People In Business

Scott Credit Union has made giving back to its communities a major priority. The local credit union contributed about $369,000 and its employees volunteered 1,900 hours to a variety of local civic efforts throughout the region through the end of 2019. The credit union has contributed approximately $3.4 million and its employees have volunteered over…

HSHS Medical Group hand surgeon Andres Lerner, MD, now performs surgeries at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland. Lerner received his medical degree from Maimonides School of Medicine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He completed general surgery residencies at Julio Mendez Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.…

Colonel Thomas Jackson of O’Fallon, Ill., a veteran with multiple overseas tours, has been named the next commander of the 126th Air Refueling Wing based at Scott Air Force Base where he will oversee about 900 airmen with eight KC-135R “Stratotanker” aircraft and an approximately $32 million operating budget. He will be formally installed in…

Michael Moehn, of Alton, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Ameren Corp. and chairman and president of Ameren Services, has been elected to the legal board of directors of Midwest BankCentre. Moehn was named to his current role with Ameren Corporation in December 2019. Previously, he was president of Ameren Missouri, working with…

Rich Walker, the longtime vice chancellor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, has announced his plans to retire. He talked about his decision in a statement posted to social media late Monday. “It is with both a bit of excitement and a touch of melancholy that I announce my decision to retire from SIUE at the…

The United States Air Force Academy has invited Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Dennis Bouvier, PhD, to enrich Academy Cadets’ academic experience as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Computer and Cyber Sciences from June 2020-May 2021. Located in Colorado Springs, the USAFA’s highly ranked university offers more than 30 majors and has approximately 400 faculty members,…

Valley Insurance Agency Alliance, a family of more than 130 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, recently promoted Robert Qaoud to director of performance. His responsibilities include providing resources to member agencies, integrating new members into the alliance, and maintaining relationships with strategic partner carriers and vendors. Qaoud has worked at VIAA for the…

HSHS Medical Group has welcomed Lynn Billhartz, PA-C, to its medical team. She offers primary care for patients of all ages at HSHS Medical Group Family & Internal Medicine Highland, located at 12860 Troxler Ave., Suite 320, in Highland. She completed her Bachelor of Medical Science and the Physician Assistant Degree Program at Saint Louis…

Dr. Gordon Chu is now seeing patients at the HSHS Medical Group Neuroscience Specialty Clinic – Litchfield at 1215 Franciscan Drive, Second Floor. Chu earned his medical degree at the University of Western Ontario in Ontario, Canada. He completed a neurosurgery training program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In addition, Chu performed a spine…

Holland Law Firm has added a new partner, former Madison County Chief Judge Ann Callis. She will head the firm’s new Illinois office, which will be located in her hometown of Granite City. “With Ann’s hometown roots in Granite City, years of experience on the Madison County bench, and her large book of business, I…