Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations Glenda Moreno launched Holcomb Moreno Consulting, helping companies meet needs that require not only Spanish language skills, but also expertise in working with different Latin American cultures. Moreno is a career marketing/communications professional with more than 25 years of agency, nonprofit and municipal government experience. Her background includes tenure at the city of Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, and San Antonio public relations agency Dublin & Associates. Fluent in Spanish, Moreno has extensive cultural knowledge through her immersion in the Latin American community as well as through her travels to Spain, Mexico and Central and South America. Moreno received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and obtained a Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults from the University of Cambridge. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. A member of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, she serves on its Women Influencing Business steering committee.
Banking & Finance Ron Dinwiddie has been named chief information officer at Texas Trust Credit Union. Dinwiddie is responsible for all the information technology operations of Texas Trust as well as for its Trust Data Systems subsidiary. Before his career in banking, Dinwiddie served 22 years in the U.S. Navy, where he was a data processing master chief and command master chief. His executive positions in banks and credit unions include, most recently, senior vice president of IT with Houston Federal Credit Union. He previously worked with Statewide Bank and Midwest Independent Bank, an institution that served more than 450 community banks in three states. He started his post-Navy career at Lucent Technologies, followed by Sprint and Temple-Inland Forest Products, before moving into the banking industry. Hallmark Financial Services Inc. named Michael P. Binns president of its Personal Lines division. Binns will oversee the division, which offers personal insurance products focused on nonstandard automobile and low value property dwelling coverage across 15 states. Binns recently worked at Healthcare Solutions, developing medical management products for the automobile insurance carrier market. Prior to that, he worked for Hanover Insurance Group, AIG Agency Auto-21st Century and Infinity Property & Casualty Corp. Binns began his insurance career with the Workers’ Compensation Reinsurance Bureau in New York. Southwest Bank named John “Drey” Roberts as vice president, account executive for mortgage warehouse lending. Roberts is based at the Dallas banking center location and brings more than 15 years of mortgage banking experience to his new position. Prior to joining Southwest Bank, he was an account executive for EverBank Mortgage. He has also had account executive positions at Stonegate Mortgage and Flagstar Bank. Roberts is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Boards & Organizations The Women’s Business Council-Southwest elected David Robinson of Brinker International as its new board chairman and chose seven new members: Jesse Crawford, Verizon; Don Devoti, Sandia National Laboratories; Grace Hastings, Oncor; Kathy Homeyer, UPS; Rosa Santana, Integrated Human Capital; Marianne Stroble, AT&T; and Leighann Vernon, BNSF Railway Co.
Education Tarrant County College hired Zena Jackson as vice president of academic affairs and Lyvier Leffler as vice president of student development services at its Southeast campus. Jackson joins TCC from her previous role as executive dean of liberal arts at Dallas County Community College District’s North Lake College. During her 28-year career at DCCCD, Jackson also served as director of the career center and the adult center, and as technical dean and instructional dean of business at North Lake. Additionally, she served as interim vice president of instruction at Eastfield College. Jackson earned her doctorate in higher education and her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas. She earned her master’s degree in urban affairs from the University of Texas at Arlington. Leffler previously was dean of academic services at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. During her tenure, she also served as associate dean of academic and student services, department chairman of Housing and Counseling Services and director of counseling services. Previously Leffler worked for many years in the health care sector. She is a licensed mental health counselor and an internationally certified alcohol and drug counselor. Leffler earned her doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Iowa State University. She received her master’s degree in counseling from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and is a member of the American College Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association and the Association on Higher Education and Disability.
Energy Approach Resources Inc. named Sergei Krylov, managing director at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective by Jan. 2. Krylov will succeed Steven P. Smart, who has been with the company since its inception in 2002 and CFO since 2007. Smart will retire on Dec. 31. Krylov brings more than 13 years of oil and gas industry finance experience from J.P. Morgan’s Energy Investment Banking group. While there, he advised clients on strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and capital market transactions. Krylov earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, summa cum laude, from Pace University.
