The Board Room for May 23

Announcements

▪ Ron Herms, dean of the School of Humanities, Religion and Social Sciences at Fresno Pacific University, will be part of the 2016-17 Senior Leadership Academy, co-sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and the American Academic Leadership Institute. The academy is designed to prepare prospective leaders to assume positions as the chief officers in any division – including academic affairs, student affairs, finance, enrollment management and advancement – in independent higher education.

Awards

▪ Meaghan Young, an RSP teacher from Clovis Unified, received the 2016 Carolyn Dobbs Special Education Teacher of the Year Award at the 10th anniversary banquet. The purpose of the award is to pay tribute to the tireless efforts of outstanding special education teachers; the banquet is sponsored through the Fresno State Kremen School of Education.

▪ Shirley Melikian Armbruster, associate vice president for University Communications at Fresno State, was honored as Professional of the Year by the Central California chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. During its Image Awards luncheon, the chapter also presented PRSA Awards of Merit to Fresno State for magazine article – “A Generation of Firsts: Changing the Educational Make-up of the Region,” written by Eddie Hughes in the spring 2015 issue of Fresno State Magazine, and for video – “Fresno State Top Dog Alumni 2015 Awards” produced by Randy Haar, Domenick Satterberg and Kathleen Schock.

▪ Lydia Zabrycki, director of operations/business development at Precision Civil Engineering Inc. in Fresno, was honored with one of three 2016 Small Business Advocate of the Year Awards presented by the California Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes outstanding advocacy on behalf of small businesses.

▪ Kaweah Delta honored its top nurses during National Nurses Week. Award winners included: Cheryl Weber, Service to Society; Sandra Echeverria (nurse manager, float pool), Excellence in Nursing Leadership; Sabrina Orique (advance practice nurse), Advancing Practice; Katie Roepke-Brenner (acute wound care), Advancing New Knowledge and Innovation; and Michelle Adams (critical care, cardiac services), Christy Kennedy (medical surgical, Ambulatory Surgery Center), Daniel Castaneda (maternal and child health, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), and Cheryl Weber (Non-Acutes, Hospice), Clinical Nurse of the Year. The hospital’s Nursing Practice Council and Professional Practice Council also chose its top physicians of the year. They are: Tariq Javed, nephrologist and medical director of Kaweah Delta Porterville Dialysis, Physician of the Year; and Sean Oldroyd, emergency medicine resident, Resident Physician of the Year.

Donations

▪ Bank of the Sierra announced that the first quarter of 2016 saw $45,000 go to a variety of nonprofit organizations throughout its area. Each quarter the bank provides grants to about 15 organizations, usually totaling $1,000 to $5,000 based on the organization’s specific needs. The grant program partners with traditional nonprofits, public school districts and other local organizations.

▪ Dutch Bros. Fresno raised $6,909 in support of the Marjaree Mason Center. For a span of 24 hours on Mother’s Day, Dutch Bros. Fresno donated $1 from every drink sold to the center that strives to empower those who have been affected by domestic violence.

New Faces

▪ Jason Hilfrink joined Floyd Skeren & Kelly, a statewide workers’ compensation and employment law defense firm, as managing attorney for the Fresno office. He is a graduate of Illinois State University and earned his Juris Doctor at Pepperdine School of Law.

▪ Lyndsie Russell joined Miles, Sears & Eanni as an associate attorney. She earned her Juris Doctor from University of Southern California, Gould School of Law.

▪ Four new employees have joined the Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group team. They are: Brad Samuelson, principal environmental specialist and project manager; Ryan Dodd, associate soil scientist; Ismail Oudra, associate engineer; and Ed Caminata, assistant engineer, all based out of the firm’s Visalia office.

▪ Guarantee Real Estate hired the following agents to its sales staff: Jennifer Correia and Jo-Linda Garud, Willow/Nees office; Jordan Medeiros, West/Herndon office; Mark Krubsack and Michael Hadcock, flex office; and Rachel Zaayer and Gracelyn Martinez, Palm/Nees office.

This story was originally published May 22, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "The Board Room for May 23."