People on the move 8/3/09

Regions Bank taps Guard for commercial PR manager

Regions Bank has promoted Robbie Guard to commercial relationship manager for the Southeast Missouri Region, covering 13 branches in the area. Guard holds a bachelor of science degree with an emphasis in public relations from Southeast Missouri State University. He is a member of the Cape Giradeau Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club and the Cape Girardeau Jaycees, where he serves as chairman.

Abrams named director of maternal/child health services

Saint Francis Medical Center has named Cathy Abrams as director of maternal and child health services. Abrams will oversee the obstetrical care offered by Saint Francis, including high-risk prenatal care provided by Cape Perinatology Services, labor and delivery within the Family BirthPlace and follow-up pediatric care at the Children's Center. Abrams formerly was at Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, where she acted as senior director of nursing service for the past two years. She has more than 30 years of obstetrical care experience. Abrams earned her bachelor's degree from the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis and her master's degree in nursing administration from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Southeast graduate earns broadcast journalism award

Southeast Missouri State University graduate Dr. Sam Swan has been named the recipient of the 2009 Edward L. Bliss Award for Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Education. A 1970 graduate of Southeast with a major in speech communication, Swan worked at KFVS-AM and KFVS12 from 1967 to 1970. He also hosted the Breakfast Show for a time.

Swan is a professor and director of internationalization and outreach for the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He also has led broadcasting programs at the University of Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill.

Swan has conducted more than 150 TV journalism and management workshops in nearly 50 countries, and he has brought journalists from many of those countries to the U.S. for workshops. He has served as a news trainer and consultant for all News Corp Europe TV stations and has conducted workshops for the Voice of America, IREX, the U.S. State Department and CNN.

People on the Move items must be received by 2 p.m. Thursday to appear Monday. Submit items by e-mail to bblackwell@semissourian.com, by fax to 334-7288 or by mail to P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702.