New Members In Past 9 Months | Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast

Steven Belden

Logan Aguirre introduced Steve on June 4. His cosponsor is Gary Whitaker.

Steve is managing partner of AMP Recreation, part of A.M.P Commercial (Asset Management Professionals). The company, which was formed in 2025, runs Scratch & Co., The Daily Blend, and Sunshine Events Center in the Plaza Towers District at the corner of Sunshine Street and Glenstone Avenue, and has plans for another restaurant and a comedy club in 2026. Steve previously worked for 12 years for O’Reilly Hospitality Management, including 10 years as general manager of Houlihan’s, directed food and beverage operations at Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock, and oversaw multiple locations of Bricktown Brewery. Before that, he managed Famous Dave’s restaurants in Branson and Springfield.

Steven graduated from Watertown High School and State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta, where he studied the music industry. He’s been in Springfield for 16 years.

Steven has volunteered with Isabel’s House and the Missouri Restaurant Association. He and his wife of 14 years, Christina, live in east Springfield and have three children: Virginia Rosse (5), Victoria (12) and Anthony (14).

Shane Cowger

Rusty Worley introduced Shane on May 7. His cosponsor is Jennifer Baker.

Shane has been president and chief executive officer of Arvest Bank’s Springfield region since December 2025. He’s been with Arvest for 27 years, beginning in Joplin before moving to Miami, Okla., then Siloam Springs, Ark., and then Springfield in July 2011.

Shane graduated from Missouri Southern State with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. He was a member of Joplin Sunrise Rotary Club from 2000 – 2003. He serves on the boards of the Barnabas Foundation, United Way Ozarks Region, and Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement (LORE), which is a nonprofit organization that brings together business and civic leaders to address critical challenges across Southwest Missouri, focusing on workforce attraction, community quality of life, and regional identity.

Shane and his wife, Toni, live in Battlefield and will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this November. She is a community nurse for the Springfield - Greene County Health Department. They have four children: Kori (married to Josh McCutcheon), Maggie, Davis, and Josie. Kori and Maggie are both teachers at Bingham Elementary, Josh teaches at Kickapoo High, Davis finished his freshman year at Missouri State University in May, and Josie is a sophomore at Kickapoo.

Shane is an avid golfer and a member of Hickory Hills Country Club. He has also been a soccer referee for 12 years, officiating at both the high school and collegiate levels.

Sam Blaine

Luke Westerman introduced Sam on April 23. His cosponsor is David Compere.

Sam has been the general manager for the Springfield office of Atronic Alarms, a company based in Lenexa, Kan., since March 2026. He previously worked for Security Equipment, Inc., in Kansas City for three-and-a-half years and for Atlas Security Service for 23 years, starting as a technician, then sales, and then sales manager.

Sam was born in Springfield, graduated from Hillcrest High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice at Drury University.

Sam’s community service includes working with children in Kidstreet at High Street Baptist Church, and volunteering with One Sole Purpose, which provides shoes for children, Convoy of Hope, and the Child Advocacy Center. He is a previous member of Springfield Southeast Rotary Club and has belonged to two other clubs in different cities.

Sam and his wife, Natalie, have been married since 1999 and live in east Springfield. They have four children:
Drew and his wife, Cori; Pete, and his wife, Ashley; Emily; and Lewis, and a grandson, Scottie, born in late 2025. He loves to hang out with friends and family, being outdoors hiking and exploring, playing soccer, Chiefs football, watching movies and various shows.

Nikki Rorabaugh

Lauren Southern introduced Nikki on April 23. Her cosponsor is Carrie Henry.

Nikki is the Membership Development manager for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, where she’s worked for nearly five years. She’s in charge of membership recruitment and retention. She’s also worked as a travel planner for Magical Vacations, director of development at Central Christian School in St. Louis, associate director of development at Washington University in St. Louis, membership director for the Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce in Montana, and as a training consultant and instructor for Dale Carnegie Training in Bozeman and St. Louis.

Nikki has lived in Springfield for 20 years. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at Central Methodist College in Fayette.

Nikki’s community service includes church mission work and serving as a worship leader at Northside Christian Church. She’s also volunteered with Special Olympics, her neighborhood social committee, and the Ozarks Lyric Opera Board of Directors.

