People in the News

Education

Calvin Schlak has joined the academic department of Bryan College. His duties include the master instruction of computer programming students at the college. Schlak holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Evangel University.

Finance

Diane Whorton has joined Commerce Trust Company as vice president, trust officer and administrative team leader. Whorton, a certified trust and financial advisor, has 16 years of experience in the banking and trust industry. In her new position, Whorton is responsible for overseeing client service and personal account administration for the trust department's private client group.

BKD LLP announced a staff addition and a promotion.

Robert D. Haralson, RHIT, CCS, CCP, joined the Springfield office of BKD LLP as a senior consultant. Haralson previously served as a coding auditor for CoxHealth. He also was a member of the adjunct faculty at Ozarks Technical Community College, where he taught advanced medical coding. In his new position, Haralson provides coding and billing consulting services to federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, hospitals and physician clinics.

Gary W. Schafer II, CPA, was promoted from supervisor to manager at BKD LLP. Schafer is a member of the firm's manufacturing and distribution team. He provides consulting and financial reporting services to wholesalers, retailers and manufacturers. Schafer, a 1996 graduate of the Southwest Missouri State University Honors College with a degree in accounting and computer information systems, has experience in electronic data extraction and computerized auditing technology.

Law

Cory L. Collins joined the Springfield office of Husch & Eppenberger LLC as an associate in the firm's litigation practice group. Collins is a 2002 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law and a 1999 cum laude graduate of Southwest Missouri State University, where he earned a degree in political science. Collins previously was the co-owner and sales manager for Triple C Cycle.

Philanthropy

Thomas L. Slaight has been named president of the newly created Darr Family Foundation. The foundation operates exclusively for religious, charitable, educational, scientific and literary purposes.

Sports

Phil Wilson has signed a one-year contract extension and will serve as Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks' manager for the 2003 season. Wilson, head baseball coach at North Arkansas College in Harrison, Ark., has more than 20 years of experience in college coaching.

Sales

Barry Albrecht joined the staff of Kitchenland USA. He has 15 years of experience in outside sales and a background in construction. His new duties include outside and inside sales, working with contractors, homeowners, new construction and remodeling