People on the move 11/25/13

Saint Francis CEO named to national hospital board

The Missouri Hospital Association board of trustees has appointed Saint Francis Healthcare System president and chief executive officer Steven Bjelich as state alternate delegate to the American Hospital Association Region 6 Policy Board. His three-year term will begin Jan. 1. As the alternate on the regional policy board, Bjelich will also retain his seat on the MHA's board of directors and will complete a third term on that board Dec. 31. Bjelich is also board chair-elect of the Missouri Center for Patient Safety and a member of the Government Relations Committee and the Legislative Advisory Committee for the MHA. Bjelich has been the president and chief executive officer of the Saint Francis Healthcare System since 1999 and has more than 35 years of health-care experience at the senior management level, serving in executive positions at hospitals and health-care systems in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and California. Bjelich holds a master's degree in healthcare administration from the Indiana University School of Medicine and a bachelor of science in business administration from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. He is a distinguished fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, an advanced member in the Healthcare Financial Management Association and a member of the American Hospital Association. Bjelich is involved with numerous not-for-profit organizations.

Community Counseling Center elects president

Gene Speight

Gene Speight of Jackson has been elected as the Community Counseling Center's governing board president by the center's board of directors. Speight joined the center's board in 2010 and served on the finance committee until his election as board president. Speight attended college at the University of Memphis and the St. Paul School of Theology in Leawood, Kan., and his 40-year career in corporate accounting and management led to employment with Kroger, Curtis-Toledo Inc. and Spatz Paint Division of Pratt and Lambert, and with Blair Industries in Scott City and OzArc Gas in Cape Girardeau. Speight also served with the U.S. Army 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam and Cambodia from 1969 to 1970. After his retirement, Speight became a licensed minister and served 10 years in the United Methodist Church, and he continues to serve as a part-time pastor in Bollinger County. Speight succeeds Bob Banger, who joined the center's board in 2002 and was elected as board president in 2009.

Hotop recognized by insurance society

Daniel Hotop of C.M. Brown and Associates Inc. of Perryville, Mo., has been recognized by the Society of Insurance Counselors for his dedication and ongoing leadership in the insurance industry. The society honored Hotop for 10 years of successfully maintaining the certified insurance counselor designation that denotes significant commitment to customer service.

-- From staff reports