Nikki also recently appeared in a local production of The Sound of Music. She enjoys spending time outdoors, especially hiking and kayaking, and takes advantage of any opportunity to go cross-country skiing when there’s enough snow. Nikki and her husband, Jared, have two children, Maya and Bryce.

Jessica Kolde

Ron Bogart introduced Jessica on March 12. Her cosponsor is Logan Aguirre.

Jessica has worked remotely for an Atlanta-based company, CRH, since 2022 in its Americas Building Products organization. She now serves as vice president of Supply Chain for the fence, deck, and rail division. If you’d like to talk about tariffs or trucking, Jessica’s your person.

Jessica grew up in Kansas and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering at Kansas State University. She then worked for Nestlé for 11 years, during which she lived in St. Joseph, Mo., Atlanta, Iowa twice, and St. Louis. After Nestlé, Jessica joined a startup food company in Mankato, Minn.

When Jessica was offered a position near Springfield, she declined as she and her family were trying to get out of the Midwest and explore a bit, though they did like the idea of being closer to family. When the opportunity came around again eight years ago, they gave Springfield a chance and quickly fell in love with the community. Jessica became active in the community through the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and The eFactory. In 2020, she earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Arkansas.

Jessica and her husband, Chad, have two daughters, ages 12 and 14, who attend Central High School, one in the International Baccalaureate program and the other in Scholars. The family stays busy with Scouts BSA, where Jessica is a leader, and martial arts, in which Jessica earned a black belt to keep up with her daughters. The family attends Christ Episcopal Church.

The family enjoys spending time at Table Rock Lake, hiking and camping in the Ozarks, snow skiing, and watching Kansas State football, including several losing-effort bowl games and a game in Ireland in the summer of 2025. She says she loves to play golf despite being terrible at it. She claims to make the best margarita you’ve ever had, and says she can assemble a charcuterie board at a moment’s notice.

James Bureman

Dan Emrie introduced Jim on March 6. His cosponsor is Steve Rice.

Jim retired from his optometry practice in 2016 but volunteers at the Veterans Administration clinic in Springfield. He established Missouri Eye Institute, a joint practice with other optometrists & ophthalmologists at which he was the managing partner, in 1988. Dr. Bureman was honored as Missouri Optometrist of the year and an American Top Optometrist by the Consumer Research Council. He also served as chairman of the Missouri State Board of Optometry.

Jim is originally from the North County area of St. Louis, where he was the Senior Class president of Hazelwood High School. He attended Central Methodist University in Fayette on scholastic and football scholarships and earned a degree in Biology. He then studied at Illinois College of Optometry on an Army Health Scholarship. He entered the Army Medical Service Corps in 1980 as a captain. He served three years in Germany and one year at Ft. Riley, Kan., receiving two Army Commendation Medals. Jim completed his military service in the Missouri Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel in 2000.

Jim met his future wife, Sherry, at Ft. Riley and they moved to Springfield in 1985 to begin his optometry practice. They have two adult children: Chase is a Marine pilot flying the Osprey Tilt Rotor Aircraft and Kirsten is a Rotarian in the San Francisco Bay area and was the president of the first Springfield Interact Club. Jim was a former member of Springfield Southeast Rotary and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Jami Wightman

Jason Hynson introduced Jami on Jan. 22. Her cosponsor is Margo Spilde.

Jami is in charge of business development for Mouery’s Flooring on West Battlefield Road in Springfield, tasked with increasing revenue as well as developing and implementing long-term growth strategies. She took that job in the fall of 2025 after working as a senior account executive for 417 Magazine for 11 years.

Jami was born and raised in Lockwood. She earned a degree in marketing at Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU) and worked in both the Missouri State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol while she was in college. She lived in St. Louis for 12 years before moving back to southwest Missouri.

Jami’s community service includes serving on the boards of Victory Mission and Redeemer Lutheran Church, and on the advisory board of Least of These. Her faith is central to who she is and how she lives. At her core, she believes success is measured by how many people you help along the way. She finds her greatest fulfillment in serving others, building relationships, and giving back — which makes Rotary feel a lot like home.

Jami loves to eat breaded cashew chicken and enjoys having coffee with just about anyone, but would really enjoy a face-to-face conversation with Jesus. She lives in Nixa with her husband, John, and their two children, Molly and Logan, who are students at Liberty University. Her family loves boating, tubing and hanging out with friends on Table Rock Lake. She also likes shopping, running and decorating.

District 6080

Springfield, Missouri