Names in the news

__SAFE HOUSE FOR WOMEN HIRES COUNSELOR__

Sharon Rouse was hired as counselor at the Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau. She will provide counseling services to individuals and groups. Rouse is a board-certified counselor through the American Psychotherapy Association, nationally certified through the National Board for Certified Counselors and is a member of the American Psychological Association. She holds a master's degree in psychological counseling from Southeast Missouri State University. She previously worked in outpatient care and community mental health for Perry County Memorial Hospital.

__DUDLEY JOINS MINERAL AREA STUDENT SERVICES__

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Kaysie Dudley of De Soto, Missouri, joined Mineral Area College as an enrollment services specialist. She previously worked at Jefferson College as an enrollment services assistant. She has an associate degree from Jefferson College and is working on a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

__RINES JOINS FAMILY BUSINESS__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Meredith Rines joined Dairel L. Denton Jr. & Associates CPA as marketing coordinator. She is the youngest daughter of Dairel and Genise Denton. She has a bachelor's degree in marketing as well as an MBA. She is now studying to become a certified financial planner.

__BOOTHEEL COUNSELING HONORS EMPLOYEES__

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Christina King was employee of the month for July at Bootheel Counseling Services, and Edie Eftink won the honor for August. King has been with the agency for one year and is the care coordinator for Health Care Home. Eftink has worked at Bootheel for five years and is the medication clinic coordinator.

__DUNAWAY HIRED AS BANK VP, AGENT__

Mark Dunaway joined First Missouri Insurance Group as a vice president and agent. The group is a subsidiary of First Missouri State Bank. His new office is inside the bank building off Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. He focuses on auto, home, life and business insurance. Dunaway has worked in the insurance field for five years.

__IRELAND JOINS ROBINSON CONSTRUCTION__

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Karie Ireland joined Robinson Construction as a payroll/accounting assistant. She has 10 years of experience in human resources, payroll and accounting. She previously worked as Missouri administrator for Valley of the Moon Commercial Poults Inc. in Pleasant Hope, Missouri.

__HINKLE NAMED DIRECTOR OF DONOR RELATIONS__

Nicholle Hinkle joined The United Way of Southeast Missouri as director of donor relations. She has more than five years of experience in project management and customer relations. She will aid in planning, analyzing, organizing and implementing strategies for building and expanding donor and corporate relationships.

__MONDI JACKSON HONORS EMPLOYEES__

Keith Donner of Whitewater was employee of the month for September at Mondi Jackson Inc. Donner, a slitting operator, has been with the company since March 31, 2008. Mondi Jackson also recognizes the following employment anniversaries: Kevin Hiler and Patrick Kaelin, 25 years of service; Don Farrow, 20 years; Bryan Grace, Chris Magruder, Erik Rosborg and Terry Young, 15 years; and Gary Lossing and Billy Breckenridge, 10 years.

__HUKEL NAMED VIP WOMAN OF THE YEAR__

Dana Hukel, owner of BOLD Marketing in Cape Girardeau, was selected as a VIP Woman of the Year through the National Association of Professional Women. VIP Women of the Year are selected in recognition of the strides they have made in their respective industries through outstanding leadership, professional achievement, networking and community involvement.

__CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT ADDS BIOLOGIST__

The Missouri Department of Conservation added a new wildlife management biologist, Ryan Dirnberger, to the River Hills and Crowley's Ridge districts. He is based out of the department's forestry office in Perryville, Missouri, and his responsibilities include managing conservation areas in Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott, Ste. Genevieve and Stoddard counties.

__LANDERS NAMED COMMERCE BANK MARKET MANAGER__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Commerce Bank hired Richard Landers as market manager for the Poplar Bluff market, effective Oct. 1. Bill Brandt, who has served in that capacity since 2000, will retire in mid-2015. He will continue to serve as chairman of Commerce Bank's Poplar Bluff market until his retirement. Landers has worked at Commerce Bank for more than 15 years.

