__SIKESTON REALTORS AWARDED DESIGINATIONS__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Guy Preston, Kelly Brown and Karen Buchheit of Coldwell Banker Professional Associates were awarded the Seller Representative Specialist designation from the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Mangers. All were required to complete a course in seller representation, pass an exam and subscribe to the Realtor Code of Ethics. The trio also were awarded the Accredited Buyer's Representation designation from the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council of the National Association of Realtors. They were required to complete a course in buyer representation and an elective course on a buyer representation specialty, as well as submit documentation verifying professional experience.

__FOOD BANK ADDS THREE TO BOARD__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Gary Elders, Eddie Craft and Dave Thomason joined the Southeast Missouri Food Bank's board of directors. Elders is general manager of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Cape Girardeau; Craft works at Procter & Gamble Co.; and Thomason is vice president and general manager of KFVS12 and The Heartland's CW (WQWQ).

__SIKESTON HIRES PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dustin Care was hired as parks and recreation director for the City of Sikeston. Care, of Bonner Springs, Kansas, has a bachelor's degree in recreation and park administration from Western Kentucky University. He previously worked since 2007 as a recreation coordinator for Bonner Springs and was a recreation assistant in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, from 2004 to 2007. His first day in his new role was Dec. 1. He replaces Jiggs Moore, who will retire Jan. 8 after nearly 26 years with the City of Sikeston.

__MONDI JACKSON HONORS EMPLOYEES__

Theresa Davis of Jackson was employee of the month for October at Mondi Jackson Inc. Davis, a BEL operator, has worked at the company since Feb. 18, 2013. Dennis Way of Jackson was employee of the month for November. He is a conversion operator and has worked at Mondi since Aug. 28, 1995. Mondi Jackson also recognizes the following employment anniversaries: Lisa Seyer, 20 years of service; Sharon Wiseman, 15 years; Todd Blissett, Michael Dugan, Jerene Lovell and Katherine Shirrell, 10 years; and Scott Patrick, five years.

__KENNEDY APPOINTED TO HIGHER ED BOARD__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon reappointed Douglas R. Kennedy of Poplar Bluff to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. The board coordinates the state system of higher education, which includes 13 public four-year colleges and universities, 17 public two-year community colleges, one public two-year technical college, 25 independent colleges and universities, 120 proprietary schools and 39 specialized independent schools and colleges and theological institutions. Kennedy has practiced law in Poplar Bluff for 30 years and is a partner in the firm of Kennedy, Kennedy, Robbins & Yarbro. He also is a cattle farmer. The governor reappointed him for a term ending June 27, 2020.

__1ST CLASS AGENTS ATTEND TRAVEL SUMMIT__

Representatives of 1st Class Travel in Cape Girardeau attended the The Mark Travel Corporation's 2015 Summit at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico, from Oct. 24 to 28. During the summit, travel agent Jennifer Christensen and marketing manager Leigh Segraves attended workshops, met with hoteliers and heard from keynote speakers, among other activities.

__WALLIS JOINS BAYER__

Darren Wallis joined Bayer as vice president and head of communications for the CropScience division. Wallis is the son of Jim and Rhoda Wallis of Millersville and is a 1988 Jackson High School graduate. In his new position, he will be responsible for all internal and external corporate communications, a news release from Bayer stated. He will be based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Wallis has more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications and most recently worked at Monsanto in St. Louis.

__WARD RECEIVES SENIOR SERVICE AWARD__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Stacey Ward, a 30-year employee of Three Rivers College, received a Missouri Community College Association Senior Service Award at the organization's annual conference in November. Ward, coordinator of library public services, has worked at Three Rivers' Myrtle Rutland Library since 1984. He was a student at Three Rivers in 1984 when he first landed a job at Myrtle Rutland Library, which had been completed just a few years before.

__MCKELVEY HIRED AS LOAN OFFICER__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Cooper McKelvey was hired as a loan officer at Progressive Farm Credit Services in Sikeston. He will be responsible for cultivating and continuing relationships with current and prospective Progressive customers, according to a news release. For the past three years, he was a branch manager and lender for a local bank.

