Who We Are

Aaron Owen is the General Manager of the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds and Event Center in Springfield, MO since June of 2012. The Fairgrounds produce or co-produced fifteen events and have one hundred and four event rentals and catering plus several off-site food events. The Ozark Empire Fairgrounds has a conventions department for pipe and drape, tables, chairs etc. as well as on-site camping.

Aaron spent thirty-three years working for Paul Mueller Company serving as President of Mueller Transport, Inc. for twelve years and seven years as President of Mueller field Operations, Inc. and four years as divisional President of Mueller Services with gross revenue responsibility of twenty five million to one hundred and forty million per year.

Aaron owns and operates a large purebred Simmental and Angus cow calf beef cattle operation with his family. Aaron was on the American Simmental National Board, one year as their publication Chairmen and One year as their Chairmen. Aaron Is currently serving on the American Simmental Foundation Board, Sports Commission Board, Cattle Baron Executive Board and Missouri Simmental Board.

Bob is the Director of Parks for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, and also serves as Ownership Representative to the Springfield Lasers World TeamTennis Franchise. Bob has been with the Park Board since 2004, having served as its Director since 2012. He has also been employed as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the Cities of Independence, Missouri, and Sioux City, Iowa, and is a past-president of the Missouri Park and Recreation Association. During Bob’s tenure the Park Board celebrated its 100-year centennial in 2013, achieved national accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies in 2016 and was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. The Springfield Lasers Franchise has also won World TeamTennis Championships in both 2018 and 2019. In his off-time, Bob and his wife, Deana, enjoy tennis, golf and going to the lake with family and friends.

Bio Coming Soon!

A lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan, Dan got his start with Cardinals Baseball by winning the Fox Sports TV contest, "Payin' Your Dues" in May of 2004.

Since joining the Springfield Cardinals prior to the inaugural season in 2005, Dan has gone from the last Account Executive hired all the way to Vice President/General Manager, with various sales and marketing positions along the way. As the second General Manager in Team History, Dan hopes to lead the team with a renewed commitment to increase the club’s civic involvement as well as increasing the Fun levels in the stadium.

Dan has always and will continue to put a focus on being active in the community, both through new community relations programs with the Cardinals and serving on a variety of Board positions in the community. Currently he is serving on the Boards for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, the Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Springfield Area Sports Commission.

A graduate of Springfield Catholic High School, Dan attended the University of Missouri-Columbia. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Minor in Psychology while also co-founding the student operated designated driver program STRIPES.

Dan was married in September of 2011 to the lovely Heather Anderson. After a series of adventures together the two have embarked on the crazy journey of parenthood, welcoming Andy (or DR3 as Dan calls him) to the world in July of 2015. In October of 2018 they welcome their second son Tyson (Heather refused to sign a birth certificate with the name Bruce Wayne). Life, as well as the carpets, have never been the same.

Fans are always welcome to contact Dan with comments, ideas or concerns.

David Holtmann is the Director of Finance for the City of Springfield. David also serves as the Board Treasurer for the Springfield Sports Commission

Dr. Dennis McDonald was named the Director of Athletics at Evangel University prior to the 2015-16 academic school year.

A 1984 Evangel graduate, McDonald championed a 30-year career in public education most recently as the principal of Staley Middle School in Frisco, Texas. Prior to his 13 years in Texas, he was a school administrator in Bremen and Valdosta, Georgia.

McDonald returns to Evangel where he has also served as an assistant football coach, strength and conditioning coordinator and an assistant professor in the physical education department for seven years. An assistant coach for the Crusaders NAIA national semifinal season in 1988, McDonald earned three varsity letters, was the captain of the 1983 squad and named the “Most Promising Physical Education Graduate” in 1984 earning his degree Physical Education and Health.

Jason Pyrah is a Licensed Athletic Trainer and the Sports Medicine Manager at CoxHealth. Jason is an Olympic athlete, running the 1500 meter in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Jason is now active as a MSHSAA track and field official, officiating both Cross Country and Track and Field.

