Newsmakers: Dec. 30, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025

Health Care
Citizens Memorial Hospital received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2024. It was one of 259 hospitals nationwide and one of 12 in Missouri to receive the honor. The award recognizes care for heart attack patients.

Shawndee Knight and Karona Paschke joined CMH as nurse practitioners. A women’s health nurse practitioner in the CMH OB/GYN Clinic, Knight has more than 24 years of experience in obstetrical and gynecological nursing and a master’s in nursing from Frontier Nursing University. With a master’s in nursing from Walden University and nearly a decade of nursing experience, Paschke works at the CMH Institute of Pain Management.

Family nurse practitioner Teresa Hagedorn joined the CMH Walk-In Clinic. With more than 20 years of nursing experience, Hagedorn earned her nursing degree from Crowder College School of Nursing and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Pittsburg State University.

Law
Corey Kilburn, founding attorney with RoundTable Legal LLC, was selected by Missouri Lawyers Weekly for The Power List for sports and entertainment law lawyers. Kilburn is one of nearly 30 attorneys on the list.

Defense attorneys Joseph S. Passanise and Thomas D. Carver of Wampler & Passanise PC were recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in America. Passanise, the firm’s manager partner, was recognized in Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and DUI/DWI Defense. Carver, of counsel at the firm, was recognized in Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White Collar.

Missouri Lawyers Weekly named Richard “Rick” Van Pelt of Van Pelt & Van Pelt PC to The Power List for family law. Van Pelt is one of nearly 30 attorneys on the list.

The Springfield Police Department promoted Matt Robinson to police services operations manager and Amber McMillian to senior investigative services specialist.

Springfield Police Department volunteers Brandon Gardner, Jack McCormack, Glynn Hall, Joe Ferwall, David Rendall and Danny Mullen were recognized by President Joe Biden’s office for their contributions to the department and the community. Hall and McCormack, who are police chaplains, were presented with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for accruing at least 4,000 hours of qualifying volunteer service. Hall and McCormack also received the President’s Volunteer Service Bronze Award along with Gardner, who is a police chaplain, and Handicapped Enforcement Action Team volunteers Mullen, Rendall and Ferwall. Each of the President’s Volunteer Service Bronze Award recipients volunteered between 100-249 hours in 2023.

Nonprofit
Ashley Casad and Jessica Harmison-Olson were appointed by the American Cancer Society as co-chairs of the 2025 Cattle Baron’s Ball of Southwest Missouri fundraiser. Harmison-Olson co-owns Maxon Fine Jewelry, and Casad serves as senior vice president and president of CoxHealth’s Springfield hospitals.