__CASTRO NAMED TO AT&T POST__

Jomo Castro, regional director of external affairs for AT&T, is now representing AT&T in Cape Girardeau County. He will be the point of contact for AT&T handling inquiries as well as legislative and community affairs initiatives, according to a news release from the company. He also will assist with new technology deployment and infrastructure investment by collaborating with community leaders, legislators, local and regional business leaders and customers. Castro lives in Webster Groves, Missouri, and has worked at AT&T for more than 15 years.

__FOUR LOCALS NAMED TO DELTA LEADERSHIP NETWORK__

The Delta Regional Authority recently announced four Southeast Missouri members of the Delta Leadership Network were selected to attend an executive education training Nov. 15 to 18 at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Selected were Perryville city administrator Brent Buerck; Dennis Vinson of Signature Packaging in Jackson; Valerie Blackmon of Valerie Blackmon Accounting and Consulting in Sikeston, Missouri; and Missy Marshall, director of Three Rivers College's Sikeston campus. The four-day course focused on "cutting-edge leadership principles in the U.S.," a news release from the Delta Regional Authority stated.

__HICKS JOINS P.B. REALTY__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Carla Hicks of Poplar Bluff joined Poplar Bluff Realty Inc. as a real estate agent. She has worked in sales for more than 20 years.

__RICKMANS LEAD MOSSY OAK__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Rickman Team was top lister and top producer for October at Mossy Oak Properties Mozark Realty. The Rickman Team consists of Sandy Rickman and her son, Chris Rickman.

__WHITTEN, DAVIS TOP COLDWELL__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Terri Whitten was top producer for October at Coldwell Banker Ruth Holloway Realty, and Brent Davis was top lister for the month.

__PRESSON NAMED TO CAREER SERVICES POST__

Daniel Presson was named coordinator of employer relations in Southeast Missouri State University's Office of Career Services. Presson, who began his new duties Nov. 2, is concentrating his efforts on enhancing employer relations and outreach, including creating marketing materials, increasing participation in on-campus recruitment events and leading additional employer-related efforts. Presson previously served as assistant director of admission for transfer recruitment in Southeast's Office of Admissions, where he had been employed since 2013.

__ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TO RETIRE__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston's director of economic development announced his intention to retire, but he's giving the city plenty of time to find and hire a replacement, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. Ed Dust, director of the Sikeston Department of Economic Development, will retire Dec. 31, 2016. He has overseen the department since June 1, 2004.

__SOUTHEAST SELECTS NEW PROVOST__

Karl Kunkel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, has been named provost at Southeast Missouri State University, officials announced Nov. 18. Through a nationwide search, 110 candidates were reviewed, and Kunkel was one of five finalists who visited Southeast for campus interviews in late October. Kunkel will begin his new duties Feb. 15, at a salary of $190,000, according to the university. He will succeed interim provost Gerald McDougall, who will return to his position as associate provost of Extended and Online Learning, dean of the Harrison College of Business and executive director of the Missouri Innovation Corporation. The provost is Southeast's chief academic officer and is responsible for nine colleges and schools at the university.

__BILL COMSTOCK APPOINTED CHIEF CREDIT OFFICER__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Bill Comstock was named chief credit officer at Progressive Farm Credit Services in Sikeston. He will oversee all aspects of credit and credit administration within the association, according to a news release from Progressive. Comstock has 25 years of experience in credit, sales and business management. He most recently was chief relationship officer at Farm Credit of the Virginias. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor's degree in agriculture science. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and certified management accountant.

__PAYNE NAMED LEADING LAWYER__

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Cape Girardeau native Rich Payne was named a Leading Lawyer by the Law Bulletin Publishing Co., a distinction given only to the top 5 percent of lawyers. The honor is awarded annually through a rigorous peer review and vetting, according to a news release from Robinson Payne LLC. Payne was founding and managing partner of Richmond A. Payne and Associates in Cape Girardeau. He now lives and works in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

__DENTON ATTENDS CONFERENCE__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Dairel L. Denton Jr. attended the Elite Retreat conference hosted by his broker-dealer, HD Vest Investment Services. Denton qualified to attend the November conference with 200 other financial services professionals in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has been an adviser for HD Vest since 1987 and has had an office in Poplar Bluff since 1986.