__STEPHENS NAMED TO CORN COUNCIL__

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Clint Stephens of Advance was elected to the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council board of directors. He has farmed for 35 years, producing corn, wheat, soybeans and rice with his brother in Stoddard County. Stephens replaces Jim Stuever of Dexter, Missouri, on the MCMC board. Stephens will be nominated to the Missouri Corn Growers Association board at the organization's annual meeting in January.

__BEATTY IS LIBERTY UTILITIES PRESIDENT__

Michael D. Beatty is the new MidStates president of Liberty Utilities in Jackson. He has more than 27 years of experience in the natural gas industry and moved to the Jackson area in 2012 as director of engineering and compliance. Liberty's former MidStates president, David Swain, moved to New Hampshire to be president of Liberty Energy Utilities Corp.

__CHILDERS JOINS CUBA FINANCIAL__

Carol Childers joined Cuba Financial Group in Cape Girardeau as director of business development. She most recently worked for eight years as a branch manager at Commerce Bank in Cape Girardeau and has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.

__BOOTHEEL UNITED WAY DIRECTOR TO RETIRE__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- After nearly 40 years as director of the Sikeston/Bootheel Area United Way, Glenna Shy will step down from the position in the new year, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. Shy, who began her career at the United Way on Dec. 1, 1976, will work through January 2016. The Sikeston/Bootheel Area United Way supports agencies in Scott, Stoddard, New Madrid, Mississippi, Pemiscot and Butler counties.

__EDINGTON ON U.S. AND CANADA TOP 500__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The National Association of Expert Advisors announced that Lucas Edington was selected as one of the U.S. and Canada's Top 500 Marketing Experts. He will be given an award and recognized at a ceremony in front of more than 600 real estate agents, experts and industry insiders.

__KNOPPE, CLINE LEAD MOSSY OAK__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Stephanie Knoppe was top lister for September at Mossy Oak Properties, and Ronnie Cline was top producer for the month.

__WOOLARD PROMOTED AT MODERN WOODMEN__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Brandon Woolard was promoted to managing partner at Modern Woodmen of America. His office is at 1910 Greenwood Drive, Suite A, in Poplar Bluff.

__AMOS COMPLETES MODERN WOODMEN COURSE__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Patricia Amos, a Modern Woodmen of America representative in Sikeston, attained the Fraternal Insurance Counselor designation. To earn the designation, she devoted more than a year to meet the examination and career development criteria set by the Fraternal Field Managers Association.

__CAPE CVB DIRECTOR TAKING NEW JOB__

After 13 years at the helm of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chuck Martin is stepping down to take a position as executive director of the Missouri Travel Council. The announcement came in mid-October that Martin had gotten the job, filling the seat of current executive director Pat Amick, who announced her intention to retire earlier this summer.

__GOVERNOR PICKS DOBBINS FOR STATE BOARD__

Among Gov. Jay Nixon's newest appointments to the Mental Health Commission is Dr. Kenneth Dobbins. Dobbins recently retired as president of Southeast Missouri State University. He had worked at the university since 1991 and was president from 1999 to 2015. He previously worked at Kent State University and was an officer and civilian executive in the U.S. Air Force Audit Agency. He lives in Lake St. Louis. The governor appointed Dobbins for a term ending June 28, 2019.

__DEPRIEST RECEIVES A.C. BURROWS AWARD__

HAYTI, Mo. -- Delbert DePriest, a director at Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative, received the A.C. Burrows Award from the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives at its annual meeting Oct. 9 in Branson, Missouri. The award recognizes directors and employees of electric cooperatives for service to their cooperative, community and service areas, according to a news release. DePriest was first elected to serve on the Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative Board of Directors in 1985. A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, he taught high school business classes for 17 years and spent six years in the U.S. Army Reserve. He also has served on the SEMO Farm Bureau Board and spent time as president of the Pemiscot County Farm Bureau Board, Pemiscot County Extension Council and Missouri Cotton Producers Board.

