Pub. 4 2015 Issue 6

August 2015 15 L E A D I N G A D V O C A T E F O R T H E B A N K I N G I N D U S T R Y I N K A N S A S for the American Bankers Association (ABA), and the board of the KS/NE Schools of Banking, and represented Financial Services Volunteer Corporation in New York City by traveling to Russia on its behalf. He is a past President of the Barton County Community College Foundation, a past Trustee of the Fort Hays State University Foundation Board where he also served as a member of the Executive Committee and Finance Committee, a past Trustee of the Kansas Masonic Foundation and a past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Manhattan Christian College. Needham holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Wichita State University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance from Fort Hays State University. In 2012, he received the Alumni Achievement award from Fort Hays State University which recognizes graduates who have contributed significantly to their communities and professions. BKD Announces Promotion of Brian Mall to Partner Abe Cole, managing partner of BKD’s Kansas City office, announces the promotion of Brian Mall to Partner. Mall delivers unmatched client service, embraces change and shows dedication to the firm’s values and the accounting industry. Career paths at BKD are divided into levels and each position is defined by its own set of duties, responsibilities and competencies requiring cumulative and advanced degrees of education, training and experience. Personnel also must demonstrate their leadership abilities as coaches and mentors, as well as taking an active role in their community. Individuals become candidates for promotion after successfully mastering their existing level. Mall serves clients in BKD’s National Financial Services Group and has more than 13 years of experience providing tax consulting to financial institutions, for-profit universities and other services organizations. His experience includes general corporate tax planning and compliance, mergers and acquisitions and FASB ASC 740 (tax provisions) and FIN 48 (uncertain tax positions) accounting. He is a 2001 graduate of The University of Kansas, Lawrence, with a B.S. degree in accounting. Bank Advisory Scholarship Awarded The Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has awarded the 2015 Bank Advisory Board Scholarship to Emprise Bank, Wichita. Frank Carson, IV, who serves on the Advisory Board, presented the scholarship to Elizabeth Crawford and Tom Page on July 7. Congratulations, Emprise Bank! UMB Bank Hires Cydney Gurgens as Senior Vice President, Commercial Real Estate UMB Bank, n.a. announces the addition of Cydney Gurgens as senior vice president, commercial real estate. Since her hire, Gurgens has established a commercial real estate lending platform that is actively sourcing and originating construction and mini-perm loans across the bank’s footprint. She oversees a team of commercial real estate lenders and underwriters and manages the bank’s commercial real estate portfolio. Gurgens has more than 20 years of experience in the banking and financial services industry. Prior to her new role at UMB, she was senior vice president and manager of Wells Fargo Bank Commercial Real Estate in Kansas City. IN LOVING MEMORY Douglas J. Saville, 47, of Topeka, KS, died June 19, 2015, of cancer. He was serving as loan officer and branch manager of Denison State Bank, Topeka.