Newsmakers: May 18-24, 2026

Banking & Finance
Branson Bank promoted Norma Desrochers to assistant vice president and senior business relationships banker. With more than 29 years of banking experience, Desrochers has worked at Branson Bank for over 22 years.

Dana Havens, senior financial adviser and managing partner at Affinity Wealth Partners, was named by Forbes to the Top Women Advisors, Best-in-State list for the third consecutive year. Havens has more than three decades of experience in the financial services industry. She has a bachelor’s in business administration and economics from Drury University.

Education
College of the Ozarks hired Susan DeWoody as vice president for academic affairs and provost. Woody has a bachelor’s from Arkansas Tech University, a master’s from Northeastern State University and a doctorate from Dallas Baptist University. She has experience in higher education, academic strategy and institutional effectiveness, most recently working as president of Strata Leadership LLC, where she also served as an executive coach and consultant.

Engineering
Gary Pendergrass joined multistate engineering firm Olsson Inc. as a lead engineer with a specialization in geotechnical engineering. An alum of Missouri State University and Missouri University of Science and Technology, Pendergrass has a bachelor’s in engineering geology, stratigraphy and geological engineering and a master’s in geological engineering. Pendergrass has more than 40 years of industry experience, and he’s a registered professional engineer in Missouri and Arkansas, as well as a registered geologist and water tracer in Missouri.

Law
Carnahan Evans PC hired Clayton D. Campbell as an of counsel attorney, and his focus includes estate planning, wealth transfer strategies, and trust and estate administration. Campbell earned his bachelor’s from Evangel University, his master’s from Duke University Divinity School and his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law.

Manufacturing
Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co. promoted Sherry Barnes, Tara Coble, Brittany Gillig and Rebekah Mason. Named accounting operations manager, Barnes has worked at Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper for 10 years. She earned a bachelor’s in accounting and management from Upper Iowa University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Coble, who was promoted to accounting supervisor, has 25 years of experience in financial operations and analysis. Gillig, who was appointed as corporate controller, has a bachelor’s in agriculture business finance/marketing and sales and an MBA from Missouri State University. Mason, who has been promoted to quality assurance manager, joined the company in 2019.

SRC Holdings Corp. was named to the Best Evergreen Companies list by Tugboat Institute for the third consecutive year. The award honors privately held companies that exemplify the Evergreen principles of purpose, perseverance, people first, private, profit, paced growth and pragmatic innovation. SRC was recognized, in part, for its employee stock ownership plan and open-book management initiative.