Kristin Kirkpatrick joined Project Partners as consulting associate/project manager. Kirkpatrick most recently was assistant director of conference services at Texas Christian University for more than eight years. Kirkpatrick is a 2014 Leadership Fort Worth Leading Edge graduate and has worked with Communities in Schools, the TCU Staff Assembly, TCU College Resource, TCU Brand Ambassadors and the Association of Event Directors-International.
Banking & Finance
Timothy Mitchell joined Texas Bank Financial in Weatherford as vice president/lending officer. With 15 years of banking experience, Mitchell has been assigned to expand Texas Bank’s loan base.
UMB Bank hired Dennis Wright as senior vice president, commercial team lead in Texas. He is responsible for building and leading a team of commercial bankers while developing relationships with middle market clients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Wright has more than 23 years of experience in banking and financial services. Prior to his role at UMB, he was a commercial market manager at Regions Bank.
Boards & Organizations
Charlie Powell is the new Fort Worth Regional Council chairman of Make-A-Wish North Texas and Regan Haggerty – photo — is the chairman-elect. Powell, the president of Ciera Bank, has served Make-A-Wish North Texas for 14 years, including as chapter board member and as Delicious Wishes honorary chairman, and was instrumental in opening the Fort Worth office. Haggerty has served Make-A-Wish since her college days at Baylor University, has chaired the Delicious Wishes event committee and has been a council member since 2013.
The Fort Worth Regional Council also added new members Alex Seleny and Beau McNeff. Returning members include Richard Brannon, Belinda Cooper, Dan Heinrich, Steve Hockman, Eric Hyden, Eduardo Moreno, Lisa Nussbaum, Christina Rodgers, Adelaide Moncrief Royer, Linda Springer and Jerri Watt.
Senior officers for 2017 at the Texas Association of Builders are: President Rick McGuire, McGuire Builders Inc.; First Vice President Justin MacDonald, MacDonald Companies; Vice President/Secretary Robert Wood, Custom Homes by Robert Wood; Treasurer Sue Ann Pinger, Pinger and Co. LLC; and Immediate Past President Tim Jackson, Tim Jackson Custom Homes Inc.
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed attorney Mark Daniel to the Texas Forensic Science Commission for a term to expire Sept. 1, 2017, and Bruce Budowle to the same commission for a term to expire Sept. 1, 2018. Daniel is an attorney at the Law Office of Mark G. Daniel. He previously was assistant district attorney for the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. He is a member and former president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Bar Association and Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Budowle of North Richland Hills is director of the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Previously, he was a senior scientist at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
Honors & Awards
Marsha Crawford has been named the 2016 Realtor of the Year for the Flower Mound office of RE/MAX DFW Associates. Crawford has been selling real estate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1994. She joined RE/MAX DFW Associates in September 2000 and is a top Realtor in the North Texas luxury home market. She is a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Chairman’s Club, Platinum Club and 100 Percent Club. She received the 2002 RE/MAX DFW Associates Customer Service Award for the Flower Mound office.
The Texas Association of Builders named Fox Energy Specialists as 2016 Associate of the Year and Patsy Smith of Herman Smith and Co. as Philanthropist of the Year.
ECi Software Solutions presented Doug Vaughn, owner of Rite Quality Office Supply in Kokomo, Indiana, with its 2016 Everyday Hero Award for his charitable works. First runner up went to Beverly Truran of Data Metalcraft Inc. in Chaska, Minnesota, and second runner up was awarded to Marci and Adam Prost of Ottumwa, Iowa.
Restaurants
Norman J. Abdallah is the new CEO of Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group Inc., the owner and operator of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, Sullivan’s Steakhouse and Del Frisco’s Grille restaurants. Abdallah, the former director, replaces Mark S. Mednansky who has retired. Mednansky will remain with the company through the end of the year. Del Frisco’s also promoted April L. Scopa to chief people officer and William S. Martens III to chief development officer.
Abdallah has been a member of Del Frisco’s advisory board and subsequently the board of directors since 2011. Most recently, he was an operating partner for CIC Partners, where he held an operating and investing position in its restaurant portfolio companies. Previously he was interim CEO of Dinosaur BBQ, while establishing a restaurant investment platform for a family office to invest in restaurant brands, leading the acquisition of Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ. Earlier, Abdallah led the turnaround at Romano’s Macaroni Grill that resulted in a sale to Ignite Restaurant Group. Before joining Macaroni Grill as CEO and president in July 2010, he had the same position at Restaurants Unlimited, a multiconcept company consisting of 14 brands. He was the CEO and co-founder of Fired Up Inc., parent company of U.S.-based casual dining chain Carino’s Italian.
Scopa has been vice president of people and education since June 2011 and is responsible for recruiting, human resources, talent development and training strategy. Previously Scopa worked with Landmark Leisure Group since June 2010. She was vice president of people and development at Landmark beginning in January 2011, where she led the HR, recruiting, new store opening development, employee relations, talent management and personnel development. Before that Scopa spent eight years with The Capital Grille as director of operations and senior director of training. Prior to The Capital Grille, she worked for C.A. Muer Corp. and LongHorn Steakhouse, both in a training and operations capacity.
Martens has been vice president of development and construction since 2011 and is responsible for market planning, site selection, site acquisition and construction for Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group’s three concepts. He oversees concept design, portfolio management and facilities operations. Martens joined Del Frisco’s in 2008 as director of development and was responsible for all facets of new unit development and established the infrastructure to support the company’s growth. Prior to Del Frisco’s, Martens was vice president of portfolio management at Hudson Americas LLC from 2007-2008. Previously, he spent nine years with Yum! Brands, where he had multiple leadership positions in finance and development, including senior manager of development.
Send Newsmakers to Betty Dillard at bdillard@bizpress.net
