It’s Your Business news – recently hired, retired, promoted to Topeka

Retirement and hiring

VisionBank management announced that Ranae Baum will join as a mortgage processor. She brings nearly three decades of experience and expertise in title insurance and closing services for residential and commercial transactions. Ranae is a longtime Kansan and brings many local connections to her role at VisionBank.

Ranae’s lending career began in title insurance where she served as the closing manager for 15 years. She has managed communication, information sharing and relationships between lenders, mortgage companies, buyers and sellers. She motivated a team of employees to improve not only the daily operations of the company, but also their own professional skills. Ranae then became the closing director for the northeastern Kansas area of ​​a large title agency for 14 years.

VisionBank recently announced its upcoming merger with Community National Bank, which is expected to be finalized in early December.

The Grand Topeka Partnership has hired India Yarborough serve as the organization’s communications manager. She succeeds Jensen Simmons. Yarborough will help shape the internal and external communication strategies of the Greater Topeka Partnership, while facilitating effective communication with the organization’s employees, partners, members and community stakeholders.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the partnership team,” said Yarborough. “Having worked as a journalist at Topeka for the past two years, I have come to know – and respect – many GTP officials with whom I will now work. The partnership is made up of change makers, and I look forward to working with them to fulfill the organization’s mission and work towards a more prosperous Topeka.

Yarborough spent over two years at Topeka Capital-Journal, where she was the newspaper’s business reporter. Yarborough, originally from Mississippi, moved to Topeka in 2019, after graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans, where she earned a BA in Mass Communication, majoring in Journalism and a minor in Sociology. .

Mize CPAs Inc., an accounting, consulting, payroll and technology company, announces that Carole Baber, CPA, joined the firm as an audit shareholder in the firm’s Overland Park office. Carol is a graduate of Kansas State University and was previously principal of Clifton Larson Allen. Prior to joining CLA, she was a manager at Gottlieb, Flekier and Co. from 2009 to 2015.

Awards, distinctions and recognition

Shawnee County District Court Judge Richard Anderson was recognized Friday by the Kansas District Judges Association with the Judicial Excellence Award.

The award recognizes a judge who has served the judiciary with integrity, dignity and honor, and who conscientiously performed his judicial duties to promote and elevate confidence in the judiciary.

Anderson has served as a District Court Judge since 1999. As of January 2020, he has served as Chief Justice of the State’s 3rd Judicial District, made up entirely of Shawnee County. Anderson will retire as a judge on December 11.

Anderson was born in Nebraska and graduated from Kearney State College with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He received his law degree from Washburn Law School.

Prior to becoming a judge, Anderson was a private litigator specializing in labor, employment and construction law.

Anderson was an assistant professor at Washburn University and a board member of the Kansas District Judges Association. He is a member of the Topeka and Kansas Bar Associations and the Sam A. Crow Inn of Court.

Corporate event

Anita bacon, a dynamic speaker from Alaska, will speak at the Topeka Women’s Connection in-person dessert meeting at 2 p.m. on November 4 at the College Avenue Building, 1135 SW College Ave. Topeka. Make your reservation before November 1 by calling 785-554-3617. The cost is $ 6 paid at the door by cash, check or credit card. All women are welcome.