Laura Ward, director of the Ozarks Regional Campus of Webster University, center, was one of 20 businesswomen honored Friday at Springfield Business Journal's eighth annual Most Influential Women event. Ward is pictured with SBJ Chief Financial Officer Dorothy Gardner, left, and SBJ Publisher Dianne Elizabeth Osis, right.

SBJ event honors businesswomen, raises money for organization

Dee Dee Jacobs

Posted online September 14, 2007 | 2:19 pm

About 650 people today stepped away from the office to honor 20 of the area’s Most Influential Women at Springfield Business Journal’s eighth annual event.

Held at University Plaza Convention Center, the event began with networking and a silent auction that raised $10,000 for Women in Need of the Ozarks. The auction sold nearly 200 items – ranging from spa treatments to flying lessons to designer bags – all donated from area businesses.

Attendees laughed along with exuberant emcee Kirk Elmquist, Springfield Cardinals vice president of sales and marketing, and were touched by returning keynote speaker Sara Lampe, Missouri representative for the 138th district, who recalled women who’ve made a difference in her life and encouraged women in the audience to influence others.

“It was the best event we’ve ever had,” said SBJ Publisher Dianne Elizabeth Osis. “We’ve honored 160 women now, and we’ve only barely scratched the surface.”

The 2007 class of Most Influential Women, in alphabetical order, is:

Tracey Barton, Skaggs Community Health Center; Gwen Beebe, Integrity Home Care; Nancy Bolduc, CoxHealth; Joyce Buxton, Buxton-Kubik-Dodd Inc.; Brenda Cirtin, city of Springfield; Kim Hamm, BKD LLP; Sue Head, College of the Ozarks; Lora Hopper, Springfield Public Schools; Sandy Howard, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce; Stephanie Ireland, Ireland & Associates Inc.; Shirley Lawler, Ozarks Technical Community College; Nancy O’Reilly, O’Reilly Health and Wellness Consultation Services LLC; Kelley Still, Drury University; Cyndy Teas, Camp Barnabas; Jean Twitty, community volunteer; Julie Vanvig Burnell, KTTS; Laura Ward, Webster University; Renette Wardlow, Christian County University of Missouri Extension; Anne Winkler, St. John’s Health System; and Mitzie Zerr, City Utilities.

Other highlights of the event included Women in Need’s donation of a 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass to Aimee Phillips, who fell into financial hardship after the January ice storm, and a raffle of a $6,000 dental treatment, won by June Ivanov.

Click here for additional photos from the event.

See the Most Influential Women special publication Monday at sbj.net or in SBJ’s Sept. 17 issue.[[In-content Ad]]