__SMYTHE RETIRING FROM KBSI, MY 49__

Mike Smythe announced his retirement from FOX 23 KBSI and My 49 WDKA, effective Sept. 26. Smythe joined the Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. in February 2012 after serving with KFVS12 and CW for 13 years. FOX 23 has won three recent awards from the Missouri Broadcasters Association. The station is also a finalist at the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences in Kansas City on Sept. 27 for Smythe's "Perspective" editorial. Smythe previously won that Emmy category in 2010 along with 10 first-place editorial wins in Missouri and seven in Illinois throughout the years.

__GOVERNOR APPOINTS BUTLER COUNTY COLLECTOR__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon on Sept. 19 appointed Mark Christopher Michel as the new Butler County collector to fill the remaining term of Brenda Fox, who died Aug. 3. Michel had been selected by the Butler County Democratic Central Committee to be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot as the Democratic candidate for county collector. Michel had been working as an independent agent for Aflac Insurance and previously operated Snapshots, a photography and photo finishing firm. Michel's Republican opponent in the general election is Emily Clark Parks, director of development and government affairs at Three Rivers College. A third candidate, Tammy Marler, filed Sept. 15 as an independent write-in candidate. Fox worked in the collector's office for 14 years before being elected collector in 1998. Her term expires Feb. 28.

__PAYNE NAMED THREE RIVERS PRESIDENT__

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Trustees offered a permanent contract in mid-September to the interim president of Three Rivers College, more than a month earlier than planned, the Daily American Republic reported. Dr. Wes Payne, former vice president for learning, accepted a three-year contract. He will receive an annual salary of $175,000, the same amount trustees approved in July in his contract as interim president. Payne will be eligible to receive annual increases similar to the maximum annual raises received by college personnel, subject to evaluations and the financial state of the college, according to the contract. Former president Dr. Devin Stephenson, who earned $198,500 a year, left abruptly in late July. He continues to work as a consultant for the college until Nov. 1 and is receiving his normal salary. Trustees had said they would meet with Payne by Nov. 1 to evaluate his performance as interim president. Payne also will receive a $12,000 annual housing allowance, up from $6,000 currently. His contact is effective through Sept. 30, 2017.

__HOLDERBY ASSUMES RED CROSS TOP POST__

Nigel Holderby began serving Sept. 22 as interim executive director for the Red Cross in Southern Missouri. She replaces Debi Meeds, who took over as president and CEO of United Way of the Ozarks. Holderby began as a volunteer in 2007 and has been the organization's regional chief communications officer for the past three years. She recently earned a master's degree in communication from Drury University. She is a member of the National Red Cross Advanced Public Affairs Team and has deployed to several disasters, including Hurricane Sandy, according to a news release.

__SOUTHEAST PRESENTING DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS__

The Alumni Association at Southeast Missouri State University honored eight individuals with Distinguished Service Awards during Homecoming festivities Oct. 4. Recipients were Dr. Linda Lattin Burns, Southeast professor emeritus of English and secondary education; Dr. Dan and Paulette Cotner of Cape Girardeau; and the team physicians for Southeast athletics: Dr. Jimmy Bowen, Dr. James Edwards, Dr. Patrick Knight, Dr. Brian Schafer and Dr. Andrew Trueblood, all of Advanced Orthopedic Specialists in Cape Girardeau. Distinguished Service Awards are presented to individuals who have made lasting contributions to their communities and to the university.

__FRUEHWALD WINS NATIONAL HONOR FOR OPERA COMPOSITION__

Robert Fruehwald, professor of music at Southeast Missouri State University, received an honorable mention award from The American Prize competition for an opera he composed entitled "Double Blind Sided." His work was recognized in the professional theater works division. Fruehwald's composition was selected from applications reviewed this past summer from across the United States. The American Prize is a series of new, not-for-profit competitions designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts. Fruehwald has taught numerous subjects at Southeast, including applied composition, music theory, applied flute, electronic-computer music and the history of modernism.