Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast

Welcome new member Ashley Reynolds

Nate Dunville introduced Ashley on July 2. Her cosponsor is Gene Hartley.

Ashley is director of development for Crosslines Community Outreach, overseeing the nonprofit organization’s fundraising and public relations since March 2026. She was an award-winning reporter for KY3 News from 2011 to 2026, specializing in investigative consumer journalism. She managed and checked hundreds of weekly consumer fraud complaints and tips and gave consumer advice in numerous speeches and other public appearances. She also continues to be a freelance producer of TV scripts for the nationally syndicated Consumer Reports Television news segments.

Ashley grew up in Springfield, graduated from Hillcrest High School, and earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 2008 at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she reported, anchored, produced, edited and supervised other students at KOMU-TV, the school’s NBC affiliate. She then reported for two years on three co-owned stations in Middlesboro, Ky., before returning home.

Ashley’s community service includes Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks. She and her husband, Josiah, live in Nixa with their 4-year-old daughter.

Recognition Lunch 2026

Outgoing President Jennifer Baker opened the annual Recognition Lunch program on June 25, 2026, by recognizing and expressing gratitude to the board members completing their service in the 2025-2026 Rotary year. She then reflected on the club's achievements over the past year, noting Springfield Southeast had truly lived up to this year's Rotary theme of "Unite For Good."

Highlights included volunteer work, community empowerment through the Springfield Southeast Endowment, participation in the Route 66 celebration, international service through the Tanzania Project, and numerous fellowship events.

Past President David Compere then took the floor to formally swear in and install the incoming 2026-2027 Officers. The following members stepped into their roles as the new Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast Board:

President - Jeff Cumley
President-elect - Lynette Weatherford
Secretary - Kimberlee Nevins
Treasurer - Tammy Young
Past President - Baker
International Service - Marilyn Lopez
Community Service - Mike Cosgrove
Vocational Service - Joseph Piatchek
New Generations - Catherine Upp
Club Service - Carrie Henry

We also thanked our outgoing board members:

President - Baker
President-elect - Cumley
International Service - Jason Flores
Community Service - Benji Lampert
Vocational Service - Carl Hutchinson
New Generations - Lynette Weatherford
Club Service - Dana Maugans

After Cumley was sworn in, past presidents did the annual Passing of the Gavel, which went from Rex Johnson (1984) to David Caffey (1993) to Steve Rice (1996) to Bonnie Keller (2004) to Bob Hammerschmidt (2005) to Anne Keckeley Brown (2008) to Bill McNeill (2016) to Lori Barnes Miller (2017) to Patrick Harrington (2019) to Rusty Worley (2020) to Lisa Blumenstock (2021) to Lori Johnson Murawski (2022) to Michael Wehrenberg (2023) to Compere (2024) to Baker (2025) to Cumley.

Cumley concluded the luncheon by thanking his wife, Stephanie, for her support and then revealing the new Rotary theme, "Create lasting Impact."

[Photos and text by Dan Emrie]

Springfield Southeast Rotary Club's 2025 - '26 accomplishments and impacts

PDF

Here's the program from the club's annual Recognition Lunch on June 25.

Download "SER-Recognition-Luncheon-Program-2026.pdf"

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Welcome new member Keith LaFerriere

Bill McNeill introduced Keith on June 18. His cosponsor is Brent Baldwin.

Keith is a retired surgeon who also served as a clinical professor of surgery at University of Missouri, trained plastic surgeon residents in Springfield, and directed a Fellowship program in plastic surgery at MU.

Keith grew up in Detroit, earned his undergraduate degree at University of Michigan and his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed his residency at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. After a two-year stint in the Air Force, Major Laferriere settled in Springfield in 1979 and went on to build an accomplished career in otolaryngology -- head and neck surgery -- with particular expertise in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. He retired in 2015.

Keith published many peer reviewed articles and book chapters on facial plastic surgery and made hundreds of presentations on surgical techniques not only in the United States but also around the world. He served as president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and as vice president of the International Federation of Facial Plastic Surgery Societies.

Keith has served on numerous boards, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Burrell Center, the Discovery Center, the Ozark Tech Foundation, and the Drew Lewis Foundation. He currently volunteers at Crosslines in its Reading Buddy and Safe to Sleep programs.

Keith and his wife, Randy, have been married for 59 years and live in south Springfield. They enjoy spending time with the families of their son, two daughters and four grandchildren.

Welcome new member Steven Belden

Logan Aguirre introduced Steve on June 4. His cosponsor is Gary Whitaker.

