Newsmakers (Sara/Mana)

By Adam Hughes
| 6:00 p.m. May 27, 2005

Strategies

Advertising/Public Relations

• Jessica Hays has been promoted from assistant account executive to account executive at KSC Advertising and Public Relations. She assists clients in advertising and public relations strategies, message development, copywriting and design.

Banks

• AmSouth Bank in Sarasota hired Renee Brady as vice president and private client relationship manager and Stephen Altier as vice president and commercial banking relationship manager. Brady previously worked as vice president of SunTrust Bank, and Altier as a financial consultant for Provident Securities & Investments.

Government

• Gibson Mitchell, the City of Sarasota's finance director, will be installed as the new president of the Florida Government Finance Officers Association. He previously served as secretary-treasurer in 2003 and president-elect in 2004.

Communications

• Teletronics Inc., a Sarasota-based telecommunications firm, hired Pat Keever as its new executive vice president of sales and marketing for the U.S. and Canada. Keever previously worked for Advanced Telecommunications Inc.

Employee Management

• Kirk A. Sexton has been promoted to chief information officer of Unisource Administrators Inc., a workers compensation third-party administrator providing integrated claim management and loss prevention solutions. He was previously vice president of information technology for Unisource.

Home Builders

• Neal Communities promoted Kathy Forinash, a designer in The Country Club at Lakewood Ranch, to design director. Forinash will manage the enhancement of the customer presentations and organize centers.

Officers

• The Sarasota-Manatee Association of Legal Support Specialists elected LaJuana Pruitt of Premier Video as president; Lisa Folis of Corporate Attorney Services as vice president; Suzanne S. Johnson of Matthews, Eastmoore, Hardy, Crauwels & Garcia PA as secretary; Susan D. Profant of Manatee County Tax Collector's Office as treasurer; and Paula J. Garavalia of Able, Bank, Russell, Collier, Pitchford & Gordon Charted as state liaison.

Real Estate

• Michael Saunders & Co. announced that Tony Veldkamp, an associate of The Commercial Group, has recently completed the necessary requirements to become a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).

Schools

• The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee named Dr. Neset Hikmet director of the Center for Research in Healthcare Systems and Policies (CRHSP). Hikmet will be in charge of collaboration between academics, private industry and public health-care institutions for improving the process and delivery of health care to aging and underserved populations.

Law

• Kirk Pinkerton PA hired Laura S. Bauman as an associate in the Sarasota office. Bauman previously worked as a law clerk in the Kirk Pinkerton office. She will focus on residential real estate.