Banking & Finance After a 26-year career with Thomson Reuters Inc. and its predecessors, James F. (Jim) Reeves – has joined Whitley Penn as chief operating officer in the Fort Worth office. He most recently served Thomson Reuters as vice president for the Professional Market, having had several operating, strategic, management and leadership positions in the Tax and Accounting Division. He also served as site executive for the Fort Worth location of Thomson Reuters, representing senior management to 330 local employees. His career includes public accounting experience having worked at Price Waterhouse & Co., Henry and Peters PC, and Bryant and Welborn, CPAs. Reeves, a certified public accountant and chartered global management accountant, has written more than 100 thought leadership articles published in professional journals and has co-authored seven tax and financial planning books used by practicing CPAs throughout the United States. He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, and a past president of the Fort Worth Chapter of the TSCPA. He is a frequent seminar instructor and public speaker and a winner of the Dale Carnegie Highest Award for Achievement for public speaking. Jeremy J. Goldschmeding joined Comerica Bank as corporate banking officer in its Fort Worth Middle Market banking group, which focuses on Tarrant County companies with annual revenues typically between $20 and $500 million, and mostly within the commercial and industrial sectors.
Boards & Organizations The Hotel Association of North Texas named Cecile Fernandez its new executive director. Fernandez is a long-time resident of the North Texas area with a strong background in advocacy as well as experience in the hospitality industry. Most recently she worked as district director for Texas State Representative Jason Villalba and served as director of community outreach and communications for former Dallas County Commissioner Maurine Dickey. Her work in the hospitality industry includes management positions at Pizza Hut and Dickey’s Barbecue. She also has had consulting positions in the nonprofit and hospitality sectors. Newly elected directors of The Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show are Dave Appleton, Jay Ewing, Rob Felton, Ted Ford, David Gallagher, Chris Harrison, Mark Lansford and Trent Prim. Elevated to the position of honorary vice president was Richard L. Connor, elected to the board in 1987; Dan Craine, elected to the board in 1983; Marcus Hill, elected to the board in 1985; John L. Merrill, elected to the board in 1974; Abel Sanchez, elected to the board in 1984; W. A. (Mickey) Schmid III, elected to the board in 1978 and Cliff Teinert, elected to the board in 1989. All other directors and officers were re-elected including Bradford S. Barnes, president and general manager; Edward P. Bass, chairman of the board; Charlie Geren, vice president; Charlie Moncrief, secretary; Randy Rogers, treasurer; and W. R. “Bob” Watt Jr., president emeritus. The Texas Health Resources Board of Trustees elected Judge Mary Tom Cravens Curnutt – and Dr. Ignacio Nuñez to serve on the system’s board. Curnutt, Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2 in Tarrant County, is serving a three-year term on the board, which expires Dec. 31, 2016. Nuñez, an obstetrician and gynecologist on the medical staff at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, is serving in an ex officio voting capacity on the board by virtue of his position as chairman of Texas Health’s Physician Leadership Council.
Honors & Awards This year’s honorees for the 2014 Women of Distinction awards from Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains are: Discover Award, Amy Yudiski, public relations/community relations manager at Shale Exploration; Connect Award, Deborah Ferguson, NBC 5 Today anchor; Take Action Award, Gleniece Robinson, Fort Worth Library director; and Lifetime Achievement Award, Libby Watson, community volunteer and long-time advocate and supporter of Girl Scouts. Schlotzsky’s recently honored Dallas-Fort Worth area franchise partners at its annual convention. Husband and wife team Cary and Jackie Albert, who own and operate 12 locations in the D-FW area, were awarded the Don & Dolores Dissman Franchise Partner of the Year award. Viral Patel, who along with Kamlesh Shroff also operates 12 area restaurants, received the Roy Thomas Bustin’ Buns Award. Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas Inc. received the Performance Excellence Award for successful Lean Six Sigma implementation by the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center. Tarrant County College’s Dietetics Program at the Southeast Campus recently received full approval from the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) for its Dietary Manager program. TCC is one of six ANFP-approved traditional classroom sites in Texas.
Nonprofit Organizations Tina K. Weinfurther the former vice president of leadership development and support at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in Irving, has been selected as the new president and CEO at the Center for Nonprofit Management. She has served as a president and CEO, corporate executive, and adviser to board presidents, executive directors and CEOs. She was the founder and president of Benchmarx Solutions, a strategic planning and organization effectiveness consulting firm in San Francisco.
Send newsmakers to Betty Dillard at bdillard@bizpress.net
Texas Wesleyan elects Powell chair Longtime board of trustees member and Texas Wesleyan University graduate Beverly Volkman Powell has been elected chairman of the board, replacing outgoing Chairman Kenneth Jones. Powell, who earned her undergraduate degree from Texas Wesleyan in 1992 and her MBA in 1999, has served for 14 years on the board and has chaired the academic affairs, personnel, and buildings and grounds committees. She previously served as vice chairman of the board. “Beverly has been a key member of the Texas Wesleyan Board of Trustees,” President Frederick G. Slabach said. “As a business and education leader, and a Texas Wesleyan graduate, she has a keen understanding of the university’s future and its strategic vision, and her expertise will be very important in the coming years.” Powell, a residential and commercial developer for more than 35 years in her hometown of Burleson, is the immediate past president of the Burleson Independent School District Board of Trustees. Hill College will honor her next month with its Pillar of the Community award for her work with Burleson’s Higher Education Initiative, which has increased scholarship funding for Burleson’s college-bound students. Texas Wesleyan also named Dan Boulware ’68 vice chairman of the board and John R. Murphey ’71 as secretary. Boulware is a partner in the Law Firm of MacLean & Boulware, and is director of the Texas Legal Protection Plan and chairman of the advisory board for the Texas District and County Attorney Foundation. Murphey served more than 40 years at Textron, operating companies in the United States and abroad. He served as president, and then as chairman and CEO, of the Bell Helicopter Co. until his retirement in 2004. Murphey was CEO of AgustaWestland’s U.S. operations until his retirement in July 2005. He is business-executive-in-residence for Texas Wesleyan’s School of Business Administration.