Hirings

David D. Seabaugh, CPA, joined Baer & Edington LLC, Certified Public Accountants and Consultants. Seabaugh has 17 years of audit and accounting experience and will help develop the firm’s new audit division.

Columbia resident Jay Alexander joined Landmark Bank as vice president and trust officer and brings 14 years of banking experience in the Columbia market to Landmark Bank. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri and a master’s in business administration from William Woods University. Alexander has also attended the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin.

Simon Oswald Architecture hired Leanne Groom as business manager. Groom previously worked as the business manager for Boonville Valley Hope and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. She received her bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University Southeast and is currently attending Columbia College for her M.B.A. degree.

Joanie Mains was hired by Commerce Bank as assistant vice president and branch manager of Commerce’s Fifth and Broadway location. She is responsible for managing retail sales, branch operations and developing consumer banking, lending and small-business banking relationships. Mains has more than 28 years of banking experience, including working at Commerce Bank in Columbia from 1994 to 2004. Carla Garrett joined Commerce Bank as retail banking officer and branch manager of Commerce Bank’s East Pointe banking center. Garrett has more than 26 years of banking experience. Brenda Hunter joined the bank as a residential real estate lending officer.

Eric R. Morrison was hired as vice president of business development at Providence Bank. Morrison earned a B.A. in communication from MU and has more than three years of experience as an investment advisor.

Tana L. Hagen was hired as Providence Bank’s banking center manager for the Fifth Street and Forum banking centers. Hagen is responsible for assisting with the overall management and supervision of the personal bankers and tellers for both Providence Bank locations in Columbia. She has more than 27 years of business development and banking experience.

VAMortgageCenter.com hired Tom Richards as chief financial officer. Richards will be responsible for financial analysis and forecasting, overseeing internal audits and leading the quality control and compliance processes. He recently served as assistant controller at the University of Missouri System, where he was responsible for managing financial reporting and taxation. He also has served as the chief financial officer at Landmark Bank.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry hired Richard Moore as the organization’s assistant general counsel and director of regulatory affairs. Moore will advocate for pro-business legislation and policy in the state capital. He will specialize in the following legislative issues: energy, education reform, gaming, immigration and all regulatory affairs. Most recently, Moore served as the chief of staff and general counsel to the chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission, Robert Clayton.

ABC Laboratories hired Qaio Zhan in Biotech Development Services for its pharmaceutical division. Raymond Brenner was hired as an associate scientist. Ashley Harrison was named a technician. Floris Homan was hired as a principal scientist in the chemistry, manufacturing and controls analytical department. Steven Howard was hired as a senior instrument specialist. Monica Logan joined Biotech Development Services. Nancy Lopez-Trigo and Edward Tutu were hired as a staff Scientists. In the chemical services division, Jacqueline Bernales was hired as a quality assurance associate at Morse Laboratories. Cristi Crofton became an associate chemist for ecotoxicology. Elizabeth Cully became a quality assurance associate in chemical services, Simon Dinehart an associate toxicologist, Timothy Marshall a technician and Yvonne Nelson a data specialist at Morse Laboratories. The operations division hired Julie McDermott as senior marketing communications specialist and Jill Nagel as senior contracts coordinator.

Lyndsay J. Perry joined Crockett Engineering Consultants as office manager. Perry is a Columbia native and graduated from Rock Bridge High School. She then continued her education in Columbia, where she graduated from Columbia College with a B.S. in business administration.

Promotions

Providence Bank president and CEO Brett Burri announced the following people had been chosen as the bank’s executive team: Michael W. Anderson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, will be responsible for managing the retail banking, administrative and operational functions for Providence Bank. Anderson has 38 years of banking experience. Daniel W. Thompson will be executive vice president and chief financial officer. He has more than 30 years of banking experience. Lee R. Keith will serve as executive vice president and chief lending officer. Keith has 34 years of banking experience and is a frequent guest lecturer for several organizations and nonprofits. Keith E. Monson was tapped as executive vice president and chief risk officer. He has more than 20 years of banking experience and frequently speaks nationally on a variety of compliance-related issues.

Columbia College promoted Jerry Patton from assistant director of administration for the online campus to assistant dean for adult higher education. Patton holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Columbia College and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri. Patton started as an administrative assistant at the Fort Leonard Wood campus in 2002. In 2007, he joined the online campus as an academic advisor and was later promoted to academic advisor coordinator and trainer for the division of adult higher education. As assistant dean for adult higher education, Patton will review grade appeals, analyze transcripts, review student requests and coordinate the dean’s list.

Columbia Police Officer Keisha Edwards was selected as the new school resource officer for Rock Bridge High School. Edwards has been with the Columbia Police Department since January of 2002 and has worked both midnight and daytime patrol shifts. Edwards is a member of the Crisis Negotiation Team, a Crisis Intervention Team member and a member of the Employee Recognition Committee. Edwards has also been working for the Columbia Public Schools in an off-duty capacity for the past four years. During that time, she provided security for both Hickman High School and Douglass High School.

The Business Times Company has promoted Betsy Bell to associate publisher of Columbia Home magazine. Bell has held various positions with the Business Times Company during the past four years. Bell will use her expertise in design, photography and sales to lead a redesign of the women’s magazine this year.

