Edmund Dziuk
Columbia resident Edmund Dziuk is among the judges for the 146th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which will be held in New York City on January 24 through 26. The iconic dog show is set to return to the city after the 2021 event was held outdoors at the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Edmund will officiate over several breeds at Pier 36 on Manhattan’s lower east side during his third judging assignment at Westminster. For the past 20 years, Dziuk has been the chief operating officer of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, where he has the unique opportunity to combine his business and management experience with his love of dogs and passion for and interest in canine health. He is approved to judge the hound group; numerous sporting, non-sporting, and toy breeds; best in show; and junior showmanship.
Natalie Thomas
Natalie Thomas has been selected to serve as the director of advancement at Columbia Independent School. Natalie most recently served as the director of advancement at the Trulaske College of Business at MU. Thomas will oversee all fundraising activities, including the CIS Pride Fund annual campaign; special events such as the school’s gala and Spaghetti Supper; and capital campaign and major gift programs. She will also serve as a member of the school’s leadership team. Thomas earned a bachelor of arts in communication from MU and a master’s degree in business administration from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. Prior to her advancement work at the Trulaske College of Business, Thomas served as a digital marketing officer and account manager for companies based in New York and Denver.
Christian Fellowship Church
Christian Fellowship Church installed new leadership, including elders, pastors, and a new lead pastor. New elders are Steve Boul, Nene Peter, Bruce Moe, and Jean Claude Ntimpa. New pastors are Beth Bramstedt and Deb Schaefer. The new lead pastor is Michael Acock, who previously served the church as executive pastor. Christian Fellowship has been part of the Columbia community since 1978, and Phil Schaefer, who retired at the end of the year, served as senior pastor for more than 27 years.
Greg Brockmeier
Brockmeier Financial Services congratulated Greg Brockmeier on earning his certified financial planner designation. Greg has been an integral part of Brockmeier Financial Services’ development and success since 2012. While many people can use the title “financial planner,” only those who have fulfilled the CFP Board’s rigorous requirements can call themselves a CFP professional. A CFP professional must act as a fiduciary for their clients, acting in their best interests, and have demonstrated the knowledge, ethics, and experience required to deliver comprehensive financial planning. Greg has reaffirmed his commitment to provide client-centric financial planning, risk management and investment, tax work, and estate planning guidance.
Habib Zaghouani
The National Academy of Inventors has named the MU School of Medicine’s Habib Zaghouani, PhD, to its 2021 fellows program. The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society. Zaghouani is the J. Lavenia Edwards Endowed Chair in Pediatrics with appointments in the MU School of Medicine Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and the Department of Child Health and Neurology. He is director of the Immunity & Autoimmunity Research Laboratory, which focuses on the biology of T lymphocytes and their contribution to the development of immunity and autoimmunity. He holds 23 patents and has three that are pending. The 2021 NAI fellow class represents 116 research universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes worldwide. Collectively, the class holds more than 4,800 U.S. patents.