Steve is managing partner of AMP Recreation, part of A.M.P Commercial (Asset Management Professionals). The company, which was formed in 2025, runs Scratch & Co., The Daily Blend, and Sunshine Events Center in the Plaza Towers District at the corner of Sunshine Street and Glenstone Avenue, and has plans for another restaurant and a comedy club in 2026. Steve previously worked for 12 years for O’Reilly Hospitality Management, including 10 years as general manager of Houlihan’s, directed food and beverage operations at Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock, and oversaw multiple locations of Bricktown Brewery. Before that, he managed Famous Dave’s restaurants in Branson and Springfield.

Steven graduated from Watertown High School and State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta, where he studied the music industry. He’s been in Springfield for 16 years.

Steven has volunteered with Isabel’s House and the Missouri Restaurant Association. He and his wife of 14 years, Christina, live in east Springfield and have three children: Virginia Rosse (5), Victoria (12) and Anthony (14).

Welcome new member Shane Cowger

Rusty Worley introduced Shane on May 7. His cosponsor is Jennifer Baker.

Shane has been president and chief executive officer of Arvest Bank’s Springfield region since December 2025. He’s been with Arvest for 27 years, beginning in Joplin before moving to Miami, Okla., then Siloam Springs, Ark., and then Springfield in July 2011.

Shane graduated from Missouri Southern State with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. He was a member of Joplin Sunrise Rotary Club from 2000 – 2003. He serves on the boards of the Barnabas Foundation, United Way Ozarks Region, and Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement (LORE), which is a nonprofit organization that brings together business and civic leaders to address critical challenges across Southwest Missouri, focusing on workforce attraction, community quality of life, and regional identity.

Shane and his wife, Toni, live in Battlefield and will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this November. She is a community nurse for the Springfield - Greene County Health Department. They have four children: Kori (married to Josh McCutcheon), Maggie, Davis, and Josie. Kori and Maggie are both teachers at Bingham Elementary, Josh teaches at Kickapoo High, Davis finished his freshman year at Missouri State University in May, and Josie is a sophomore at Kickapoo.

Shane is an avid golfer and a member of Hickory Hills Country Club. He has also been a soccer referee for 12 years, officiating at both the high school and collegiate levels.

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Welcome new member Sam Blaine

Luke Westerman introduced Sam on April 23. His cosponsor is David Compere.

Sam has been the general manager for the Springfield office of Atronic Alarms, a company based in Lenexa, Kan., since March 2026. He previously worked for Security Equipment, Inc., in Kansas City for three-and-a-half years and for Atlas Security Service for 23 years, starting as a technician, then sales, and then sales manager.

Sam was born in Springfield, graduated from Hillcrest High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Drury University.

Sam’s community service includes working with children in Kidstreet at High Street Baptist Church, and volunteering with One Sole Purpose, which provides shoes for children, Convoy of Hope, and the Child Advocacy Center. He is a previous member of Springfield Southeast Rotary Club and has belonged to two other clubs in different cities.

Sam and his wife, Natalie, have been married since 1999 and live in east Springfield. They have four children:
Drew and his wife, Cori; Pete, and his wife, Ashley; Emily; and Lewis, and a grandson, Scottie, born in late 2025. He loves to hang out with friends and family, being outdoors hiking and exploring, playing soccer, Chiefs football, watching movies and various shows.

Welcome new member Nikki Rorabaugh

Lauren Southern introduced Nikki on April 23. Her cosponsor is Carrie Henry.

Nikki is the Membership Development manager for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, where she’s worked for nearly five years. She’s in charge of membership recruitment and retention. She’s also worked as a travel planner for Magical Vacations, director of development at Central Christian School in St. Louis, associate director of development at Washington University in St. Louis, membership director for the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce in Montana, and as a training consultant and instructor for Dale Carnegie Training in Bozeman and St. Louis.

Nikki has lived in Springfield for 20 years. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at Central Methodist College in Fayette.

Nikki’s community service includes church mission work and serving as a worship leader at Northside Christian Church. She’s also volunteered with Special Olympics, her neighborhood social committee, and the Ozarks Lyric Opera Board of Directors.

Nikki also recently appeared in a local production of The Sound of Music. She enjoys spending time outdoors, especially hiking and kayaking, and takes advantage of any opportunity to go cross-country skiing when there’s enough snow. Nikki and her husband, Jared, have two children, Maya and Bryce.

District 6080

Springfield, Missouri