ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Nadine Landis has joined Balcom Agency as media coordinator.
AVIATION
Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Jennifer Kurth Williamson to the Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee for a term set to expire on Sept. 1, 2021. The committee assists in the state’s economic development efforts to recruit and retain aerospace and aviation jobs and investments in Texas. Williamson of Southlake is deputy general counsel for Bell. She is a member of the Colorado Bar Association and a volunteer for the George W. Bush Presidential Center Military Service Initiative and North Texas Nadadores swimming team.
BANKING & FINANCE
First Commonwealth Bank has added Kelly S. Smith as a senior Small Business Administration business development officer. Smith will be responsible for commercial lending growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. She recently held positions in commercial banking at BBVA Compass and Regions Bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Texas at Arlington and has served on the board for the Cultural District Alliance of Fort Worth since 2017 and as a committee member of the Indianette Service Organization, which supports Keller High School’s drill team, since 2012.
ENERGY
Range Resources Corp. has appointed Dennis Degner as senior vice president–chief operating office. Denger has been with Range for nine years, most recently as senior vice president of operations.
Purple Land Management has hired Gregg Taylor as chief financial officer. Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Texas at Arlington and a certified public accountant license for the state of Texas (non-practicing). He is also a Helping Hearts trained volunteer for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Tarrant County.
GOVERNMENT
The Town of Westlake has hired Noah Simon as deputy town manager. Simon has been city manager in Lexington, Virginia, for four and a half years.
HONORS & AWARDS
The City of Roanoke received the Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence Award 2019 at the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ annual General Assembly.
Roanoke was the winner in the New Development category for the Roanoke downtown expansion. This category recognizes developments that are constructed on previously undeveloped sites and that exemplify many of the principles of development excellence.
LAW
Taylor Anderson has joined Cantey Hanger LLP as a partner in the Dallas office. He will practice in the firm’s Litigation Section and has an active trial practice in the areas of commercial, real estate and title insurance. He was a member of the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court (2015 to 2017) and has been active with the Tarrant County Bar Association sections, including Real Estate, Energy and Business Litigation, and the Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Service.
Nhu”Jasmine” T. Vu has joined Cantey Hanger LLP as an associate in the firm’s Business Transactions Section. Vu’s practice will focus on mergers and acquisitions, real estate, finance, and corporate and securities transactions.
NONPROFITS
Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth Inc. has promoted Renaldo Williams to director of employment and virtual training programs. Williams will direct staff and monitor the day-to-day operation and activities for Goodwill’s six area Job Resource Centers and for the North Texas Institute for Career Development’s virtual training programs. A native of New Orleans, Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of New Orleans in 1993. In 2015, he earned an MBA from Ashford University. He is a board member for Winfree Academy Charter Schools and is a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
TRANSPORTATION
The Regional Transportation Council has elected Denton County Judge Andy Eads as chairman of the 44-member transportation policymaking body. Eads will preside over the RTC board. RTC oversees transportation planning for the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area that includes 12 North Texas counties. Eads, formerly vice chairman, succeeds Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes as chairman. The council also elected Johnson County Judge Roger Harmon as vice chairman and Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel as secretary.
Send newsmakers to Robert Francis at rfrancis@bizpress.net.