__CAMPBELL NAMED TO STATE NURSING ORGANIZATION__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Dr. Staci Campbell, chair of Three Rivers College's Nursing and Allied Health Department, was named vice president of the Missouri Organization for Associate Degree Nursing, according to a news release from the college. Campbell will serve a two-year term as vice president, followed by a two-year term as president of the organization. Campbell began her career at Three Rivers as an instructor of nursing in 2008, became simulation lab coordinator in 2010 and took over as chair of nursing and allied health from 2012 to 2014. She left the college in June 2014 to pursue her doctorate and returned in July 2015 after receiving her Ph.D. in education, with a specialization in nursing education.

__CAPE CHAMBER RECOGNIZES EDUCATORS__

Area teachers were recognized Oct. 20 at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's Educator Appreciation Reception, and five were honored with an Educator of the Year award. There were 35 nominees for the award. Of those, eight were interviewed and five were selected, according to the chamber. Winning were: Pat Fanger, Prodigy Leadership Academy; Darren Neels, Clippard Elementary; Gina Herzog, Blanchard Elementary; Libby Wilson, Central Junior High School; and Brad Deken, Department of Polytechnic Studies at Southeast Missouri State University. Honorees received the Crystal Apple Award, a $500 check, resolutions of honor from the Missouri Legislature and a copy of a commemorative video shown during the event.

__SANDGREN-KEMPF DESIGNATED AS ST. KITTS SPECIALIST__

Carolyn Sandgren-Kempf, president and CEO of Elite Travel Inc. in Cape Girardeau, recently completed certification and is now a designated St. Kitts Agent Destination Specialist. Completion of the program fosters an ongoing dialogue with the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and provides exclusive benefits for customers of designated specialists, according to a news release.

__SULLIVAN JOINS DIRECT MEDIA SOLUTIONS__

Cheryl Sullivan joined Direct Media Solutions of Jackson as an account representative. She brings more than 35 years of sales, customer service and print experience to the position. Mark Guilliams, owner of Direct Media Solutions, said she will play a key role in local business development, customer relations and identifying "innovative solutions for our rapidly growing client base." Sullivan previously was an account representative at Concord Printing Services in Cape Girardeau.

__WOMACK NAMED CEO OF FARMINGTON CHAMBER__

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- The Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce announced on Oct. 27 the hiring of Richard "Dick" Womack as president/CEO of the organization, effective Nov. 2. According to the chamber, Womack brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the chamber, having chaired the organization in 1998 and as an active member of the board of directors for many years since. He also has worked as general manager of KTJJ/KREI/KJFF radio stations. Womack and his family have lived in Farmington since 1992.

__LOCALS NAMED TO DELTA LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE__

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Delta Regional Authority recently kicked off its 2015-2016 Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy with an orientation session in Memphis. Six community leaders from Missouri will join a class of 52 fellows from each of the eight Delta region states for the 11th class of the Executive Academy, a yearlong leadership development program. Missouri fellows include Penelope Davis-McGath of Poplar Bluff, executive director of Downtown Poplar Bluff Inc.; Maude Harris of Sikeston, who works at the University of Missouri Extension; Rachelle Johnson, administrator of the Mississippi County Health Department; Doug Friend of Fredericktown, city administrator/economic developer at the City of Fredericktown; Kristopher Klaus of Perryville, vice president of Klaus Construction; and Margaret Yates of Millersville, grant administrator at Southeast Missouri Regional Planning. Fellows were nominated by their respective governors to participate in the program, in which they will attend six sessions across the region and in Washington, D.C., to engage in advocacy training, case study discussions and field experiences of priority issue areas for the region, including workforce training and education, small business and entrepreneurship, public health, transportation and infrastructure and culture and tourism.

