With nearly three decades of leadership in the hospitality industry, Paul Joseph has been appointed to general manager of Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Most recently as general manager of Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, Joseph brings focus and passion to customer satisfaction, authentic hospitality and efficient operations for optimal guest experience at the iconic Orlando resort.
Chris Altenbernd has joined BLG. He will handle a plethora of civil appeals, including torts, commercial and construction claims, insurance coverage, domestic relations, and real estate. After starting one of Florida's first appellate groups, he was appointed by Gov. Martinez in 1989 to a judgeship on Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeals, on which he served until 2016.
Jennifer Desmond has joined Fifth Third Private Bank as vice president and wealth management advisor in Jacksonville. In this role, she will help clients reach their financial goals through personalized wealth planning, banking, insurance, investment management and trust and estate services. Desmond has nearly 20 years of financial industry experience in Florida.
Fifth Third is also pleased to announce Farhat Ahmed has been named vice president and has joined the team as a business banking relationship manager in Orlando. In this role, she will help small business owners reach their financial goals through services such as loans, deposits and treasury management. Ahmed has 19 years of successful Commercial Banking experience.
Wounded Warrior Project has added a career soldier and leader to its Board of Directors with the unanimous election of Command Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Alonzo Smith. In his new role as director, CSM Smith will help the board fulfill WWP's mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors through governance, guidance, and leadership.
Steven Tomlin recently joined TrueCore Behavioral Solutions as the Chief Operating Officer. He boasts over 25 years of experience in the field of healthcare operations. Steven previously served as the Senior Vice President for Reentry Operations and Regional Vice President for Eastern Operations at Community Education Centers.
Baskerville-Donovan, Inc. (BDI) welcomes back Alan Hart, P.E., who is rejoining our Tallahassee office to serve as Regional Manager and lead business development efforts. Alan brings a wealth of broad-based engineering experience with more than 22 years in roadway and stormwater design for FDOT and state and local municipalities throughout Florida.
Watercrest Senior Living Group proudly welcomes Kelly Hazlett to the leadership team as Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development. Hazlett brings over 15 years' experience in human resources, emphasizing a people-first focus on integrity and respect. Hazlett provides expertise in business management, recruitment, goal-setting, and mentoring, while further establishing Watercrest's Common Unity program and Platinum Standards across multiple markets.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. has announced the appointment of Dave George as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a new position within Darden. As COO, George will maintain his oversight of Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and International Franchising while adding Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen to his leadership portfolio.
Lash & Goldberg LLP is pleased to announce that Attorney Erica Rutner has been named a partner of the firm, nearly a year after joining the team. Erica focuses on class action and multidistrict litigation defense and handles litigation involving complex financial instruments and deal structures, business torts, products liability, health care and bankruptcy.
Burdette Ketchum, an integrated marketing agency, has promoted Liza Kleven to Senior Vice President of Strategy & Client Growth. She will lead integration of marketing disciplines and services for client success and development, with a focus on digital marketing. Kleven has more than 16 years of client service, strategic planning and brand building experience.
Former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift was named Executive Chair of the Board for Ultimate Medical Academy, a Tampa-based nonprofit, higher education institution. Most recently, she was CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages, an organization specializing in language training. She has served on the UMA Board since October 2016.
BlueLine Associates announced Steven McCarthy has been named as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. McCarthy will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the company, ensuring the alignment, prioritization, and delivery of company goals. He will also be responsible for maintaining operational excellence across the company with a strong focus on client satisfaction.
Broad and Cassel LLP is pleased to announce former federal prosecutor Benton Curtis has been named a partner in the firm's Miami office. Curtis focuses his practice on white collar criminal and civil matters and complex civil litigation, government investigations and compliance counseling, with an emphasis in the health care industry.
Michael A. Wodrich, a long-serving member with Jacksonville law firm Rogers Towers, has joined Stellar as Senior Vice President, General Counsel. Wodrich will also serve on Stellar's Board of Directors. Wodrich's focus at Stellar, a fully integrated firm focused on design, engineering, construction and mechanical services worldwide, will be risk management.
Managing partners Douglas E. Wiebel, CPA and Scott D. Hennells, CPA announced that Wiebel, Hennells & Carufe, PLLC (WH&C) proudly joined Rehmann on January 1, 2018. WH&C, established in 1989, is now further diversified with Rehmann's tax, accounting, assurance, business consulting, wealth management and corporate investigative service lines; 19 offices with six in Florida.
Tampa Bay Wave, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs launch and grow tech businesses, has named Avril W. Stinson as its new director of development. Prior to joining Wave as Director of Development, Stinson previously worked at the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation as the Investor Relations Director leading their investor engagement and programming efforts. Additionally, Stinson holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Florida and a Master's from Marshall University in Counseling.
Kathy Post, owner and CEO of Post Insurance, is the recipient of United Way's 2017 Spirit of St. Lucie Community Angel Award. She was selected for her dedication to area non-profits, focusing on health, youth and the arts. In May, she helped organize a benefit concert at the Sunrise Theatre which raised more than $82,000 for the Volunteers in Medicine (VIM)/HANDS Clinic.
Tech Data has promoted Anne Devine-Pride to vice president of Vendor Marketing, Enterprise Solutions, Americas. In her new role, Devine-Pride will lead the vendor marketing team supporting the advanced solutions portfolio. "As IT vendor marketing has adapted at an astounding pace to keep up with the technologies it supports, Anne is a natural choice to lead this critical function of our business that contributes greatly to maximizing growth opportunities for our customers," said Chuck Bartlett, senior vice president of Vendor Solutions, Enterprise Solutions, Americas.
Broward Health announces the addition of Jorge F. Hernandez as its new vice president of supply chain and chief procurement officer. As VP of supply chain and chief procurement officer, Hernandez will be responsible for the the management and direction of the centralized and decentralized operational areas of material services. Hernandez will ensure that procurements of supplies, equipment and services are consistent throughout the Broward Health System.
Meet Laurie Cappelli, incoming CEO for the Community Credit Union of Florida. Cappelli, who has worked at Community CU for 20 years, including 10 years as senior vice president, will succeed David Brock as president/CEO, effective Feb. 1, 2018. "Laurie has carefully prepared for this opportunity through hard work and study," Brock wrote. Community CU is a $642 million institution with seven branch locations.