Paul S. Saenz, DO, a graduate of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine and Team Physician for the San Antonio Spurs, has been named the 2019 recipient of the Mary E. Luibel Distinguished Service Award by UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
He received the award at the UNTHSC White Coat Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 23.
“Dr. Saenz is an outstanding physician who has displayed the highest character and integrity as he advances the field of osteopathic medicine,” UNTHSC President Michael R. Williams, DO, MD, MBA, said in a news release.
In addition to the Spurs, Saenz has served as Team Physician for St. Mary’s University and as Chief Medical Officer for boxing at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta; USA Pentathlon at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece; USA Track and Field at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey; and USA Men’s Basketball at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
He is an adjunct faculty member of TCOM and also serves as an associate clinical professor at The University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine and at the University of Texas at San Antonio Medical School.
Saenz was inducted into the National Hispanic Heritage Hall of Honor in 2015 in recognition for his achievements in athletics and education. He has been selected numerous times as one of Texas’ “Super Doctors,” by Texas Monthly magazine.
The Mary E. Luibel Distinguished Service Award, established in 1993, is given to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional personal commitment and long-standing dedication to the advancement of osteopathic medicine. Mary Luibel was the wife of TCOM co-founder George J. Luibel, DO.
BOARDS/ORGANIZATIONS
The Denton Chamber of Commerce has named Mike Pistana to the position of Vice President, Denton Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. This announcement concludes a three-month search to replace Kim Phillips, who served in the role for 16 years and left to lead the Texas Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus in early 2019. Dana Lodge, Director of Sales, has served as Interim Director of the CVB during the Chamber’s President and Vice President searches. Pistana comes to Denton from Las Vegas, Nevada, and brings more than 20 years of professional experience in leading sales and marketing efforts for some of the world’s leading hospitality and resort brands. Most recently, he served as the vice president of sales operations for MGM Resorts International.
CaringBridge, an Eagan, Minnesota.-based global nonprofit social network now in its 22nd year, has named four new directors to its 21-member board, the organization announced Aug. 19.
Among them is J. Scott Spiker, CEO/Chairman of Fort Worth-based First Command Financial Services. Spiker is CEO and chairman of First Command, a company that helps military families achieve financial security at all stages of their lives. As a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former commissioned officer, Spiker will be a passionate supporter of the formal agreement between CaringBridge and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, CaringBridge said in the announcement.
HONORS
The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC) has named Kyle Armstrong, FACHE, president of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center McKinney as the 2019 Young Healthcare Executive of the Year; and John R. “Bob” Ferguson III, – former chair of the Texas Health Resources Board of Trustees as the 2019 Kerney Laday Sr. Trustee of the Year.
Andy Stern, board member of AMN Healthcare and co-chair of Medical City Healthcare, will receive the Distinguished Health Service Award.
The event is sponsored in part by Hall Render and CampbellWilson LLP.
The DFW Hospital Council, headquartered in Irving, is a 90-member organization with 49 years of service to North Texas. It is governed by a 16-member board of hospital executives.
The awards will be presented during DFWHC’s 71st Annual Awards Luncheon Oct. 8 at the Irving Convention Center.
Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced that three employers in Tarrant County have been awarded the company’s top honor for workplace safety.
Honorees from Tarrant County include:
• Don Davis Auto Group Inc.
• Greater Metroplex Interiors Inc.
• Texas Health Care PLLC
“We are proud to recognize companies for doing the right thing when it comes to safety,” said Richard Gergasko, president and chief executive officer of Texas Mutual Insurance Company. “These awards commend our policyholders for their commitment to employee safety and support our mission to build a stronger and safer Texas.”
REAL ESTATE
Lily Moore, owner and broker of Lily Moore Realty, was named 2019’s No. 1 Hispanic Realtor in Dallas-Fort Worth by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHRP), based on her sales of $32 million in 2018. Additionally, during her agency’s first year of business, Moore also ranked No. 8 in Texas and No. 33, nationally. This is the eighth year of NAHREP’s Top 250 Latino Agent awards.
Sandlin Homes, a family-owned and operated new home builder, has announced the appointment of Alan Sladek as chief operating officer.
Sladek has been leading the company’s sales division in the role of Vice President Field Operations and Director of Sales and Marketing since 2009, the company said in a news release.
He has more than 15 years of leadership and management experience in the homebuilding industry. Prior to his time at Sandlin Homes, he was the vice president of Goff Homes. He holds a bachelor of arts in business communications from Abilene Christian University.
HistoryMaker Homes has hired seasoned real estate professional Darrel Amen as its vice president of Land, responsible for overseeing land acquisition and land development in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. Ranked No. 57 on Builder magazine’s list of the top homebuilders in the nation, HistoryMaker Homes is headquartered in Grapevine.
Amen has more than 20 years of real estate experience in the single-family land acquisition and development space, including managing land acquisition for Centex Homes and KB Home. Prior to joining HistoryMaker, he was instrumental in planning and entitling a 2,500-acre community in Frisco. Amen holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Southern Methodist University.
HistoryMaker Homes is one of the state’s largest homebuilders, constructing more than 800 homes annually in 28 Texas communities, the company said in a news release. It also develops many of the communities in which it builds, including Homestead and Lake Vista Ranch in Fort Worth, Brentwood Place Townhomes in Denton, The Landing at Providence in Providence Landing, and – most recently – Greywood Heights in Van Alstyne.