HIRES/PROMOTIONS
SCOTT GLASS
New Job Title: Partner
Company: Palmer & Cay
Duties: Glass provides risk management advice and property-casualty insurance brokerage services to middle market and large corporate clients throughout the Southeast. He specializes in the logging and construction industries.
Experience: Glass has 36 years experience in the property-casualty insurance field, all of them with Savannah firms including the John D. Carswell Company, Georgia Timber Harvesters Mutual, Glass Compton & Stevens and, most recently, Wachovia/Wells Fargo Insurance Services.
Education: Glass earned a bachelor of science in finance from Florida State University.
KIM HOPKINS
New job title: Business Development Manager – National Accounts
Company:The Kennickell Group
Duties: Hopkins will handle major accounts in North America with a focus on marketing support for companies who sell through a dealer network.
Related work experience: Hopkins has been employed by RR Donnelley in Houston for 22 years.
Education: Hopkins attended the University of Maryland.
KEVIN OWENS
New job title: Inside Sales Manager
Company: Guerry Lumber Co. Inc.
Duties: Owens will manage the day-to-day sales for walk-in customers.
Related work experience: Owens was the general manager and vice president of Owens Supply Co. Inc. for 22 years.
Education: Owens attended Georgia Southern University and the University of South Carolina Beaufort.
APRIL CALLON
New Job Title: Marketing Coordinator
Company: Choate Construction Company
Duties: Callon will handle all qualifications, presentations, marketing, advertising and sponsorship opportunities.
Related work experience: Callon has provided assistance to the marketing department in the role of preconstruction coordinator.
Education: Callon is a graduate of Southeastern Technical College.
RICHARD I. EISENSTADT
New job title: Chief financial officer
Company: ArborGen
Duties: Eisenstadt will be responsible for the company’s finance, treasury and investor relations functions.
Related work experience: Eisenstadt has more than 30 years of finance leadership experience in the health care, life sciences and emerging technology industries. He served as the CFO of Tranzyme Pharma nine years after a time as director of finance for Cogent Neuroscience, Inc.
Education: Eisenstadt has a B.A. in economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his MBA from James Madison University.
WES J.T. KITASHIMA
New job title: Sales Manager
Company: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
Related work experience: Kitashima, a certified meeting professional, served as director of event operations and events planning at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort & Spa and director of club operations at South Carolina Yacht Club. Most recently he served as director of event planning and operations at the Atlanta Airport Marriott.
BOONE PHILLIPS
New job title: Intern
Company: Chatham County DA’s Office
Duties: Criminal Prosecution
Related work experience: Phillips interned at the Mission First Legal Aid Office, as well as for the Mississippi Center for Justice in Jackson, Miss. He also has served locally as legal intern for Chatham County Superior Court Judge James Bass Jr. and as a legal assistant at the law firm of Phillips & Roberts.
Education: Phillips received his B.S. in commerce and business administration from the University of Alabama. He is working toward his juris doctorate from the Mississippi College of Law in Jackson.
RANDALL WEBB
New job title: Manager, Employee Benefit Plan Audit Group
Company: Deemer Dana & Froehle LLP
Duties: Webb works with clients in various industries. His main focus is on audit and attestation work with closely held businesses and qualified employee benefit plans.
Related work experience: Webb started his career with Deemer Dana & Froehle in May 2005.
MATT STRINGFELLOW
New job title: Partner, Audit Group
Company: Deemer Dana & Froehle LLP
Duties: Stringfellow’s focus is on enhancing the firm’s quality and efficiency in the delivery of assurance services.
Related work experience: Stringfellow has more than 15 years of experience in public accounting and private industry service. His industry experience includes design firms, construction, and manufacturing.
CHARLES N. COLLIER, JR.
New job title: Assistant dean for health career pathways
Company: Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University.
Duties: Collier is working with several university and community-based partners to establish a pipeline to health professions, supporting the interest and efforts of students from the elementary educational level through the development of a pre-matriculation program for entering medical students.
Related work experience: Collier, a former Savannah resident, comes to Quinnipiac from Emory University, where he served as director of pre-professional services.
