Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations
Marketing research and analytical consulting firm Decision Analyst Inc. launched an independent company called Symmetric, which allows research agencies and companies to acquire samples from Decision Analyst’s consumer and business-to-business panels. Jason Thomas is president and Mauricia Wills is executive vice president of Symmetric.
Warren Douglas hired Allen McCormick – photo — as senior vice president of brand strategy and Wesley Bates – photo — as director of public relations. An Army veteran with multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, McCormick had held marketing and advertising agency leadership positions with organizations such as Procter & Gamble, POSSIBLE and BBDO Digital-Barefoot Proximity. He is active in many veteran programs and associations as well as the P&G Alumni Association and industry organizations at the local and national level.
Bates is a certified project management professional with more than a decade of experience in public relations and a background that includes telecommunications, international information technology, nonprofit health care, consumer products and finance. He worked with global teams to support various business units by coordinating media interview logistics, developing stories for national media and coordinating corporate social media activities. Bates also is active in the Greater Fort Worth Chapters of the Public Relations Society of America and the Project Management Institute.
Banking & Finance
JTaylor welcomed certified public accountant Arielle Austin – photo – as a senior analyst in the consulting group. Before joining JTaylor, Austin was with Ernst & Young’s audit practice, where she worked on oil and gas matters.
Boards & Organizations
Jennifer Rice, — photo — clinical nurse supervisor of day surgery and pre-admission testing at Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth, has been named a director of the American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification. A registered nurse for 19 years, Rice has worked in the perianesthesia specialty for 16 years. She is accredited as a certified post anesthesia nurse and a certified ambulatory perianesthesia nurse. She also chairs the surgical excellence committee at Plaza Medical Center.
New chairman of the HEB ISD Education Foundation is Bedford Mayor Jim Griffin. – photo — Other executive officers are: First Vice Chairman Debbie Paganelli, president of Texas Health Harris Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford; Second Vice Chairman Kelly Pacleb, manager of public affairs at Atmos Energy; Treasurer Margaret Collins, community volunteer; and Secretary Steve Chapman, superintendent of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. New board members are Hurst City Councilmember David Booe and Dalene Parker from Frost Bank. JR Goad with Century 21 Mike Bowman and Steve Farco with Mason-Dallas moved from their positions as directors emeritus to the board. Board members V’Anne Guiffre with AGEucate LLC, Michael Delgado with Delgado Orthodontics and Steve Meeks with Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson LLP became directors emeritus.
Frank Stevenson, — photo — a partner at Locke Lord LLP, was sworn in as the 2016-2017 president of the State Bar of Texas during the organization’s annual meeting in Fort Worth. He served on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors (2010-2014) and as its chairman in 2012-2013. He has chaired the Campaign for Equal Access to Justice and currently serves on the Legislative Advisory Committee of the Texas Access to Justice Commission. He is a member of the Pro Bono Work Group of the State Bar Board of Directors and the College of the State Bar of Texas. In 2008, Stevenson was president of the Dallas Bar Association. During his tenure, he co-founded the Transition to Law Practice mentoring program. He also is the founding chairman of the Summer Law Intern Program. Stevenson is a member of the Dallas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees, a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation, a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the American Bar Association.
Education
Children’s Lighthouse Learning Center appointed a group of consultants to supplement the teams and processes within the organization. The consultants are Eilene Moore, Robyn White, Anna Sherman, Monica James and Melinda Harris. Moore has been franchise consultant/operations support manager since October 2015. Prior to home office support, she was the center director at two Children’s Lighthouse locations. Moore also was the director for the Crowley United Methodist Church preschool in Crowley from 2012-2014. White has been a director of field support/franchise consultant since June 2015. Previously, she was a sales consultant with USA Shade & Fabric Structures. White has more than 15 years of child care management experience with several companies such as KinderCare, Children’s World and Childtime. Sherman has been a franchise consultant since July 2014. She was previously executive director for Children’s Lighthouse at Grand Mission LLC in Katy from 2008-2014. James has been a franchise consultant since April 2016. From 2007 to March of 2016, James was a sales consultant with USA Shade & Fabric Structures and also worked with Jemcare. She has more than five years of child care experience. Harris was appointed as a franchise consultant in May. Prior to that, she was an independent consultant from January 2014 to May 2016 and worked with Open Door Preschool as a consultant.
Honors & Awards
Mark Selking, a tax manager in Whitley Penn’s Fort Worth office, has been named a Rising Star by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Selking has more than seven years of public accounting tax experience serving clients primarily in health care, not-for-profit, real estate and professional services. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a Fort Worth Chapter member of the TSCPA. He was selected as one of 14 2016 Rising Star Honorees.
Dave Lieber, — photo — “The Watchdog” columnist for The Dallas Morning News and a certified speaking professional, received the Joseph J. Charbonneau Award for his public speaking and leadership from the National Speakers Association/North Texas chapter.
The Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce recently honored four local leaders at its 36th annual luncheon. They are: Carlos Walker, Education & Community Empowerment Award; David Cooke, Partnership Award; Richard L. Knight III, Chairman’s Award; and Randle Howard, Legacy Award.
The Business and Commerce Political Action Committee, the political arm of the Texas Association of Business, honored U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) – photo — with the inaugural Bob Bolen Champion of Free Enterprise Lifetime Achievement Award.
The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum honored outstanding civic and community leaders at the 23rd Annual Dr. Marion J. Brooks Living Legend Award Ceremony on June 23. This year’s honorees include: Deborah Whitlock Peoples, Government: Dr. Gwendolyn Morrison, Community Service; Sherri Branch-Breed, Education: Alcee Chriss Sr., Public Service, and Ray Reed, Entertainment.
Six Texas Health Resources hospitals earned the Mission: Lifeline quality achievement award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks. The hospitals and their awards are: Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington, Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award; Texas Health Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award; Texas Health Dallas and Texas Health Denton, Silver Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award; Texas Health Plano, Bronze Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award; and Texas Health Huguley, Bronze Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
Technology
John Bugh – photo — joined ECi Software to lead the manufacturing division as president and general manager. Bugh had a variety of domestic and global leadership positions with companies including Intuit, Intelenet Global Services and Mphasis. At Eci, he will be responsible for all day‐to‐day operating activities including development, support, implementation, training and customer relations as well as all sales and marketing functions. Bugh will manage a global team with current operations in North America and Australia.
Send newsmakers to Betty Dillard at bdillard@bizpress.net