People on the Move

October 30,2009

Hirings

Neuner

Brian Neuner has been hired as vice president of business development at Sundvold Financial. Neuner also works with Aflac and will continue to represent the supplemental insurance company while working for Sundvold Financial. Neuner is Missouri's top Aflac producer and has been with the company for around two years. Prior to joining Aflac, Neuner headed UMB Bank's three Columbia branches. Prior to his promotion, he worked as the bank's vice president of business development for about two years. Neuner spent 11 years as a local sportscaster, working as KOMU-TV's sports director.

Chris Force is the new director of finance and accounting for the Columbia-based Internet and phone provider Socket. Previously, Force worked for Datastorm Technologies, Williams Keepers LLC, Kraft Food Service, Arthur Andersen & Co. and Don Landers CPA.

Natalie Merrill has purchased Event Solutions from the founder, Brent Beshore. Merrill had been the president and CEO of Event Solutions for the past year.

Crockett Engineering Consultants hired Greg Linneman to head the newly formed structural engineering department as the senior structural engineer. Linneman has more than 10 years of experience in the field.

Mike Downing is now the deputy directory of policy and finance of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Downing left his position as director of Missouri Connecting Our Regional Economy. He had been with CORE since 2008. CORE's interim director is Randy Allen, the board chair and the president and CEO of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Casady

Tia Casady will be the general manager of Wilson's Fitness in the District when it opens early December in the Berry Building. Casady, who grew up in Missouri, was a gym manager and sold real estate on Hilton Head Island, S. C., before taking this position last spring.

Steinburg

KMIZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in mid-Missouri, hired Gene Steinburg as the station's new general manager. Steinburg replaces Randy Wright, who resigned from the station in August. Before coming to mid-Missouri, Steinburg worked as the station manager for a TV station in Boston.

Sherry Bare is the new executive director of the reopened Sylvan Learning Center. The center was purchased by KCI Enterprises Inc., a St. Louis Sylvan operator, after it closed in May. Bare's 20 years of education experience include teaching and curriculum development.

True Media has hired Ted Haller as director of agricultural media. Haller has 30 years of experience as a media planner and buyer for the agricultural industry. Before working with True media, he worked with Monsanto Company, Bayer CropScience and John Deer.

The Columbia Housing Authority appointed Gay Litteken the new director of housing voucher programs. Litteken will manage the CHA Section 8 Housing Voucher Program as well as the Shelter Plus Care, Veterans Administration Supportive Housing and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Programs serving the homeless. CHA's Housing Voucher Programs provide housing to more than 1,100 families in Columbia and Boone County with an annual budget of more than $6 million in federal funding. Litteken worked for the Boone County Children's Division of the state Department of Social Services from 1992-2004 as a case manager, foster care specialist and finally a children's services supervisor.

Promotions

Brooke George has joined Columbia's Commerce Bank as a residential real estate lending officer. George was working at the Commerce Bank in Arnold, Mo., as a residential lending representative.

Boone County National Bank promoted Aaron Brown and Tyler Harriman to loan assistant II. Katie Brown was named a teller II at the South County Bank in Ashland. Amber Greening was promoted to customer service representative II.

The Columbia Police Department Chief Ken Burton promoted Ken Hammond to the rank of lieutenant. Hammond is now the commander of the Operations Support Division. Hammond started with the CPD in 1988 as a police officer. He has worked as a patrol officer, juvenile crimes detective and narcotics detective. He was promoted to sergeant in 1999 and worked in the patrol division and investigative unit. Detectives Geoff Jones and Jason Jones were promoted to sergeants. Geoff Jones now supervises the Narcotics Unit. Jones started with CPD in 1998 as a patrol officer and became a narcotics detective in 2005. Jason Jones was assigned to Internal Affairs. Jones was hired in 2000 as an undercover narcotics detective until 2001 when he became a patrol officer. Starting in 2006 Jones worked as a detective in the Investigative Unit. Officer Harlan Hatton was promoted to sergeant and is assigned to the Patrol Division. Hatton was hired in 1999 and worked as a patrol officer until he became a member of the Community Action Team in 2005. Early this year he was assigned to be an interim sergeant on the department's patrol night shift.

Awards

Shelter Insurance gave Rolando Barry, Amanda Huhman and Libby Burks the 2009 F.V. Heinkle Award. Barry founded the Mid-Missouri Steppers in 1979, which has included more than 3,000 Missouri students. Seventh-grade students Huhman and Burks helped the Central Missouri Humane Society win a nationwide contest for an animal shelter makeover. The recipients received $2,000.

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents has named Columbia Insurance Group's Sheldon Palefsky as its 2009 Company Representative of the Year. Palefsky is the branch marketing manager at the Atlanta branch of the Columbia Insurance Group and is an active member in the Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia Association.

Appointments

The Central Missouri Humane Society added Linda Hutton and Jim Loveless to its board of directors. Hutton is a retired teacher and is currently a consultant for the Missouri Bar on educational programs. Loveless is a retired Missouri Department of Conservation wildlife management biologist and former City Council member.

Bradley

Family Counseling Center of Missouri Inc. has four new board members: Jennifer Bradley, Commerce Bank; Erick Creach, VanMatre, Harrison, Volkert & Hollis P.C.; Sonja Derboven, University of Missouri Health Care; and Barbara King, Visionworks Marketing & Communications. The counseling center is a non-profit organization that provides quality mental health services through group counseling and education, individual, couples and family counseling.

Creach