February 27, 2019

Women of Excellence Winners

This year, we’re recognizing the amazing women in our business community through a new set of awards called Women of Excellence. These awards are broken up into eight categories, seven of which are industry specific: education, finance, health care, hospitality, public service, real estate, and retail. They recognize women who seek out ways to grow […]

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Judy Starr: Women of Excellence Winner in Finance

Chief Financial Officer, Central Bank of Boone County As executive vice president and CFO of Central Bank of Boone County, Judy Starr is responsible for many of the non-customer facing activities in the bank. She oversees accounting, bank facilities, investment of excess funds, deposit operations, and deposit account rate management. She also acts as liaison

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Elizabeth Mendenhall: Women of Excellence Winner in Real Estate

CEO, Re/Max Boone Realty As CEO of RE/MAX Boone Realty, Elizabeth Mendenhall has the opportunity to work for entrepreneurs who are building Columbia and to assist people in finding their dream job. Her leadership roles give her a platform to empower agents, increase their market knowledge, and equip them to be advocates for homeowners. As

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Womens Network

Creating Connections

Women’s Network celebrates and champions the women in Columbia by providing community and recognition. Gender equality in the workplace is a hot topic right now. The national conversation is rife with thoughts on representation, equal pay, equal rights, and more. Fortunately, this conversation took a big step forward for Columbia in 1979 and has led

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Bea Litherland Smith, Dean Emerita, MU’s College of Human Environmental Sciences

Job description: Advocate, counselor, dreamer, drudge, planner, cheerleader, manager, yard guy, writer, landlord, sage, taxpayer. Years lived in Columbia: 42 years. I was recruited from North Dakota State University in 1977 to become, at age 36, MU’s youngest dean. I retired in 2002 as the university’s longest-serving dean. Original hometown: Hornick, Iowa. Population 250. Education:

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Kathryn Chval, PhD: Women Of Excellence Winner in Education

Dean, MU College of Education As dean of the nationally recognized MU College of Education, Kathryn Chval serves as the chief academic and administrative officer of the department, leading its educational, research, service, and economic development missions. In this role, Chval has the opportunity to lead and support a team of 600 faculty, staff, and

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Meeting Unmet Needs

The Assistance League of Mid-Missouri celebrates 25 years. Just off West Broadway sits the offices and retail shop for the Assistance League of Mid-Missouri, one of only three Assistance League chapters in the state. This year marks their 25th anniversary. The Mid-Missouri chapter, which began in 1994, has grown to include 300 members and nine

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Elizabeth Leiva, Firefighter, Columbia Fire Department

What’s your background? I started in the fire service doing wildland firefighting in the summer of 2008 working for Grayback Forestry Inc. based out of Missoula, Montana. After a couple seasons, I moved back to Missouri. I wanted to continue working in the fire service, so I eventually became a volunteer for the Boone County

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