District 6080

Lori Miller introduced Jim on Jan. 6.  His cosponsor is Brad Bodenhausen. 

Jim is an attorney who works for a Congressional commission.  He had a long career in the Army, where he retired as a colonel, and the Department of Defense.

Jim is a native of Springfield.  He was commissioned in 1987 at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., as an armor officer.  After service in Desert Storm, he received his law degree from Notre Dame University in 1994, and joined the JAG Corps, where he served for 23 years before retiring in 2017.

Jim’s assignments as a JAG included serving as the general counsel for the Army headquarters responsible for northern Iraq in 2007-2008, and service in 2003 in Afghanistan with the joint headquarters responsible for all of U.S. operations in that country.  His final assignments were at the headquarters responsible for all Army training and education (the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command), and the general counsel at West Point, assisting in its transition (with Congressional authorizing legislation) to a sole-source agreement with a nonprofit for athletics goods and services.  He lived in West Point from 2014 to 2018.

After a year of teaching cadets in West Point’s Department of Law, Jim served DoD as a civilian attorney at the U.S. European Command, a joint service headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, from 2018 to 2021.  He now serves as the general counsel for the Naming Commission, the Congressional commission charged with developing a process to rename Confederate-named DoD assets.

Jim also holds an LL.M. from the Army JAG School in Charlottesville, Va., and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.  He is a member of the bars of Missouri, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Jim and his wife, Carol Anne (nee Burton), who is also a Springfield native, live in eastern Springfield.  They have two children on active duty: Zach, UVA ’16, with the Air Force; and Haley, USMA ’18, with the Army.  When the children were growing up, Jim and Carol Anne were Scouting and sports team volunteers.
 

Mark Walker introduced Rachael on Dec. 16.  Her co-sponsor is Rusty Worley.

Rachael has been the vice president of resource development at United Way of the Ozarks since June 2018.  She’s in charge of fundraising and strategic planning.

Rachael is a native of Columbia, Mo., who moved to Springfield in 2010.  She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, with an emphasis in advertising and promotion, at Missouri State University.

Rachael's first job out of college was Marketing and Events coordinator for Humane Society of Southwest Missouri.  She moved to the United Way a few years later.   She’s a member of The Network and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Rachael is a graduate of Leadership Springfield’s Class 40.  She’s a Big Sister at Big Brothers Big Sisters.  She also volunteers with the Humane Society and 4 the Love of K9s, a small dog rescue organization.

Rachael and her husband, Kevin, live in central Springfield with their two dogs, Lily (a beagle/basset hound mix with big floppy ears) and Sully (a 160-pound English mastiff).  They enjoy supporting locally owned restaurants and other businesses and spending time on rivers and trails.

Past President Rusty Worley introduced Halston on Nov. 4.  His co-sponsor is Past President Bill Squires.

Originally from central Florida, Halston followed his passion for working with kids and their families and moved to Springfield to attend Baptist Bible College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Intercultural Studies.  While attending BBC, he got an opportunity to turn that passion into a career.

It was 18 years ago at an after-school program offered by the YMCA in partnership with Springfield Public Schools that Halston’s journey for serving families in the Ozarks began.  He first served as president of the Missouri Afterschool Coalition, an organization that advocated for kids and their families in Jefferson City while working closely with DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education), helping to provide training to professionals who work with children in afterschool programs across the state.

Halston then became executive director of the Ozark Mountain Family YMCA in Hollister, where he helped provide programming and resources to children in both the Branson and Hollister school districts.  He also worked with organizations such as Jesus was Homeless and Faith Community Health to help provide health opportunity and programs for those struggling financially in the Taney County area.

Working closely with city administrators and the Taney County Health Department, Halston strived to help address the various challenges in the community such as the opioid crisis, childhood obesity, and access to healthy lifestyle initiatives.  He also was a member of a Rotary club in the Branson/Hollister area from 2013 – 2018.

Halston returned to Springfield several years later to become executive director of the Pat Jones YMCA on East Republic Road.  He’s responsible for day-to-day operations of that facility.

In his spare time, Halston volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks and other organizations.
 

Nancy Riggs introduced Connie on Sept. 30.  Her co-sponsor is John Horton.

Connie is the team manager for the Bug Zero office in downtown Springfield.  She manages the office and day-to-day operations, including customer service, routing, technicians, and billing.

Connie was born in Houston, Mo., and raised on a dairy farm.  After high school and moving to Springfield, in 1991 she became the first full time employee of Bug Zero, founded in 1990 by Ivan Eftink and Terri Eftink, a former Springfield Southeast member.  She's held a variety of positions in the company, which now has 32 employees and two offices.  She is a member of the National Pest Management Association and Missouri Pest Management Association.

Connie attended Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.  She is a member of the Queen City Eagles Lodge and volunteers for the Nova Center of the Ozarks, where she helps organize its annual Shoot Out for Autism.

Connie and her Italian husband, Dale, have been married for 15 years.  They live south of Ozark.  They have two grown children, Alicia and Warren, and two grandsons.

In her spare time, she enjoys fishing, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.   

Bill McNeill introduced Jason on Sept. 9.  His co-sponsor is John Horton.

Jason joined Central Trust last spring as a senior vice president and senior portfolio manager. He helps clients with investment decisions, financial planning and estate administration.

Jason was born in southern California.  His father was an immigrant from Mexico and a Vietnam War veteran.  His mother was from Arkansas, and his family moved there when he was 7 years old.  He grew up in a small town, and spent most of his days and nights fishing and playing sports.

Jason joined the Army the day after his high school graduation and served a four-year stint.  After a successful tour as a tank mechanic in the Mojave Desert in California, he says he knew he was prepared to take on the world, reasoning that if he could fix a tank in the middle of a desert with four tools, he could handle almost anything.

Jason moved back to Arkansas and became a Razorback, managing to graduate after just 10 years in college.  More importantly, he says, he met the love of his life, Stephanie, who is now his wife.

After a few jobs in sales and management, Jason moved into investing.  He completed courses to become a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, and to earn an MBA, all while he and Stephanie added three children to their family:  Jason, Addison, and Carson.

Sam Hamra introduced Richard on Sept. 2.  His co-sponsor is Brent Dunn.

Richard is an executive vice president and wealth advisor for Prime Capital Investment Advisors.  He moved to Springfield from Nixa in late 2020.  He’s been in the Ozarks for 12 years.  His company operates in 16 states and manages assets in excess of $13 billion.

Richard also is an Intentional Pastor for Hamlin Church in Springfield.  He helped save the church from closing, negotiated the sale of its former building and purchase of a new property, where it built a new building.   He also reorganized the church’s leadership structure, and transitioned the church’s former location into an inner-city mission called the Dream Center.

Richard was a successful commercial lender and relationship manager for Bank of America early in his career before moving to Prime Capital 25 years ago.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business at College of the Ozarks, and a Masters degree in Divinity and Doctorate degree in Leadership from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, where he served as a trustee and chairman of its Audit Committee.  He also was the Founding Pastor of The Bridge, a Southern Baptist church in Nixa.

Richard and his wife, Sara, have a daughter, Anna Grace, and a son, Micah.  He’s participated in more than 20 international missions or humanitarian trips to Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Paraguay.  He’s a member of the Baron’s Club, College of the Ozarks President’s Council, and Alongside Education Ministries.  He is a former member of the Aurora Rotary Club from 1988 – 2000.