Jim Raynor is the Executive Director of Mercy Sports Medicine and is involved in establishing their performance enhancement and primary care sports medicine program. His current responsibility is to lead the Mercy Sports Medicine Department in positioning and development within the sports and medical community of southwest Missouri. His experience includes collegiate, high school, Olympic and clinical settings. Formerly of Long Island, New York, he is married to Brenda and has four children. He is an avid New York Yankees and Oklahoma Sooners fan and enjoys all types of sports.

Joshua Scott is the District Athletic Director for Springfield Public Schools. He is currently serving his 11th year in Athletic Administration and 18th overall in public education. Josh has been active in both the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and earned his Certified Master Athletic Administration in 2014. 2019 marked the end of his term as President for the MIAAA and he currently serves as Secretary for the Board of Directors for the NIAAA. Josh was the MIAAA AD of the Year in 2017, NFHS Citation Winner in 2018 and NIAAA State Award of Merit recipient in 2019. Josh is married to Keely, a Glendale Falcon high school teacher and father to Gabriel.

Kelly Polonus is Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Great Southern Bank, based in Springfield. Polonus oversees internal and external communications, marketing, community relations, and investor relations for Great Southern, including a significant investment in sports marketing. A native of Springfield, she is a graduate of Glendale High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University. She is married to Eric and they have three grown children.

Kyle McClure is the Director Governmental Affairs/Public Policy for City Utilities of Springfield. He's been a part of the CU team for twelve years working with federal and state policymakers. Prior to joining the utility, Kyle's professional experience includes working ten years for Senator "Kit" Bond and Congressman Roy Blunt. He is a graduate of Drury University.

Kyle Moats has been the Director of Athletics at Missouri State University since 2009. Prior to his arrival in Springfield, Moats spent four years as associate athletics director for national marketing at Louisville. Moats also worked in the athletics department at both Marquette University and the University of Kentucky. A native of Dixon, Ill., Moats is a 1988 graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a bachelor's degree in physical education. While at SIUE, Moats was a three-year letter winner in golf and was a student assistant basketball coach for the Cougars from 1985-1988. He earned a master's degree in sports management from the University of Kentucky in 2001.

Marc Mayer is a Senior Vice President at Springfield First Community Bank in Springfield. Mayer graduated from Kickapoo High School in 1998 and from Drury University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in public relations with a minor in business. He received his Masters in Business Administration from Henderson State University in 2003. He is married to Kim and has one child, Trystan. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys giving back to the community.

A native of London, England, Mark has spent the last 21 years working in the tourism industry.

Mark is the President & CEO of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau responsible for economically enhancing Springfield and surrounding communities through tourism development, sales and marketing initiatives Prior to this position Mark led the Butler County Visitor Bureau leading a team responsible for generating over $60 million dollars in economic impact each year.

Mark currently serves on the US Travel Board of Directors. Mark holds a MS in Sports Management and a BS in Business Administration and Management from the University of Kentucky. In addition, Mark has attained the Destinations International designation of Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) and the National Association of Sports Commissions Certified Sports Event Executive.

Mark is an avid Ironman triathlete.

The architect of the Drury Lady Panthers basketball program that established itself as a
national power in NCAA-II has returned to Drury University to lead its Athletics
Department. Nyla Milleson, Drury's first women's basketball head coach, was named as
the next Vice President and Director of Athletics by the university president, Dr. Tim Cloyd
on Feb. 21, 2022.

She is the first woman to lead an athletics department at any of Springfield's collegiate
programs, including Drury, Missouri State, and Evangel.

Milleson was the first head coach for the Drury women's basketball program when the
team launched in the 2000-01 season. She built the team into a national power
immediately as Drury won 20 games in its first year and reached the NCAA-II
championship game in just their fourth season. In seven years as Drury's head coach,
Milleson posted a record of 185-36, her teams appeared in five NCAA-II tournaments,
won three conference championships, two NCAA-II Regional championships, and the
2004 team was the national runner-up. She was named Coach of the Year in the
Heartland Conference four times and won the same award in the Great Lakes Valley
Conference twice.

Now in their 22nd year, the Drury women's basketball program boasts the best all-time winning percentage in the nation with a record of
569-115 (.833); they've earned trips to 18 NCAA-II tournaments, won 10 conference
championships, and have reached the D-II title game twice in their history. Since the
opening of the O'Reilly Family Event Center in 2010, the Lady Panthers have ranked in
the top 10 in NCAA-II women's basketball attendance each year.

