Tad Peters

Jeff Cumley introduced Tad on Jan. 23. His cosponsor is Ken Williams.

Tad is a Major with the Springfield Police Department, and serves as Acting Police Chief when the need arises. Tad has held positions in almost every possible area in his 27 years with Springfield PD. He now leads both the Uniform Operations Bureau and the Investigations and Support Services Bureau.

Tad began his career in law enforcement in 1993 as a part-time dispatcher for the Central Missouri State University Police Department in Warrensburg while attending college. He became a Warrensburg Police officer in 1995, and joined the Springfield Police Department in 1997.

Tad has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from CMSU (now Central Missouri University), a master’s degree in business and organizational security management from Webster University, and completed the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP), and the FBI National Academy.

Tad’s volunteer service includes board of director positions with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, Leadership Springfield, and The Victim Center. He is also a member of the Greene County Domestic Violence Board, the Missouri Supreme Court’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, and the Springfield-Greene County Family Violence Task Force.

Tad has been married to Stacy for 25 years and they have two children. Their son, Avery, is a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Missouri S&T in Rolla. Their daughter, Ella, is a freshman at OTC working toward an associate’s degree in accounting before she moves to University of the Arts London (England) to pursue her dream of a career in Production Arts for the Screen. The family lives in Republic.

Ryan Murphy

Kyle John introduced Ryan on Dec. 5. His cosponsor is Luke Westerman.

Ryan is a lawyer who specializes in workers’ compensation law. He founded the Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm in 2010 and has handled thousands of workers’ compensation cases. He wrote and published “Third-Party Practice and Subrogation” for Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law, and regularly speaks as an expert on workers’ compensation law. He worked for Placzek and Francis Law Firm in Springfield for 5 years before starting his own law firm. He is a member of several local, state, and national associations of attorneys.

Ryan grew up in St. Louis and graduated from Chaminade High School in 1996. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry 2001 and a Law degree in 2004 at University of Missouri.

Ryan lives in east Springfield. He has two teenage daughters, Layla and Rachel, and enjoys spending leisure time with them and his girlfriend, Laura. He also enjoys pickleball and recently took up bird hunting.

Lauren Southern

Natalie Murdock introduced Lauren on Dec. 5. Her cosponsor is Jeff Cumley.

Lauren is an Assistant Vice President and Private Banker at Simmons Bank in Springfield. In that job, she rolls out the red carpet for the bank’s high-net-worth clients.

Lauren earned a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership at Drury University. She’s also completed programs in wealth management, coaching, and leadership development. Outside the bank, she serves on the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Voice of Business Committee, the City of Springfield’s Public Building Corporation board, and a Forward SGF Place team. Lauren also chairs the Professional Development Committee at the Rosie Network, served as a troop Scoutmaster, volunteers at her children's school, serves on her Parish Council, and helps plan area-wide faith-based women’s conferences in Springfield.

Lauren lives in Ozark. She says she is blessed to be a mom of a large family and prides herself on living fully and joyfully. She enjoys attending her children’s many sporting events and sipping coffee with friends. She also loves to watch, coach, and play volleyball. She stays active in body and mind, believing firmly in lifelong learning and physical fitness.

John Bell

Jordan Russell introduced John on Nov. 21. His cosponsor is Candice Reed.

John has been a Wealth Management Advisor at U.S. Bancorp Investments since January 2018. He is a Certified Financial Planner. From 2015 to 2018, he was a Private Banking Relationship Manager at U.S. Bank. He previously worked for Fidelity Communications (now Sparklight).

John attended Fontbonne University, where he played basketball, for his freshman year and then earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2014 after three years at University of Missouri. He also earned a Masters of Business Administration at Missouri State University.

John volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, and Springfield Public Schools. He’s a former member of Springfield Rotaract Club.

John is married to Emily, a teacher at Wanda Gray Elementary School. Their children are Emmett, 7, and Elliot, 4. In his spare time, he plays golf and pickleball.

Travis Rubelee

Angela Smith introduced Travis on Nov. 21. His cosponsor is Bob Hammerschmidt.

Travis is Scout Executive of the Ozark Trails Council of Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America). The council has about 3,400 child, youth and young adult members between ages 5 and 21; a budget of approximately $1.6 million; and 12 employees.

Travis has been a professional Scouter since 2003. He started in the South Plains Council in Lubbock, Texas; then moved to the East Texas Area Council in Tyler; then spent two years in the Old North State Council in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem, N.C. area; and then served as Associate National Director of the Order of the Arrow at BSA headquarters in Irving, Texas. Before moving to Springfield in June, Travis was Director of Field Service for the Heart of America Council in Kansas City.

Travis is a native of Texas and a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics at Texas A&M. He and his wife, Katy, have been married since 2007. The have two children, Sara, 14, and Ryan, 11, who are both Scouts, and Travis is one of their troop leaders.

Kristy Chastain

Carrie Henry introduced Kristy on Oct. 17. Her cosponsor is Jim Towery.

Kristy is a Senior Commercial Loan Officer for The Bank of Missouri, where she enjoys working with her clients and mentoring colleagues. In more than 18 years in this role with various banks in the community, her favorite part of her role is seeing clients grow their business and, more importantly, succeed.

Kristy is involved in the Springfield community through board work as the Secretary of the Board for Good Samaritan Boys Ranch. She also is a graduate of Leadership Springfield’s Class 27 and Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge of 2015. Kristy has also been recognized as one of Springfield Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2014 and 20 Most Influential Women in 2015.

In her spare time, Kristy enjoys nature, cooking, reading, wine, traveling, and, most importantly, spending time with her husband, Brian, and son, Carter.

Sean Harrell

Michael Wehrenberg introduced Sean on Oct. 17. His cosponsor is Marilyn Lopez.

Sean is a Project Architect at Buxton Kubik Dodd, where his designs are as well-thought-out as his impressive array of hobbies (more on that in a moment).

Sean was born and raised in Springfield and is a proud Parkview Viking. After high school, he made his way to University of Missouri, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies and also spent time perfecting the fine art of launching heavy objects as a member of the track team, competing in the hammer throw. (He says this skill has come in handy more times than you'd think in architecture.) He went on to earn his Master’s degree in Architecture from University of Oklahoma, perhaps just to mix a little rivalry into his family’s Mizzou fandom.

When he's not busy designing the next architectural marvel, Sean spends his time working out, sculpting pottery, woodworking, leatherworking, and heading to the lake.

Sean is married to his high school sweetheart, Alex, who shares his Parkview and Mizzou roots. They have a 16-month-old daughter, Wren, and they keep busy with two dogs, a cat, and future DIY projects.

District 6080