People in the News

Community

Jennifer Ihm has joined the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce as financial manager. She is responsible for maintaining all financial data for the chamber, its affiliates and associated groups. She also supervises accounting, purchasing and budget control procedures. Ihm received her master's degree from SMSU.

Anne Soots has been named the new executive director of the Dogwood Trails Council of the Girl Scouts. She has been a professional Girl Scout for more than 18 years, serving the past four as assistant executive director of Dogwood Trails. She holds a nonprofit management certificate from Case Western Reserve University.

Banking

Steve Hamm has been named branch manager of the Sunshine location of Commerce Bank. He has 18 years of experience with Commerce and most recently served as branch manager of the Ozark location. He received his bachelor of science degree in general business from SMSU in 1981.

Education

Steve Lesh has joined the physical therapy department at Southwest Baptist University as an assistant professor. He has a master's degree from Arkansas State University-Jonesboro and is completing a doctorate at Cotella University-Minneapolis, Minn.

Ted Brooks has been named account executive at New Horizons Computer Learning Center. Brooks has experience as a vice president of marketing and has marketed computerization and database systems.

Webster University has named the following instructors to teach during the Spring II term:

Brian Asberry, a partner with the law firm of Neale & Newman, will teach legal aspects of human resources management;

David Barrett, Joplin city prosecutor, will teach labor management relations at Webster's Joplin site;

C. Lance Griter, release project manager at McKesson HBOC, is teaching networking and telecommunications management;

Art Irish, director of technical services at St. John's Health Systems, will be teaching business information systems;

Anne Keckaley Johnson, budget management director at Cox Health Systems, will teach financial management in health services;

Terry Nigh, education coordinator for St. John's Health Systems, will teach research and assessment in human resources;

Eric Shinault, treasury administrator for City Utilities, is returning to teach advanced corporate finance and the managerial economics courses;

Don Tosh, PhD, chair of science and technology at Evangel University, returns this term to teach statistics for health care; and

Bill Wood, purchasing manager at Custom Metalcraft Inc., will teach economics.

Engineering

Thomas "Mike" McKinnis, PE, and Eugene Spreutels were added to the staff of ESC Inc., Engineers & Architects. McKinnis is a mechanical engineer with 27 years of experience performing project engineering. Spreutels is an AutoCAD designer with more than 12 years of experience working with AutoCAD, doing all types of engineering and architectural drawings.

Human Resources

Carrie Cousins, certified counselor, has been named senior placement specialist for Senior Recruiters Inc. at its new location, 3451 S. Campbell. She is responsible for matching job candidates to jobs. She does employee searches for companies that are having difficulty finding employees.

Manufacturing

Mark Harrell has joined the sales staff at Color-Graphic Printing Inc. His responsibilities include managing existing accounts and cultivating new clients. Harrell has sold sheet-fed and heat-set web commercial printing in the Springfield area for nine years.

Media

Steve Rippe has been hired to manage Springfield 33's creative services department. He has 19 years of experience in television with extensive experience in news and commercial production.

Jo Sfortunato has joined Springfield 33's sales department. She has 19 years of experience in broadcast sales and worked for the past seven years in media sales for KOLR-TV. Sfortunato will focus on developing local advertising business for the station.

Technology

Donna Fishel has joined DataTrade Inc. as marketing manager. She will oversee the development and implementation of marketing programs for the company's digital report management and archival products. Fishel received her master's degree in communication from Georgia State University and her bachelor's degree in journalism and marketing from the University of Georgia.

Michael J. Pratt has joined DataTrade Inc. as vice president of sales. Pratt has more than 20 years' experience in the information technology industry. Most recently Pratt was vice president of sales and marketing for PMS Diversified in Dallas. He will lead the national sales team for DataTrade.

Telecommunications

Richard Telt-horst has been named president and chief operating officer at the Missouri Telecommunications Industry Association. The association's voting membership includes more than 50 member companies providing phone service in Missouri. Telthorst also serves as the association's primary liaison with state regulators, legislators and other stakeholder groups.

Travel

Cheryl Evans, CTC, director of operations, has returned to Great Southern Travel's Branson Great Getaways and Branson Box Office divisions. Evans is the former co-owner and manager of Fox Tours Ozarks Hospitality, specializing in inbound tours to Branson.

Brian Garrison has been promoted from sales manager to director of sales and marketing for Great Southern's Great Group Getaways and Branson Box Office divisions. He previously worked with two theaters in Branson.

Debbie Kitchen has been promoted to office and financial manager at Great Southern Travel. She has been with Great Southern for three years and has worked seven years in the tour and hotel business.