People in the News

Accounting

Shelley A. Peeper, CPA has been hired as a staff accountant at the Springfield-based CPA firm of Kirkpatrick, Phillips & Miller, CPAs, PC. Her primary responsibilities include assisting with general tax, audit and accounting engagements. Peeper has two years of taxation experience in public accounting. She is a December 1999 summa cum laude graduate of Southwest Missouri State University with a bachelor of science degree in accounting.

Law

Blackwell Sanders Pe-per Martin announced the election of 19 new partners in the firm. Two attorneys elected as partners serve in the firm's Springfield office: Bob Lawson Jr. and Brian D. Malkmus.

Jacinda A. Thudium joined the Springfield office of Lathrop & Gage LC. Her practice is concentrated in workers' compensation defense and claimants' cases. She is a 1993 cum laude graduate of Columbia College, and she earned her juris doctor degree in 1996 from the College of Wil-liam and Mary School of Law. Prior to joining Lathrop & Gage, Thud-ium was in private practice in Springfield.

Manufacturing

Rita Needham was named the first executive director of the Spring-field Area Manufactur-ers Association. Pre-viously, she served the organization as its community affairs director and as chair of its education task force. As executive director, Needham is re-sponsible for managing the daily affairs of SAMA and coordinating and assuming a leadership role in SAMA projects and events. She also will work with SAMA's executive committee in developing long-term plans for the organization. Needham holds a bachelor of science degree in education from Southwest Missouri State University, and she also serves as manager of education programs for Positronic Industries Inc.

Marketing

Julie Tumy was promoted to president of Noble & Associates' Food-Away-From-Home practice. Tumy is re-sponsible for facilitating the BrandMotion and brand-building activities for food-service clients, which entails providing go-to-market strategic direction and vision, managing account services, and elevating client businesses through strategic partnerships, customer development and innovative sales programs.

Tumy has been with Noble for more than 13 years. During her time with the company, she has led client services for Tyson Foods Inc., Campbell's Food-service, French's Foodservice, Frito-Lay, Inc., Basic American Foods, J.M. Smucker Company, Master-FoodSer-vices and Pillsbury Foodservice. Prior to her promotion, Tumy served as executive vice president of the Food-Away-From-Home practice.