Columbia Public Schools 

Dr. Adam Taylor has been selected as Columbia Public Schools’ chief academic officer for the 2025-2026 school year. Dr. Taylor is was previously the executive director of secondary education. He replaces Dr. Jeff Klein, who was announced as the district’s next superintendent earlier this year.  

Samantha Adams has been selected as the next principal at Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School. Adams is currently the assistant principal at Mill Creek Elementary School.  Adams will replace current Principal Julia Coggins, who will become the assistant principal at John Warner Middle School for the 2025-2026 school year.  

Christopher Schmitz has been selected to be the principal at Shepard Boulevard Elementary School for the 2025-2026 school year. Schmitz is currently the principal at Moreau Heights Elementary in Jefferson City. He will replace Jill Edwards, who will become an elementary instructional mentor for Columbia Public Schools. 

Allison Chostner has been selected to be the principal at Benton STEM Elementary School for the 2025-2026 school year. Chostner is currently the assistant principal at Benton STEM Elementary School. She will replace Sarah Sicht who was announced as the principal of Eagle Bluffs Elementary School earlier this year. 

Columbia Insurance 

Columbia Insurance has announced expanded leadership responsibilities for its regional vice presidents (RVPs). New assignments include:

Shelly DeVore, vice president of Agency Distribution and Management, will optimize agency engagement and develop new resources to support growth.

Shane Martinez, vice president of middle market, will guide Columbia’s underwriting, service capabilities, and engagement strategies for larger policyholders.

Byron Smith, vice president of alternative markets, will identify innovative revenue opportunities and expand Columbia’s reach through non-traditional channels. 

ATHENA Awards 

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network recently recognized recipients of the 2025 ATHENA Leadership and ATHENA Young Professional Awards. This year’s ATHENA Leadership Award recipient was Jen Hedrick of SOA Architecture. The ATHENA Young Professional Award honored Arminta Phelps of Achieve Balance Chiropractic. 

Jen Wheeler, a new licensed insurance broker, has opened Rock Bridge Insurance. Jen is licensed in health, life, property, and casualty. She was most recently the co-founder and CXO of Big Tree Medical. Jen is also the founder of City of Refuge and co-founder of The Hero Clinic.