People in the News

Banking

Lisa Estes has been promoted to loan processor/lending assistant at Liberty Bank. She has been with the company for two years and is located at its Campbell Avenue location.

Susan Gann has been promoted to mortgage loan originator at Lib-erty Bank's Sunshine Street location. She has more than 13 years' ex-perience in the banking sector.

Lenora Waters has joined Liberty Bank as a loan processor. She has more than five years of experience in banking and is located at the bank's Campbell Avenue facility.

Community

Amy Webb has joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks as a case manager. She has experience in child care and the Better Beginnings Program, and she has served as a parent educator intern at the Parenting Life Skills Center. Webb has a bachelor of social work degree.

Insurance

Pam Harp has joined Barker Phillips Jackson Inc. as a personal lines customer service agent. Harp has worked in the insurance industry for 13 years. For the last five years, she was executive vice president for a local wholesale insurance broker.

Utilities

The Empire District Electric Company an-nounced four new management selections.

David Gibson was elected vice president of regulatory services at Empire. He became vice president of finance after serving as general manager of finance in 2001. Gib-son's previous positions at Empire include director of finances and assistant secretary, director of financial and regulatory accounting, and director of corporate planning. He joined the company in 1979 as a senior auditor.

William L. Gipson was elected president and chief executive officer of Empire beginning May 1, 2002. He has worked as executive vice president and chief operating officer since 2001. Prior to these positions, he served the company as vice president, general manager and director of commercial operations. Before that he was manager of economic development with Empire. He joined the company in 1981 in the area of information technology.

Gregory Knapp was elected vice president of finance and chief financial officer. Most recently he was named general manager of finance for the company.

Prior to this, he held a position with the Missouri Depart-ment of Transportation as controller. Overall, he has 22 years of employment with Empire in the positions of controller, assistant treasurer and director of auditing.

Myron McKinney, president and chief executive officer, was elected chairman of the board effective May 1, 2002. His previous positions with Empire were as ex-ecutive vice president, member of the board of directors and vice president of customer services. He joined the company in 1967 in the customer service department.