__HYSLOP EARNS FOUR MEDIA AWARDS__

DEXTER, Mo. -- Noreen Hyslop, general manager and managing editor at the Dexter Daily Statesman, received four 2015 Media Awards from the Missouri State Teachers Association. Awards were presented at MSTA's regional meeting in Cape Girardeau. Hyslop earned an honorable mention in the feature category, along with the awards for the features category, photography category and literacy programs category. The MSTA annually names recipients for Education Media Awards in the areas of newspapers, radio, TV, audio/visual, online content and website. Nominations are recognized on originality, impact, objectivity, timeliness, appeal and contribution to education.

__PIERCE EARNS EIGHTH CAR FOR MARY KAY SALES__

DEXTER, Mo. -- Jeri Pierce of Dexter, an independent Mary Kay sales director, earned the use of a new 2016 Chevy Cruze as a result of her outstanding achievements in her Mary Kay business. It is the eighth career car she has earned by meeting or exceeding goals set within the Mary Kay business.

__CROW, COUCH PROMOTED AT PROGRESSIVE FARM CREDIT__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Chad Crow was promoted to senior vice president/chief operations and marketing officer at the corporate office of Progressive Farm Credit Services, and Heather Couch was promoted to vice president/branch manager at the Sikeston branch. Both appointments were effective Oct. 1. Crow now will oversee the operations and business development activities for the Sikeston-based association's seven branch offices. For the past nine years, he had served as vice president/branch manager of the Sikeston branch, where he had also been a loan officer since 2003. Couch began her career at Farm Credit in 2010 as a loan officer at the Sikeston branch. She previously worked as a credit analyst and then a commercial lender at a local bank.

__MASCHMANN JOINS MAYBERRY SEED CO.__

ESSEX, Mo. -- Elliot Maschmann of Oran, Missouri, joined the staff of AgVenture yield specialists at Mayberry Seed Co. of Essex. Maschmann has served as a crop consultant for the past several years in Northeast Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel. He also has worked in the seed industry as a seed sales professional.

__JAMES, BEAN RECEIVE AG ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS__

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Riley James of New Madrid received the Governor's Agricultural Achievement Award, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. James is a fourth-generation farmer and third-generation cotton ginner who is a board member of the Missouri Cotton Growers Organization. He was 2014 president and is 2015 chairman of the board of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association. The award was presented to James on Oct. 21 by Richard Fordyce, Missouri's director of agriculture. Fordyce also presented an Agricultural Achievement Award to Jason Bean, a fifth-generation farmer who operates a 14,000-acre row crop farm consisting of rice, corn and soybeans in Gideon, Missouri.

__OZARK BORDER PAIR APPOINTED__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Stanley Estes, manager at Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, and employee Robert Henson were appointed to positions in the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives in Jefferson City, Missouri. Henson was appointed as a district representative to the Regulatory Compliance Committee and Estes was appointed as a district representative to the Training and Development Committee.

__SCHAEFER NAMED TEACHER OF THE YEAR__

Angie Schaefer, science teacher at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau, was named the Diocesan Distinguished Teacher of the Year during the Oct. 16 Diocesan Teachers Meeting. She was selected among all Catholic school faculty for the eastern side of the diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau. Schaefer is in her 29th year of teaching.

__LANE JOINS RADIO NEWS TEAM IN CAPE__

Tomielle Lane joined the KZIM/KSIM Radio news team in Cape Girardeau. She graduated from Sikeston Senior High School in Sikeston, Missouri, and Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. In her new role, she does live weekday broadcasts at noon and 5 p.m. as "Tom Lane."

__MCCOY LEADS CENTURY 21__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Melba Jean McCoy was top lister and top producer for September at Century 21 American Realty.

__KNODELL IS TOP PRODUCER__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Kurt Knodell was top producer for September at Poplar Bluff Realty Inc.

__MONDI JACKSON HONORS EMPLOYEES__

Mondi Jackson Inc. recently recognized the following employment anniversaries: Michael Brown, 20 years of service; David DeRousse, Steve Puchbauer and Gary Whitson, 15 years; Juanita "Gail" Kocher, 10 years; and Elizabeth Ponder, five years.