Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Jenna Simard joined Balcom Agency as an account coordinator. Previously an intern at Balcom, Simard is a May 2014 graduate of Texas Christian University. While in school, she served as Dallas editor for The Vinyl District, an international music website, and as communications intern for eight different organizations, including the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the TCU College of Science and Engineering.
Aviation Jeff Plant, managing director at Los Angeles International Airport, will take over as vice president of American Airlines’ largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Plant replaces Art Pappas, who retired June 27 after nearly 38 years with American.
Banking & Finance Jessica Key joined Bank of Texas in Fort Worth as vice president, treasury services. Key spent the last nine years at JPMorgan Chase in various roles, including senior client service professional, treasury and securities services sales associate and most recently as the treasury and securities services for treasury management. Scott T. Smith is now senior vice president, commercial banking officer and equipment lending for Premier Bank Texas. Smith will be located at the Grapevine Banking Center and will develop commercial business by providing capital solutions in North Texas and surrounding markets. Smith has more than 22 years of commercial lending experience in the transportation equipment market. Jonathan Kerbyjoined Heritage Land Bank as a loan officer based in the Fort Worth branch location. Kerby previously worked at another rural co-op in Katy, Texas. Weaver promoted Carrie A. Hardison, – tax and strategic business services, to partner. Hardison joined Weaver’s Fort Worth office in 2005 and has more than 11 years of public accounting experience, including work for Big 4 firms. Her practice focuses on taxation compliance with specialized experience serving the hedge fund, private equity, oil and gas, and professional service industries.
Boards & Organizations Wesly C. Maness, a partner in the Arlington office of Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller LLP, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He offers extensive experience in construction law, commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution. Monika T. Cooper, a partner in the Fort Worth office of Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller LLP, has been appointed for a second, three-year term to the State Bar of Texas’ District 7 Grievance committee. Cooper currently serves as chairperson of District 7, working in conjunction with the North Texas office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel in assigning evidentiary hearings to the four panels of District 7. Cooper’s practice focuses on business torts, commercial litigation, professional liability, fiduciary litigation, wills and trust litigation, and white-collar criminal defense. Lisa Vaughn Lumley, – a partner in the Fort Worth office of Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller LLP, has been elected to The Petroleum Club of Fort Worth’s board for a three-year term. Lumley represents clients in oil and gas, aeronautics, manufacturing and construction.
Education Fort Worth Country Day named Brad Philipson, Ph.D., its first assistant head of school for academics and Kathy Lott as director of admission. Philipson will oversee the academic program in grades K-12, implementing programs in teacher evaluation, program mapping, curriculum development, and teacher professional growth and development. Philipson comes to FWCD from The Casady School in Oklahoma City, where he served as the upper division director. He also served as an English teacher, dean of students and upper school assistant principal at Metairie Park Country Day School in Louisiana. Lott replaces Barbara Jiongo, who retired after 23 years of service to FWCD. Lott joined FWCD in 2001 and previously served as associate director of admission. She handles the admission for grades 5-12 and coordinates and manages the Admission Student Ambassador for those grades. She develops the policies and procedures for all Named Scholars Programs and developed and manages the Continuing Professional Education program. Lott began her career at Our Lady of Victory School in Fort Worth, teaching science, computers, reading and religion. She later served as the school’s principal for five years.
Government Shannon Hamons is the new director of Southlake Economic Development. Before joining Southlake’s staff, he served as vice president of Pizzuti Companies, a real estate development firm in Ohio. He previously served as economic development director for Grove City, Upper Arlington and Westerville, Ohio. He comes to Southlake with 14 years of public economic development experience and eight years in private development work.
Honors & Awards Jennifer S. Warren, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at RadioShack Corp., will be inducted into The Advertising Hall of Achievement, which is operated by the American Advertising Federation. OCG PR’s public engagement work landed clients AGL Constructors and Texas Department of Transportation third place in the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation 2014 PRIDE Awards. The win recognized OCG PR’s strategic tactics in educating the public about the “35 Express” project’s contributions to the economy and quality of life. Interstate 35E is undergoing a $1.4 billion widening and reconstruction makeover. Texas Trust Credit Union brought home two gold awards for outstanding marketing at the annual Marketing Association of Credit Unions annual conference. Within the asset category of $501 to $999 million, Texas Trust received top honors in the Broadcast and Video category for its Robin Hood Mobile Deposit radio spot. Texas Trust also received a gold award in the Outdoor category for its strategic usage of ATMs and wrapped vehicles to increase brand awareness and acquire new members by offering a special checking account promotion. Allied Electronics, a trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, received the Exceptional Sales Growth Calendar Year 2013 Award from Magnecraft at the 2014 EDS Convention. The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) received a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association. It is the 12th consecutive year for The T to receive this award. Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford has been recognized by Premier Inc. with a QUEST Award for High-value Healthcare Citation of Merit for delivering high-quality, cost-effective health care.
Nonprofit Organizations The Child Study Center promoted Tracie B. Mann from interim director to director of the Jane Justin School. Mann, who joined the school in 2012 as a behavior analyst, will hold the Jack B. Morris Chair in Education. Prior to joining Child Study Center, Mann served as lead teacher and principal of Century School in Lawrence, Kan., until 2007. She opened the Kansas City Child Learning Center in partnership with the Kansas City Autism Training Center. Tommy Jaynes, – vice president of industrial operations at Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth, recently retired after more than 20 years at the nonprofit. Colleyville Lions Club presented Jaynes with the Lions Club Tribute for Outstanding Service to the Blind Community. The All Saints Health Foundation recently made additions and changes to its team. Kristie Gibson, former annual giving and communications officer, has moved into a development officer position with the foundation. Gibson was previously with Tarrant Area Food Bank as donor relations director. Kathy Jo Zeigler has replaced Gibson as the annual giving and communications officer. Zeigler was formerly the senior manager of philanthropy operations with the North Texas Food Bank and served with Santa Fe Youth Services and Lena Pope Home. Christina Judge, formerly with the Tarrant County College Foundation and director of development for CASA of Tarrant County, has been hired as a development officer for the foundation.
Send newsmakers to Betty Dillard at bdillard@bizpress.net
New officers and directors for the 2014-2015 board at The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce are: Chairman Bob Pence, president and CEO, Freese and Nichols; Vice Chairman Dee Kelly Jr., Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP; Treasurer Wade Wallace, regional president, Southwest Bank-Fort Worth Region; and Bill Thornton, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber. Incoming directors are: Joel Michael Barber, Capital One; Alec Barry, Southwest Bank-7th Street Banking Center; Tom Galbreath, Dunaway Associates LP; Robin Hamilton, Wells Fargo-Sundance Square; Tom Harris, Alliance Air/Aviation Services; Telvin Jeffries, RadioShack Corp.; Andrew Johnsen, BNSF Railway Co.; Dione Kennedy, Performing Arts Fort Worth; Steve Peglar, WhitneySmith Co.; Eric Schrader, Buzz Custom Fence; Susan Sheffield, GM Financial; Robert Warner, Alcon Laboratories Inc.; David Williams, Chase Bank; and Hadley Woerner, Frost Bank-Downtown Fort Worth. New executive committee members are: Joel Ballew, Texas Health Resources; John Black, Merrill Lynch & Co.; Linda Christie, Tarrant Regional Water District; Reagan Ferguson, Pressman Printing; Wayne Huddleston, U. S. Small Business Administration; Pepper Hudson, Pepper-L Specialties; Stan Lynch, Freese and Nichols Inc.; Cynthia Sadler, Bank of Texas; Shannon Watt, Frost; and Cal White, Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show.
