BUSINESS PEOPLE
BANKING
Laura Merling, former chief transformation officer at Google Cloud, has joined Arvest Bank as chief transformation and operations officer.
Simmons Bank has named Lisa Brumley as the new senior vice president, Medical & Professional Market executive for the Little Rock market.
Rodney Hawkins has succeeded Johnny McCaleb as executive vice president and chief audit executive at Simmons Bank.
LAW
Greenwood Gearhart has named Lisa A. Brown to president and partner of the firm.
Audra Hamilton and John P. (Jack) Talbot have joined Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. in the firm’s Little Rock office.
MEDIA
Ben Jones has been named controller at Waymack and Crew, a Little-Rockbased film and video production company.
MEDICAL
The Baptist Health Foundation recently added new board members. They are: J.R. Bizzell, vice president, Risk Management for Stephens Insurance, LLC; Danielle Collie, account executive for Delta Dental of Arkansas;
David L. Jones, partner at Wright Lindsey Jennings; Dr. Ramey Marshell, director of Advanced Cardiac Imaging and Cardio-Oncology, Baptist Health Heart Institute; Matt Olson, president and chief executive officer of Matmon; Wilbur T. Peer, chief operating officer for KKAC Organization and senior partner at Management Solutions, Inc.; Heath Harper, senior vice president, financial adviser, portfolio management director for Morgan Stanley.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has hired Jamie Banks as the assistant vice chancellor of advancement planning and development.
TOURISM
The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau has hired Brian M. Staggers as its new senior director of Information Technology.
WHERE TO SEND NOTICES
Notices of executive promotions, new hires or job changes should be sent to: People Editor; Business News Department; Arkansas DemocratGazette; P.O. Box 2221; Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or by e-mail to news@arkansasonline.com. Notices should be limited to a few paragraphs and may be accompanied by a photograph, preferably a glossy black and white, which will be used on a space available basis. Photos cannot be returned.