Keith Bax has been promoted to vice president of Central Investment Advisors at Central Bank. Previously, Bax was assistant vice president. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lincoln University in 1994.
Melissa Astin is the new vice president of operations at JCMG. Astin received her MBA from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas and her BSBA from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Astin comes to JCMG with more than 20 years of administrative experience.
David Knocke has been appointed by Lutheran Senior Services as executive director of the Heisinger Bluffs and St. Joseph Bluffs senior living communities. Knocke comes to Jefferson City with 30 years of experience in acute hospital operations and physician services management. He earned his master’s degree in health administration from Washington University in St. Louis and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from MU.
Bradley Sloan has been hired by JCMG in family medicine and sports medicine. Dr. Sloan brings with him the ability to offer platelet-rich plasma therapy, a treatment used for a variety of common orthopedic conditions to stimulate and optimize the body’s ability to heal chronic conditions. With the addition of Dr. Sloan, JCMG Orthopedics and Sports Medicine will offer same-day orthopedic care access for patients needing to be seen for injuries.
Dianne Lowry has been named senior living counselor at the Heisinger Bluffs and St. Joseph Bluffs senior living communities in Jefferson City. Diane most recently served as director of annual programs for Westminster College. She was previously development and foundation manager for SSM St. Mary’s Foundation for nine years. Dianne received her Bachelor of Arts in English from William Woods University.
Crystal Burgan has been named HALO Jefferson City Branch Director. Crystal’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in international business from Northwest Missouri State University as well as a master’s degree in public administration, with an emphasis in nonprofit management, from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. She has spent the last few years working for the Excellence in Missouri Foundation in Jefferson City.
Sam Luebbert has been promoted to the position of application manager for logistics at MidwayUSA. Luebbert began his career at MidwayUSA in 2013 as an application development intern. Soon after, he graduated from Columbia College, earning his Bachelor of Science in computer science. After graduation, he joined the MidwayUSA team as a full time application developer.
Peggy Van Gundy, regional director of mission, ethics, and pastoral care for SSM Health in mid-Missouri, has been promoted to system director of mission and formation for the SSM Health System in St. Louis. Van Gundy is a board-certified chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and has a Master of Arts in health care mission from Aquinas School of Theology in St. Louis.
Maryam Dastrange Sammet has joined Capital Region Medical Center in anesthesiology. Dr. Sammet received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. She completed her anesthesiology and critical care residency, as well as her internship, at Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis. Prior to joining Capital Region Medical Center, Dr. Sammet served as an anesthesiologist with St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Jefferson City Medical Group is pleased to announce that five area students pursuing nursing or pre-medicine degrees were recently awarded scholarships by the group. The JCMG Health Sciences Scholarships have invested $32,000 in the medical education of area students since 2009. This year’s winners include: Daniel Gernander, a recent graduate of Jefferson City High School who will major in chemistry at Truman State University; Whitney Hake, a recent graduate of Helias Catholic High School who will major in biochemistry at St. Louis University; Kyle Schulte, a recent graduate of Blair Oaks High School who will major in biomedical engineering at Washington University; and Amanda Myers, a nursing student at Lincoln University working toward a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
Bailee Hites has accepted the position of warehouse management systems fulfillment control manager at Scholastic. Bailee started with Scholastic in June 2014 as a fulfillment control analyst II. She was promoted to an analyst III later that year. In May 2015, Bailee transferred to the engineering department as an engineering analyst. Prior to working for Scholastic, Bailee worked for Fairfield Inn and Suites as assistant general manager for three years. Bailee has a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and human resources from Columbia College.
Charles Eickelmann has accepted the position of manager of financial analysis in the finance department of Scholastic. Charles joined Scholastic in 2009 as a financial analyst I. In 2012, Charles left Scholastic for a short time and returned later that year as the book club fulfillment control manager. This past January, Charles accepted the position of credit and collection supervisor in reading clubs, magazines, and book fairs. Charles has a bachelor’s degree and MBA in accounting.
Brandon Rekus was recently hired as the Cole County Health Department’s environmental public health supervisor. His experience includes working as an inspector for the Jasper County Health Department and managing Missouri’s Lead Abatement Licensing Program. Most recently, Brandon worked as an environmental consultant for military installations such as Fort Leonard Wood and the Defense Logistics Agency headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Michelle Gassner has been hired as the child care health consultant and safe crib program coordinator at the Cole County Health Department. She is a Lincoln University graduate and has been a nurse for four years. Michelle has had prior experience as a pediatric intensive care nurse and is excited for the opportunity to continue to work with children in a community where she was born and raised. In this role, Michelle provides walk-in clinic services for clients, health consultations for day care centers, and safe cribs for at-risk families who lack safe sleeping accommodations for their baby.
