The Board Room for Nov. 9

Announcements

▪ Der Manouel Insurance Group was named in the Insurance Journal’s “America’s Best Independent Insurance Agencies to Work For,” rating among the top agencies in the nation.

▪ Brett Sutton was elected as a member of the board of directors of Majaree Mason Center, which provides shelter and assistance to victims of domestic violence in the Central Valley. He is an attorney and owner of Sutton Hague Law Corp.

▪ Twenty four individuals have been selected for Class 46 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, an advanced leadership development experience for emerging agricultural leaders.

Those from the central San Joaquin Valley are: Gayle Holman, Clovis, Westlands Water District, public affairs representative and spokesman; Randy Hopkins, Clovis, Provost & Pritchard, vice president; Heather Jackson, Madera, Sunview Dried Fruit, area manager; Beau Howard, Corcoran, J.G. Boswell Co., production agronomist and pest control adviser; Salvador Parra Jr., San Joaquin, Burford Ranch, assistant farm manager; and Shaun Ramirez, Firebaugh, The Specialty Crop Co., food safety/safety coordinator.

▪ Pilar De La Cruz-Reyes, director of the Central California Center for Excellence in Nursing at Fresno State, was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the California Board of Registered Nursing.

Awards

▪ The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) sponsors National Philanthropy Day® (NPD) to recognize outstanding achievement by individuals, foundations, corporate philanthropists, fundraising volunteers and professionals.

AFP California Valley Chapter (Central California) announced the honorees for all awards have been selected for this year’s National Philanthropy Day awards. They are: John Carey Sr., Outstanding Philanthropist; Louis Franco, Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser; Teri Amerine, Outstanding Fundraising Professional; Granville Homes, Outstanding Philanthropic Organization, Corporation; and The Lost Girls Motorcycle Club, Outstanding Philanthropic Organization, Foundation or Nonprofit.

▪ Gar Tootelian Inc. was named the champion of North America in ag business for its environmentally safe facility and community outreach efforts. The 2015 Environmental Respect Award is sponsored by DuPont Crop Protection and CropLife magazine. Since 1990, the recognition has been the industry’s premier award honoring stewardship, safety and philanthropy efforts of the world’s leading agricultural retailers and distributors.

Donations

▪ Habit Burger Grill at 1731 W. Lacey Blvd. in Hanford held three fundraisers, of which 100 percent of all proceeds – nearly $5,800 – will benefit three local schools. Monroe Elementary School raised $1,823, Hanford West High School will receive $1,849, and Sierra Pacific High School brought in $2,089.

New Faces

▪ Kaiser Permanente Fresno added the following physicians: Anna Avik, orthopedics; Philip Kikuchi, ophthalmology; Beena Nair, mental health; and Deidre Defoe, occupational medicine.

▪ Guarantee Real Estate hired the following agents to its sales staff: Larry Leonard, Cheryl Peterson and Alex Shubin, West/Herndon office; Kathleen Lustig, Fig Garden Village office; Joe Secco, flex office; May Vang, Patty Dehlan, James Liang and Sheri Riley Christy, Woodward Park office; and Alicia Smith, Palm/Nees office.

▪ Family HealthCare Network added four new medical providers to its family practice team in Goshen. Offering comprehensive family medicine services for patients at FHCN’s Goshen Health Center, the team of new providers includes physician Annapoorna Muthyapu, family nurse practitioner Koneechia Brown, and physician assistants Michael Rodriguez and Christopher Seitz.

▪ Jose Venegas joined Caglia Environmental as shift operations supervisor for its state-of-the-art materials recovery facility, Cedar Avenue Recycling and Transfer Station. He has a work history that includes safety and lean manufacturing skills from his time as plant manager of the year for Cintas. He is Six Sigma trained, a former Smith System driver instructor, and has his OSHA 10 Training and Certification.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 11:16 AM with the headline "The Board Room for Nov. 9."