People Sept. 23, 2013

 

Banking & Finance J.P. Morgan Private Bank promoted Larry Bothe to managing director. The Fort Worth native has been with J.P. Morgan for 19 years. He has more than 32 years of fiduciary experience administering significant and complex trust and estate relationships. Bothe served as a trust examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the U.S. Treasury Department. Professional memberships include the State Bar of Texas, the Tarrant County Bar Association and the Fort Worth Business and Estates Council. Bothe received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and his law degree from Texas Tech University. Ryan Welch has been hired as a vice president/lending officer for Pinnacle Bank Texas. He spent the past 10 years at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, where he worked in risk management. Jason Carter joined Clifton Capital Partners Inc. as an associate, assisting with financial planning, portfolio analysis and related services to existing clients. He previously was an attorney with a local law firm. Carter received his undergraduate degree in economics with a minor in business from the University of Texas and his master’s degree in personal financial planning and a law degree from Texas Tech. Katelyn Woods and Stephen Montes have joined the audit staff in Whitley Penn’s Fort Worth office. Stonegate Mortgage Corp. opened a new branch in Southlake with Kathleen McElroy DeRogatis as manager. She has more than 25 years of experience in the mortgage lending industry, specializing in Federal Housing Administration, Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, conventional and home improvement loans. The new branch serves Bedford, Coppell, Euless, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Hurst, Keller and Southlake.

Boards & Organizations Gov. Rick Perry reappointed Dale Brock to the Texas Commission on the Arts for a term to expire Aug. 31, 2017. Brock, senior vice president of OmniAmerican Bank in Fort Worth, is a member of the Risk Management Association, American Bankers Association, Texas Bankers Association, French-American Chamber of Commerce, and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. He is a board member of Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc., Downtown Fort Worth Inc., and the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center Metroplex Regional Advisory Board. He is also a board and executive committee member of the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, a member of the Fort Worth Strategic Action Plan steering committee for Plan 2023, and president of the Fort Worth Downtown Neighborhood Alliance Board of Directors. Brock received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University and is a graduate of the University of Delaware Stonier Graduate School of Banking. U.S. Rare Earths Inc. appointed Tommy Franks, former commander-in-chief, United States Central Command, to its board. Franks, a retired four-star general, is best known for leading American and coalition troops as commander of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Franks grew up in Midland and after two years at the University of Texas he joined the Army. In 1967, as a graduate of the Artillery Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and sent to Vietnam. Franks graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and from Shippensburg University with a master’s degree in public administration. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College. His awards include five Distinguished Service Medals, four Legions of Merit, four Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts in addition to numerous foreign awards. He was appointed knight commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004. President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. Franks serves on the boards of UT Arlington and William Penn University. Tony Mendes, director of the University of North Texas Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship, has been named president-elect of the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the nation’s largest faculty organization for professors teaching and researching entrepreneurship. Mendes formerly was executive director of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Darla Beggs, owner of ABBA Staffing & Consulting, has been selected as chairman-elect 2013-2014 for the National Association of Women Business Owners’ national board. She will assume her duties in July. The American Red Cross Chisholm Trail Chapter elected Richard Weisbarth to its board. Weisbarth is the vice president, professional affairs for Alcon Laboratories. Yasmine Branden, vice president/production manager at Neil Kelly Co., is the new president of the National Association of Women in Construction. The Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge Inc. elected new board members for 2013-2014: Pat Hyer, recording secretary; and Michelle Clark, Mickey Hooper and Kari Landry, directors. Also, Laura Wood is the organization’s new associate executive director. Tracy Loftin, director of specifications at VLK Architects, has been elected secretary for the Fort Worth Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute.

Education Ashley Purgason, a University of Texas at Arlington graduate who served as student regent on the UT System Board of Regents during the 2012-2013 school year, has joined the UT Arlington College of Science as assistant dean for undergraduate research and student advancement. In the newly created position, Purgason will focus on increasing undergraduate research opportunities and fostering innovative learning, including community and industry connections. Purgason received her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in biology at UT Arlington.