Following her stay at Drury, Milleson spent 14 years as a head coach at the Division I
level. She led Missouri State to three straight 20-win seasons and guided the Lady
Bears to a Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship in 2012. Milleson
became the head coach at George Mason in 2013-14 and, in five years, took a program
that won just eight games in her first year to a team-record 24 wins and the club's first
national postseason appearance in 14 years.

Milleson stepped down at the end of the 2020-21 season to return to the Ozarks and, for
the last year has served as the Director of Athletics for the Hollister R-V School District
in Hollister, Missouri.

Milleson originally arrived in southwest Missouri in 1992 when she was named as the
head coach of the girls' basketball program at Glendale High School in Springfield. In
seven years, she posted a record of 157-39 while guiding the Lady Falcons to two state
semifinal appearances and the 1996 Class 4A state championships.

In 2016, Milleson was inducted into the Drury Athletics Hall of Fame, and she was
inducted into the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Milleson and her husband Brent have two sons, Barrett and Caylor. A native of
Goodland, Kansas, she has degrees in Psychology and Education from Kansas State
University and a Master's in Education Administration from Kansas State.

Ryan Bowling is the vice president and director of marketing for Old Missouri Bank. Bowling began his career in 2005 as a reporter with the Christian County Headliner News in Ozark, Mo. In 2014 he joined Guaranty Bank as an online marketing specialist and was promoted to assistant vice president, digital marketing specialist in 2018. In 2021 he was promoted to assistant vice president, marketing communications officer. Bowling holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and writing from Drury University in Springfield and is a Certified Financial Marketing Professional through the American Bankers Association. He is also a current member of the Missouri Bankers Association’s Banking Leadership Missouri class.

Stacie Wells, with SGF Sports, is the current General Manager of Allison SportsTown located in Springfield, Missouri. She managed The Fieldhouse Sportscenter from its beginning in 2013 til the change of ownership in late 2021. She is currently helping to oversee construction of the Allison SportsTown project as well as creating opportunities for kids to play, that might not otherwise have that in the Springfield area while providing a place for Regional and National sports events. During her time at the Fieldhouse and into her current role, she helps to consult with other organizations and companies to help build their sports facilities and programs to meet the current needs of the industry.

Teri Cantwell is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Central Bank.

PREVIOUS POSITIONS &
YEARS OF SERVICE:
Director of Human Resources Lenoir Woods/Lutheran Senior Services 2 years
Human Resources Officer Central Bank of Boone County 3.5 years
Assistant Human Resources Manager OCCI 2 years
Track and Field Coach University of Missouri-Columbia Volunteer then Assistant Coach
7 years
Head Assistant Track and Field Coach Oklahoma State University 2 years
Professional Track and Field Athlete for USA and Nike 5 years
Sports Information
2000 USA Olympian-Track and Field Shot put
1999 World Indoor Bronze Medalist-Track and Field-Shot put
Bronze Medalist Pam Am Games
2 Time USA Champion
2 Time NCAA Champion
8 Time All American Shot put and Discus
Former Collegiate Record Holder NCAA Division I Shot put.
Nebraska All Class State Champion 8 times Shot put and Discus
Sponsored by Nike and Powerbar
EDUCATION Southern Methodist University

Dallas, Texas
Major History
Minor Anthropology with Secondary Education
William Woods University
Fulton, Missouri
MBA with emphasis in Human Resources

ORGANIZATIONS & AFFILIATIONS
Great Circle Regional Board President 2021/2022, Board Member 2020, 2019, 2018
Harmony House Purple Party Chair 2022, Committee Member 2020, 2019
American Heart Association Go Red Chair
Springfield Area Human Resources Association member 2016-current
Women’s Intersport Network-WIN 2010-current
Olympians Association 2000-current
American Legion Auxiliary 1975-current
Columbia Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network
Human Resources Association of Central Missouri HRACMO 2010-2016
Society of Human Resources Management-SHRM

Tom Mast has more than 40 years of experience in sports media in the Ozarks. He previously served as Sports Director for KOLR and KSPR television as well as a television and radio commentator for Missouri State, Drury and Evangel Universities, along with countless local high school broadcasts. He was inducted into the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, and serves a member of that group’s Board of Directors.