Newsmakers: Dec. 16-22, 2024

Accounting
Forvis Mazars’ southern Missouri practice unit promoted Kayla Bell, Nicole Conklin, Terri Mayfield, James Robertson, Melissa Sharp and Julie Thompson to director, and Catherine Bennett and Mark Lurtz to senior manager. Bell has a bachelor’s and master’s in accounting from Missouri State University; Conklin has a bachelor’s from Truman State University and master’s from MSU; Mayfield has a bachelor’s in accounting and business administration from Drury University; Robertson has a bachelor’s in accounting from Columbia College and Master of Accountancy from MSU; Sharp has an associate’s in accounting from Ozarks Technical Community College; Thompson has a bachelor’s and master’s in accounting from MSU; Bennett has a bachelor’s in accounting from MSU and Master of Accountancy; and Lurtz has a bachelor’s in business administration and marketing from University of Central Missouri.

Banking & Finance
Central Bank added lenders Jared Reeves and Joseph Land. Reeves, who was appointed assistant vice president and commercial loan office, has 14 years of banking experience and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. A commercial lender and trainee with four years of financial industry experience, Land has an associate’s in business from St. Charles Community College, a bachelor’s in finance and is working to complete an MBA at Missouri State University.

Education
Evangel University was named a 2025 Top Performer in Social Mobility in the Regional Universities – Midwest category by U.S. News & World Report. The Springfield school was 39th out of 164 universities, and for the first time, Evangel ranked among the top 100 regional universities in the Midwest.

Law
Gov. Mike Parson appointed David “Chuck” Replogle and Cynthia Black to a pair of local judgeships. Replogle, who was named circuit judge of the 30th Judicial Circuit, has a bachelor’s from Missouri Southern State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa. Black, who succeeds Replogle as associate circuit judge in Webster County, has a bachelor’s from Missouri State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Tourism
The Missouri Division of Tourism presented awards to Joseph Gidman and Kaitlyn McConnell at the Missouri Governor’s Conference on Tourism. McConnell, who operates local cultural preservation project Ozarks Alive, received the Navigator Media Award. The owner of Cafe Cusco, Van Gogh’s Eeterie and Chabom Tea & Spices, Gidman was selected for the Tracy Kimberlin Hospitality Award.

The Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce presented four community awards during the 2024 Lake Splash Community Awards Program and Annual Banquet. Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader was picked for the Guardian Award for his work as a first responder. Business of the Year honors went to White River Valley Electric Cooperative, a member-owned electric cooperative with a five-county service area. Branson West Mayor Nita Jane Ayres was honored with the Trailblazer Award for forging her own path in the area. Carrie Padilla received the Community Service Award for her volunteer work that includes serving as president of the Southern Stone County Fire Auxiliary.