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Health Care Nommo Combs has been named vice president of professional and support services at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth. Combs was named interim vice president of professional and support services in April and continued serving as director of Business Health Services at Texas Health Fort Worth, a position she has had since March 2012. She earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Wilberforce University and a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. Honors & Awards In recognition of Lamar Smith’s lifelong commitment to the United Methodist Church and Texas Wesleyan University, a new center will be named after him within the U.M.C. Central Texas Conference Service Center, which is being built as part of the Rosedale Renaissance Project. A $100,000 fundraising campaign is under way for the Rev. Dr. Lamar Edward Smith Center for Evangelism & Church Growth. After his discharge from the Navy in 1946, Smith entered Texas Wesleyan, where as a graduate student he served as chaplain and an admissions recruiter. He organized the alumni association and was its first president in 1952. In 1970, he was named to the board of trustees. In 1978, he was named Alumnus of the Year and in 2010 he was appointed interim president. Smith, a provost of the Texas Annual Conference in 1997, now serves First United Methodist Church as associate minister of evangelism. Ian Kinsler was named the Texas Rangers 2013 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, presented by Chevrolet. Kinsler is one of 30 finalists for the annual award, which recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game through contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement. Kinsler has donated more than $325,000 to the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation over the last six years for Kinsler’s Kids, which has assisted a variety of programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Fans can participate in selecting the national award recipient by visiting chevybaseball.com to vote for one of the nominees. Voting ends Oct. 6. Rocky Lee, deputy for the Fort Worth District’s Real Estate Division, is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Real Estate Professional of the Year. Lee owned an appraisal business before joining the district and used that experience in the negotiation and acquisition of 24,000 acres worth more than $40 million for Fort Polk. The land provides training for live-fire and maneuver requirements for the Army. Chris Nickelson, of the Law Office of Gary L. Nickelson, is this year’s Dan Price Award recipient, chosen by members of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Nickelson practices family law in Fort Worth with his father, Gary L. Nickelson, who is a 2003 recipient of the award. Chris Nickelson is a graduate of the University of Texas and the Texas Tech University School of Law and was board-certified in civil appellate law in 2006. Recipients of 2013 Eagle Awards from the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce are: Business Man of the Year, Michael Jordan, MW Jordan Publishing; Business Woman of the Year, Dr. Marie A. Holliday, entrepreneur; She Soars with the Eagles, Sandra Stanley, Opening Doors for Women in Need; Broadcast Journalism, Shon Gables, WFAA Channel 8; and Volunteer of the Year, Carolyn Brown. Willy Kelsey, executive vice president and chief operations officer at Texas Trust Credit Union, has been named the 2013 Exceptional Leader award winner by the Credit Union Executives Society. Kelsey has been with Texas Trust since 2005. He will receive the award during the CUES’ CEO/Executive Team Network event Nov. 3-6 in San Diego. Kristin Courtney, communication director at Eagle Mountain/Saginaw Independent School District, won the Bayard H. Friedman HERO Award from Visions Women Expo and Score A Goal in the Classroom. In addition to being named the most outstanding school communication director in Texas, Courtney received a $1,000 honorarium from KXAS-NBC 5. Edible Arrangements franchisees Ron and Cecilia Bolar won the President’s Award during the company’s eighth annual international convention in Las Vegas. The Bolars own Edible Arrangements fresh fruit bouquet stores in Fort Worth, Mansfield, Cedar Hill and Tyler. The Fulcrum Group Inc. has been recognized as a member of the 2013 CRN Next-Gen 250 for a third year in a row. The annual list highlights up-and-coming solution providers that take a smart and different approach to solution selling and integration. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses honored the neurological intensive care unit at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth with a Bronze Beacon Award for exceptional patient care. The University of Texas at Arlington ranks No. 5 among the nation’s most ethnically diverse campuses, according to the 2014 rankings of national universities by U.S. News & World Report. Also, UT Arlington’s undergraduate business program jumped to No. 119 this year among 388 similar programs, up from No. 141 the previous year. Texas Health Resources was named for the 13th consecutive year to the InformationWeek 500 List of Top Technology Innovators Across America. Texas Health was recognized for its use of electronic health records to help provide patient care and enhance patient engagement. Winners of the People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic at the 27th Annual GrapeFest in Grapevine Sept. 12-15 are: white/dry, first: LightCatcher Winery, Sunflower, 2012; second: Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Private Reserve Chardonnay, 2012; third: Arché, Roussanne, 2012; white/semi-sweet,first: Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Father & Son Riesling, 2012; second: Brennan Vineyards, Austin Street Three White Chicks, 2012; third: Enoch’s Stomp Vineyard & Winery, Blanc du Bois, 2011; white/sweet, first: Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Blue Angel, 2012; second: Landon Winery, Yellow Rose, NV; third: Cross Timbers Winery, “My Favorite” Muscat Canelli, 2012; white/blends, first: Homestead Winery, Prairie Rose, 2012; second: St. Rose Vineyard & Winery, Foxy Pear, 2011; third: Lost Oak Winery, Tres Uvas, 2012; white/blush-rose,first: CrossRoads Winery, My Cheeky Bastard, NV; second: Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard, Rosato Muscato Pink Muscat, 2012; third: Piney Woods Country Winery & Vineyards, Texas Festival Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, NV; red/medium, first: Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard, Dolcetto, 2012; second: Llano Estacado Winery, Cellar Reserve Tempranillo, 2011; third: Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Private Reserve Merlot, 2011; red/ bold, first: Texas Hills Vineyard, Kick Butt Cab Newsome, 2009; second: Red Caboose Winery, Lenoir/Tempranillo, 2010; third: Llano Estacado Winery, Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010; red/sweet, first: Homestead Winery, Chocolate Rose, NV; second: Chisholm Trail Winery, Ghost Rider, NV; third: Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards, All My X’s, NV; red/blends, first: Red Caboose Winery, Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon, NV; second: Llano Estacado Winery, Viviano, 2008; third: Landon Winery, The Texan, 2010. Law Attorneys Darrell Noga, partner, and Michael Merrick, senior associate, have joined Cantey Hanger LLP. Noga has an active labor and employment practice and also handles a variety of defense work, focusing on representation of governmental and corporate entities as part of his municipal law practice. Merrick represents private and public employers in employment and labor disputes. Noga earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from DePaul University and his law degree from Georgetown University School of Law in 1984. Joseph (Joe) Greenhill joined Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP as an associate in the appellate practice group. Greenhill clerked for Judge John Devine and Judge David Medina, Texas Supreme Court. He graduated summa cum laude from Texas Tech University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in history and received his law degree magna cum laude from Charleston School of Law in 2012. He is a member of the Austin Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association. Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard PA added James W. Walker and Justin S. Levy to its litigation department in Fort Worth. Walker joins as a member and Levy joins as an associate. Both come from Walker Sewell LLP, a Dallas law firm that Walker co-founded more than a decade ago.

Manufacturing Randy Richenberger, vice president of business development and marketing at elevator cab manufacturer Eklund’s Inc., resigned to pursue an executive role with a laminate component manufacturing company, where he will work alongside his son.

Museums The Sid Richardson Museum named Leslie Thompson adult audiences manager. She will also plan and implement the continuing education program for the museum’s docents. She previously was curatorial research assistant at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. In 2009, she earned a master’s degree in art history at Texas Christian University.

Tourism, Entertainment & Leisure Billy Bob’s Texas named Chris Spinks as marketing director. Spinks will oversee all day-to-day creative and marketing initiatives for the venue. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Spinks previously was marketing director for House of Blues Dallas and has worked in marketing and promotions for Cumulus Broadcasting and Clear Channel Media.

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