Newsmakers: Dec. 5-11, 2022

Accounting
Financial adviser Skylar W. Smith was named shareholder of KPM CPAs & Advisors and partner of KPM Wealth Advisors LLC. With a dozen years’ experience in financial services, he practices asset management, insurance planning, retirement income planning and lifestyle management.

Architecture
Brandon White, a designer at Dake Wells Architecture Inc., completed the architectural registration exams to become a registered architect and member of the American Institute of Architects. He holds a master’s in architecture from Drury University and has worked for Dake Wells since 2018.

Banking & Finance
Joseph Swisshelm was named vice president of commercial loans at Regent Bank. He has 14 years of industry experience, including stints as a chief financial officer, appraisal review officer and financial adviser.

Guaranty Bank appointed James R. Batten as board chair, succeeding Jim Anderson, chair the past eight years. Batten, a certified public accountant, has worked as CFO of International Dehydrated Foods and held leadership roles at Convoy of Hope, O’Reilly Automotive and The Whitlock Co. He’s served on Guaranty Bank’s board of directors for 16 years.

Health Care
Dr. Tara Cash of Cash Family Orthodontics was named the 2022 Missouri Dental Association Dentist of the Year during its annual banquet in Jefferson City. Cash was chosen for her transformational work to develop therapies for lip and tongue ties in newborns, having performed over 400 procedures in the past six years. She’s also served the past eight years as chair of the Greater Springfield Dental Society’s screening program for children.

Citizens Memorial Hospital hired Dr. Benjamin E. Nelson as a hospitalist. He holds a doctorate in osteopathic medicine from A.T. Still University – Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine at University Hospitals Osteopathic Consortium in Ohio.

Law
Van Pelt & Van Pelt PC was named a 2023 Best Law Firm for family law by U.S. News. The firm was selected to Tier 1 in the Springfield metropolitan area based on peer reviews and client and lawyer evaluations.

Military
Honor Flight of the Ozarks added five board members: Gary Doucey, a retired law enforcement officer; Charles Jerman, retired from the Shrine of the Holy Spirit in Branson; Chaz Koeppen, owner of Cafe B-29 in Ozark; Tom Marty, a retired U.S. Army colonel; and Ron McCall, a retired U.S. Air Force member. The organization made three flights to Washington, D.C., in 2022, allowing 238 veterans to visit their memorials.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, honored College of the Ozarks Chancellor Jerry C. Davis with a Patriot Award for extraordinary support of school employees and their family members who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Davis was nominated by Cpt. Alex Eaton-Williams, an assistant professor of military science at C of O and a member of the Army National Guard.

Nonprofit
Life360 Community Services hired Larry Long as director of fundraising and special projects. He’s worked as executive director of multiple Boys and Girls Clubs across the United States, most recently in Durant, Oklahoma, 2016-21.

Tourism
Melissa Evans, group sales manager for the Springfield Convention & Visitor Bureau, became a certified faith-based meeting professional by the Religious Conference Management Association. She completed a series of classes and a test for meeting planners, and the certification is valid for five years.