Honors & Awards Texas Christian University’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name the school’s College of Communication the Schieffer College of Communication in honor of 1959 graduate Bob Schieffer, the current host of CBS’ Face the Nation. Previously Schieffer’s name had been associated with only the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication, which will remain a school within the Schieffer College. The Schieffer College of Communication consists of the Department of Communication Studies, the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media, and the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication. Two University of Texas at Arlington scientists working on innovative energy supply solutions are included in the first round of grants for the National Science Foundation’s new Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering and Materials program. Chemistry professor Fred MacDonnell and recently retired UT Arlington research associate professor Norma Tacconi were awarded a three-year, $430,346 grant to study a new method for converting carbon dioxide to methanol. Qiming Zhang, a physics professor, was awarded a three-year, $188,548 grant to study the use of sulfurized hematite to build more efficient solar cell technologies. Also, Samarendra Mohanty, assistant professor of physics, will receive a total of $384,269 over the next two years from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. His work involves using a near-infrared ultrafast laser beam to deliver genes that allow expression of light-sensitive proteins, called opsins, in specific cells. Brandon McCoy, a senior defensive end at the University of North Texas, is the second recipient of the Armed Forces Merit Award presented by the Football Writers Association of America and coordinated by the staff at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Nicknamed “The Sarge,” McCoy, 28, received the award on Veterans Day at Apogee Stadium in Denton. McCoy was a walk-on with the UNT squad after serving five years (2004-2008) in the U. S. Army, where he received numerous medals for his service in Iraq. The award recognizes McCoy for his achievement as a veteran who used his military experiences to benefit his teammates and coaches at UNT. McCoy’s journey into the Army began after he was kicked out of high school his senior year in 2003 for cheating, forcing him to go to summer school to complete his high school diploma. After being kicked out of his home for using drugs, McCoy lived in a drug house for a year before his father convinced him to look at the Army as a possible career. McCoy was assigned to the 116th Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan., and from there he spent 13 months in Iraq. He enrolled at UNT in 2009. Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Methodist Mansfield Medical Center each have been recognized as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission. The hospitals were recognized for exemplary performance in using evidence-based clinical processes for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, stroke and hospital-based inpatient psychiatric services. The rating was based on an aggregation of data reported during 2012. Andrews Logistics, an asset-based transportation and logistics company specializing in bulk liquid and hazardous materials transport, has received the Bulk Carrier of the Year Award from BP Lubricants. The award recognizes the company for its safety and performance record. Children’s University earned continuing accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, an accreditation division of AdvancED. The school has been accredited since 2002 and this year also received accreditation for its preschool and prekindergarten programs. First Rate, a provider of performance measurement and client reporting solutions for the financial services industry, has been recognized as a B Corp Best for the Workers List by the nonprofit B Lab.
Law Fort Worth family law practice Wynne Law Firm acquired The Law Office of Jon Michael Franks in Grapevine. Michael Franks and Frank P. Skipper will join the Wynne Law Firm and will continue to practice in Grapevine as well as in Fort Worth. Franks has practiced family law since 1966. He was one of the first attorneys in Texas certified as a specialist in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. In 1988, he became a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He is also a recipient of Grapevine’s Business Hall of Fame award. Skipper has 29 years of legal experience and focuses on divorce and child custody cases. He served as a court-appointed mediator for many years. Wynne Law Firm focuses its practice on family law, including divorce, child custody, child support, pre-nuptial agreements and collaborative law. It was founded in 1996 by David W. Wynne, a fifth-generation Texan with family ties to the Tarrant County legal community dating to 1886.
Nonprofit Organizations Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth added Bob Morgan as a sales representative, Mark Donithorne as the industrial warehouse operations supervisor and Texas Christian University graduate Ariel Humble as the external communications coordinator.
Radio & Television Sports anchor/reporter Guy Rawlings will join CBS 11 (KTVT-TV) and TXA 21 (KTXA-TV), beginning Nov. 25. Rawlings was most recently a news anchor and sports host at WGCL-TV in Atlanta. Prior to that, he was the lead sports anchor and reporter at WESH-TV in Orlando. He previously worked at stations in Baltimore; Charleston, S.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Miramar, Fla. A graduate of the University of Florida, Rawlings began his television career at WCJB-TV in Gainesville. Sim Kolliner joined CBS 11 and TXA 21 as director of engineering. Phillips MediaSource, Dallas-based producer of the TV series Texas Country Reporter, promoted three employees. Christy Carnes will take over as vice president and chief financial officer, responsible for managing the financial risks of the company and for financial planning and record-keeping. Martin Perry is now vice president and chief operating officer responsible for the daily operation, and Mike Snyder is senior producer.
Real Estate David V. Auld has been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer at D. R. Horton Inc. Auld will oversee all homebuilding regions and will play a critical role in guiding the company’s operations. Auld joined D.R. Horton in 1988 as the division president of the company’s Orlando division. In 2005, he was promoted to region president of the company’s east homebuilding region. Prior to joining D.R. Horton, Auld worked for Texas American Bank and General Dynamics. He graduated from Texas Tech University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Pape-Dawson Engineers Inc. added Danny S. McFadden to the Fort Worth office to serve as a senior project manager for the design of residential, commercial and industrial developments. McFadden has 29 years of experience in civil engineering in the management, planning, design and construction management of commercial, industrial and master-planned residential developments. He has worked on numerous infrastructure construction documents for arterial roadways, potable and reclaimed water systems, wastewater collection and conveyance, and storm drainage conveyance facilities. His background includes civil design services for public and private sector clients. He has 28 years of experience in the Las Vegas valley working on high-end communities, and spent the past year in Arizona preparing improvement plans for commercial projects in various cities and counties.
Technology Michael Baker Jr. Inc., an engineering unit of Michael Baker International LLC, promoted Sarah Cathcart to assistant vice president and Texas transportation business development lead. She is located in Arlington and is responsible for all transportation business development activities including developing client and industry official relationships, promoting Baker’s identity across multiple markets, and helping develop strategic and business plans.
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