an education committee at Parkway Baptist Church in St. Louis among the four Missouri Baptist colleges. Tao Wei, an associate professor of biology and medical researcher at SBU, was named Faculty Newcomer of the Year. Wei holds a medical degree from Henan Medical University in China and a Ph.D. in microbiology from Uppsala University in Sweden. Charlotte Marsch, director of marketing, was named Staff Newcomer of the Year. Marsch, who holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from SBU, worked for 16 years with the Bolivar Herald-Free Press.
Nixa High School was designated as a 5-Star Leadership School among 20 selected by the Missouri State High School Activities Association.
Government Eva Pelkey was named manager of the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library. Pelkey, who has worked for the Springfield-Greene County Library District since 2009, holds a master’s in library science from the University of Missouri.
Springfield Police Department Lts. Ben King and Vance Holland were promoted to the rank of captain. King, a department employee since 1994, was assigned to the Uniform Operations Bureau as the commander for the South District Station. Holland, who has worked for Springfield PD since 1996, was assigned as commander of the Support Services Division.
Health Care Missouri Eye Institute hired Dr. Alex Kartvelishvili as a retina specialist serving patients with macular degeneration and diabetes-related issues with the interior eye. Kartvelishvili completed his fellowship training at the Valley Retina Institute in McAllen, Texas, and previously worked as a resident in the ophthalmology department at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center.
Tri-Lakes Community Health Center added Dr. Wes Mullen to its dental staff. Mullen is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Nonprofit Enactus United States hired Addie Layne and Kaleb Valdez as regional program managers responsible for prospective Enactus college teams. Layne, who holds a bachelor’s in marketing and advertising from Central Methodist University, oversees schools in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Valdez, who holds a bachelor’s in entrepreneurship from Brigham Young University-Hawaii, works with teams in Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Retail Metro Appliances & More promoted five-year employee Dave Wicklund to regional general manager for the northern region, which covers stores in Springfield, Joplin, Springdale, Ark., Tulsa, Okla., and Wichita, Kan.
Transportation Prime Inc. named contractor Chad Daniel, of Springfield, its Contractor of the Year in the refrigerated division.[[In-content Ad]]
Springfield event venue Belamour LLC gained new ownership; The Wok on West Bypass opened; and Hawk Barber & Shop closed on a business purchase that expanded its footprint to Ozark.