Kris Farmer has been promoted to chief marketing officer of VAMortgageCenter.com. In his new role, Farmer will be responsible for the company’s online and offline marketing efforts. Farmer joined VAMC in 2008 as the director of marketing. He previously worked in the ticket business, most recently overseeing the marketing and e-commerce departments for Razorgator, a Los Angeles-based ticketing agency.

Williams-Keepers LLC welcomed John E. Weaver, CPA, to the firm’s ownership group Jan. 1. Weaver, who has been a Williams-Keepers tax associate since 2002, will be the 13th member-owner. He specializes in tax services for individual and business clients and business advisory services such as startup consultations, tax planning, accounting system consultations and attest services.

Adam Barratt has been named Socket’s sales engineer. In his new role, Barratt advises on the technical aspects of Socket’s telecom network to ensure the highest quality of custom-fit services for business clients. He also coaches sales agents on new services and develops new voice and data products. Barratt has been with the company for more than eight years. Josh Connon has been named Socket’s inside business sales manager. Connon will lead and grow the company’s business telecom sales team in Columbia. Connon has been with the company for more than nine years. Samantha Sanchez has been named one of Socket’s business representatives. Sanchez will work with small businesses across the state to provide local and long-distance phone services, high-speed Internet, Web hosting and other telecommunication services. Previously, Sanchez worked as a lead in Socket’s residential customer service and sales department.

Miranda Eikermann, LeAnna Bell, Jason Ward, Jessica Herzing and Kristen Wolfe were promoted to teller 2 at Boone County National Bank. Oliver Clark and Ashley Meyer were named customer service representatives 2. Kelly Stegeman was promoted to senior teller for the South County Bank in Ashland. Samantha Ryan was named consumer banking representative for the Floater Pool, a group of consumer banking employees who float from one branch to the next and fill in wherever needed. Joe Langworthy and Josh Begley were promoted to financial associates. Langworthy will work at the Keene Financial Center and Begley at the University Hospital Bank. Nick Wilson and Melissa Beman were named assistant branch managers. Beman will help lead the South County Bank in Ashland, and Wilson will be at the West Broadway Bank in Columbia. Rebecca Koonse was promoted to public relations coordinator for the marketing department.

ABC Laboratories promoted Kristein King to vice president of strategy and workforce development. In this role, King is responsible for directing ABC’s human resources, corporate training, recruiting and marketing strategy. Chris Hughes was promoted to director of chemical services quality assurance. In his new role, Hughes will oversee quality assurance operations for ABC’s chemical services division in Columbia and for Morse Laboratories, ABC’s wholly owned subsidiary in Sacramento, Calif. Kathleen Manion has been promoted to senior human resources manager. Julie O’Loughlin has been promoted to quality assurance associate 3 in the quality assurance group. Christy Stogsdill has been promoted to assistant recruiter. Christine Shobe has been promoted to CRM administrator. Gary Teeple has been promoted to quality assurance associate 2. Katherine Graham has been named the manager of CGMP quality assurance.

Departures

Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Lorah Steiner has been selected for a position as director of tourism for Charlotte County, Fla., pending final approval by that county’s board of commissioners on Jan. 11. Her last day with the Columbia CVB is expected to be Feb. 15, and she will start her new position Feb. 28. Steiner has been the director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau since 1987. She was formerly the director of field marketing for the north central and southern US for Ramada Corp. In more than 30 years in the hospitality industry, Steiner has received many local and state awards, served as past president of Meeting Planners International-St. Louis and is currently president of the Missouri Motion Media Association.

Awards

Benyamin Schwarz, a professor in MU’s Department of Architectural Studies in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, was named one of the “Top 25 Professors and Education Leaders in the US” by DesignIntelligence magazine. The distinction is given to educators and education administrators who display excellence in design education leadership. DesignIntelligence selected the “2011 class of education role models” from public and private schools from across the country, including faculty in the Ivy League and the Big 12. The magazine’s staff determined the honorees with extensive input from design professionals, academic department heads and students.

Gerald Brouder, president of Columbia College, recognized R. Marvin Owens as a distinguished trustee emeritus Dec. 10 at Owens’ home in Columbia. Owens has served on the Columbia College Board of Trustees for 35 years and is the first trustee to be recognized with distinguished emeritus status.

Rodney M. Loesch, a financial advisor at Waddell & Reed, was recently honored for his nomination to the 300 Most Influential Advisors in Defined Contribution, sponsored by the 401k Wire. Loesch specializes in retirement planning and the design and implementation of retirement plans for small- and medium-sized businesses and their owners. The awards dinner was held in conjunction with the annual DCP Institute, Dec. 8 through Dec. 10, in Palm Beach, Fla.

Boone County National Bank named Sandy Cook Employee of the Year. Cook was recognized for her dedication to her job, patience and understanding with co-workers and customers and her skill, knowledge and tact. She is the caregiver of the mortgage lending department. Amanda Faup received the Presidential Caring Award. Faup was recognized not only for excellent work quality but also for the little things that affect those around her in a positive way, such as greeting everyone with a warm smile as they pass through her department or decorating for various holidays.

Appointments

Michael Hill, of Weichert Realtors-First Tier, was appointed to the Columbia Internet Citizens Advisory