GENE GIBSON
New Job Title: Regional President – Coastal Georgia
Company: United Community Bank
Duties: Gibson is responsible for United Community Bank’s coastal Georgia operations, which include offices in Savannah, Brunswick and Waycross.
Related work experience: Gibson has served as president of United Community Bank – Savannah since April of 2010.
MICHAEL JORDAN
New job title: Communications and Outreach Coordinator
Company: Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Duties: Jordan’s duties will include managing the sanctuary’s public outreach efforts and media relations, social media and events such as the annual Ocean Film Festival.
Related work experience:Jordan’s experience includes seven years as a news anchor and reporter at WSAV-TV, five years as public relations director at the nonprofit Coastal Heritage Society and three years as president of his own video production company.
Education: Jordan earned a master of arts degree in public history from Armstrong Atlantic State University and a bachelor of arts in history from Carson-Newman College.
HONORS/AWARDS
Savannah orthodontist elected president of ICD
Irwin L. (Leon) Aronson, DDS, MS, an orthodontist and long-standing member of the American Association of Orthodontists, has been elected the 2013 president of the International College of Dentists at Large. The election was held recently at the ICD annual meeting in San Francisco. Aronson took office Jan. 1.
SCAD eLearning professor honored
Sarah Adams, SCAD eLearning professor of graphic design and alumna, has been named Outstanding Distance Learning Faculty by the Instructional Technology Council. The ITC, the international organization representing institutions offering distance education courses, has also recognized Adams as a distinguished educator.
Lawyer honored
Catherine Bowman, of The Bowman Law Office, has been chosen, as one of Georgia Trends 2012’s Legal Elite in the area of employment law.
Audit specialist earns certification
Grant Gooding, with Deemer Dana & Froehle LLP accounting firm, has obtained the CFE credential. Grant joined the firm in 2010 and is a part of the audit team in the Savannah office.
Memorial trainer honored
The Georgia Athletic Trainers’ Association has named Jennifer Kingsby of Memorial University Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Department as the recipient of their Jerry Rhea Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. The honor is based primarily for her work with Beach High School in Savannah.
Leadership Georgia names new members
Leadership Georgia, a 40-year-old organization of community and state leaders, picks 60 participants each year to visit five Georgia communities in a year-long exchange of ideas and experiences about important issues affecting the state.
New members include:
• Jerald Mitchell, Director of Innovation, Savannah Economic Development Authority;
• Jeffrey Mandel, General Surgeon, Savannah Surgical Oncology/SouthCoast Medical Group; and
• Shawn Kachmar, Partner / Practice Group Leader, Hunter Maclean.
Comcast employee honored
Lou Duggins, an advertising account executive with Comcast Spotlight in Savannah, was recently named the 2012 Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year. Ambassadors also represent the Chamber at events such as ribbon cuttings, grand openings, business connections and other functions.
Gulfstream names product support sales directors
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. recently named two longtime company employees to help lead its product support sales organization. Heading sales teams principally for the East and West coasts are Brian Schank and Darwin Stout. They report to Mike West, vice president, product support sales.
Hospice Savannah president earns designation
Debra Anthony Larson, president and CEO of Hospice Savannah, Inc. has been selected to serve on the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization’s Quality and Standards Committee. The committee consists of 32 members from throughout the United States. Larson also serves on the board of the Georgia Hospice & Palliative Care Organization.
CCDS’s vice president of services honored
Wanda Bohnstedt, vice president of services for the Coastal Center for Developmental Services, was awarded the “Exemplary Faculty Member Award” by the Georgia Crisis Intervention Team. The award was presented by Dr. Jim DeGroot, director of mental health, Georgia Department of Corrections, at the 2012 CIT Honors Program on Nov. 15 on St. Simons Island.
Savannah Tech student to attend Leadership institute
Rasheda Fann has been chosen to represent Savannah Technical College at the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) Leadership Institute on March 18-21. The EAGLE Leadership Institute recognizes and honors students who have demonstrated superior achievement in adult education classes.