Newsmakers: Sept. 24-30, 2018

Architecture
Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc. added Misty Brubaker as office assistant, and Megan Evans and Jon Gruett joined the firm as student architectural interns. Brubaker has experience in customer and public service from the retail, food and heath care industries. Evans and Gruett are in their fourth and fifth years, respectively, studying architecture at Drury University.

Banking and Finance
Kayla Jones joined Guaranty Bank as a residential lender. She has worked in banking since 2005, mostly with Central Bank of the Ozarks where she served the last two years as a banking center manager. Jones works out of Guaranty Bank’s Farmers Park office.

Communications
Mediacom Communications Corp. promoted Art Samuel to group vice president for the OnMedia advertising sales division in Springfield. He was previously a division vice president and has been with the company for 13 years. 

Education
Washington Monthly magazine ranked College of the Ozarks as the top school in the Midwest in its Best Bang for the Buck category and third in the Baccalaureate College category out of the 150 schools on the list. Rankings for the publication’s 13th annual list emphasized social mobility, research, and community and national service.

Paul Lewis, associate dean of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary of Evangel University, was elected to the Association of Professors of Mission’s executive committee. He and his wife worked 23 years as AG missionaries before he joined the AGTS faculty in 2012. Lewis is the first AG member to serve in APM leadership; next year, he’ll be appointed first vice president and president in 2020.

Government
The Missouri Century Foundation honored Rep. Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, and Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, with the Missouri Centurion Award. Among five selected statewide, the foundation chooses legislators of the year for advancing free-market, forward-looking policies that help ensure the long-term health of Missouri’s economy. It’s the first time the award went to more than one legislator.

Health Care
Integrity Home Care Inc. promoted Ashley Espy to executive director of hospice. She previously worked as Integrity’s hospice administrator over southern Missouri and has 10 years of nursing experience. Espy, a military veteran, earned an associate degree in nursing from Cox College and a bachelor’s in nursing from Western Governor’s University.

Leslie Smith joined Loehr Chiropractic and Acupuncture LLC as office manager of the Springfield clinic. Former Office Manager Jessica Simmerman was promoted to director of operations to oversee policies and procedures for all of the company’s clinics.

U.S. News ranked Mercy Hospital Springfield fourth in Missouri and awarded high performance in eight adult procedures/conditions: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, colon and lung cancer surgeries, heart bypass surgery, hip and knee replacements, and heart failure.