Nixon picks two locals for state board, committee

Two local businesspeople - Thomas Strong, of Springfield, and Dr. Kecia Leary, of Nixa - have been selected by Gov. Jay Nixon to serve on a state board and committee.

The appointees are subject to confirmation by the Missouri Senate.

Strong, an attorney with Strong, Garner & Bauer PC, was appointed to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. The nine-member board comprises representatives from each congressional district and guides the activities of the Missouri Department of Higher Education, according to an Oct. 13 news release from the governor's office.

Strong graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1955 and has practiced in Springfield since 1957. He founded Strong, Garner & Bauer PC in 1976, according to the firm's Web site.

Strong is a member of The Inner Circle of Advocates, a leading national organization of trial lawyers, and has served as president of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, the Missouri Board of Law Examiners and the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, according to the site.

Strong's term would end June 27, 2012.

Leary was appointed to the MO HealthNet Oversight Committee, which reviews health practices, reports, social and behavioral outcomes, use of evidence-based medicine and other practices as required by the Missouri Department of Social Services, the release said.

Leary, a pediatric dentist, is the associate dental director for Jordan Valley Community Health Center. She started with Jordan Valley in 2007, according to its Web site.

She also provides services as a resource on pediatric dental issues for the Missouri Primary Care Association, a nonprofit membership organization supporting access to comprehensive health care.

Her term would end Oct. 30, 2011, pending senate approval.[[In-content Ad]]