Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
People on the Move
The Broward County Convention Center has a new marketing manager, EVEN Hotel Miami Airport has a new director of sales, and the Brightline rail has named its vice president of government affairs. Want more? Submit promotions, new hires to SunSentinel.com/ peopleonthe move or email peopleonthe move@sunsentinel.com. Contact ckent@sunsentinel.com, 954-356-4662, or Twitter @mindingyourbiz
Dental
Sage Dental Management appointed Thomas Marler as the new president and chief executive officer in Boca Raton. Marler most recently was president and chief executive officer at Dental On, Inc., operating 163 dental offices in 13 states. Prior to that, he led Intelident Solutions, which owned the dental support organizations of Coast Dental Services and SmileCare, as well as related enterprises DDS Lab and DentistRx.
Cultural
Leslie Fordham, public art and design administrator for Broward Cultural Division, has been named the acting director of Broward Cultural Division. Fordham has worked in public art since 2000 and joined the county as public art and design administrator for Broward Cultural Division in 2010. Additionally, Meredith Walter has joined Broward Cultural Division as the arts marketing assistant within the marketing department. Walter was the Development Associate for Boca Raton Museum of Art and began her professional career at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale.
Hospitality
SMG, the operator of the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, recently appointed Jennifer Strum as marketing manager at the 600,000-square-foot multipurpose facility. Strum was most recently with the HEAT Group at the American Airlines Arena, where she was senior director of business development and arena promotions for 17 years. She previously was director of catering sales and marketing for Levy Restaurants at the former Pro Player Stadium, now known as the Hard Rock Stadium. She also was director of catering sales and marketing at Raintree Gold Resort and Country Club and catering sales manager at Pier 66 Hotel & Marina. EVEN Hotel Miami Airport, managed by Trust Hospitality LLC and scheduled to open in October 2018, announces the appointment of Rosalyn Castillo as director of sales. EVEN Hotels is InterContinental Group’s newest lifestyle brand, its first property in the southeastern United States. Castillo has held senior level sales positions at several recognized hotel brands including Best Western, Best Western Premier, Holiday Inn as well as independent properties. Laurens Zieren has been appointed general manager of The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood, Curio Collection by Hilton in Hollywood.
Law
Jason Jones has joined Gunster’s Private Wealth Services practice in the firm’s Boca Raton and West Palm Beach offices. Shannon P. McKenna has joined the Miami Brickell business litigation firm Clarke Silverglate P.A. as senior counsel. McKenna’s professional experience includes as assistant public defender in the Appellate Division of the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. She began her career at the Legal Services of Greater Miami Inc. as a staff attorney and the coordinator of the tax clinic. Broad and Cassel LLP, which has combined with Nelson Mullins, announced the addition of Associate Amber Curtis Widrick to the firm’s real estate practice group, in Boca Raton. Prior to joining the firm, Widrick was a real estate attorney with Lazer Aptheker Rosella & Yedid, P.C. in West Palm Beach. Additionally, William Baldwin has joined the firm’s commercial litigation practice group as an associate in Fort Lauderdale, from Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer and Hicks, Porter, Ebenfeld & Stein in Miami where he was a litigation attorney. Carlton Fields Miami attorney Justin S. Wales was promoted to senior counsel. Kelley Kronenberg announced that Regina Franco Murphey has joined the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office as a partner and Jacob S. Slotin has joined as an attorney. Attorney Sarah Clasby Engel has opened her new law firm, The Engel Firm, in Coconut Grove. Bilzin Sumberg announced Raquel Fernandez has joined the firm as partner in the Litigation Group in Miami.
Community
David Donten has joined the Board of Directors of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a not-for-profit organization in Palm Beach County. Donten is a shareholder at the CPA firm of Caler Donten Levine Cohen Porter & Veil, P.A.. Canine Assisted Therapy announced that
Courtney Trzcinski as has been named Executive Director of the organization, from Director of Resource Development, in Oakland Park.
Education
The Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation, announces staff promotions and new staff appointments. They include Kimberly Ramia, promoted to director of development at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation. She joined the foundation in 2015 as its special events manager. John Richards has been named major gifts officer for the Foundation.
Katherine Bewley has joined the foundation as development associate. The Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation provides funding for the art and academic curriculum at the arts high school.
Senior living
Abbey Delray South named Rachel Blumberg as the senior living community’s new executive director. Dr. Sandra Coiffman has been named director of resident services for Vi at Aventura. Prior to joining Vi, Coiffman was director of clinical services at the Mind Spectrum Institute and an adjunct faculty member in the College of Psychology at Nova Southeastern University.
Finance
BrightStar Credit Union appointed Christopher Patron as business development officer, in Fort Lauderdale. Most recently, he was the officer and relationship manager at Ocean Bank. Previously, he worked at BankUnited and Bank of America as a relationship banker and personal banker, respectively. The National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) has announced that Jeanne
Kucey, president and chief executive officer of JetStream Federal Credit Union, has been elected as NAFCU’s board chair. Kaufman Rossin, CPA and advisory firm, announced the promotion of Meredith Tucker to entrepreneurial services principal,
Adrian Alfonso to tax principal and Byron M. Brown to principal. In addition, Assurance and Advisory Services Principal and Audit Practice Leader Tanya M. Ferreiro, has been elected to the firm’s management committee.
Real estate
Ken Johnson, associate dean of graduate programs and professor of finance in the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University, is the new president of the American Real Estate Society (ARES). Founded in 1985, ARES is an association of real estate thought leaders. Members are drawn from academia and the profession at large, and is dedicated to producing and disseminating research and knowledge about real estate decision making and the functioning of real estate markets. Johnson was elected associate program chair of ARES in the spring of 2015, becoming a member of the ARES Executive Committee.
Andrew Frisher has joined Palm Beach Outlets as the shopping center’s specialty leasing manager. Previously, Frisher was the multiunit manager for Crocs Retail and was responsible for overall operations of its Palm Beach County stores. Simon retail real estate announced that Jeannie
Roberts was named director of marketing at Town Center at Boca Raton. Roberts most recently was the marketing director for Downtown at the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens. Prior to that, she was employed by Katz & Associates Commercial Retail Real Estate Brokers. She has also led marketing efforts for The Village at Gulfstream Park and The Gardens Mall. Four Seasons Private Residences Fort Lauderdale and Fort Partners announced that
David Markovich joined as director of International Sales. Douglas Elliman Real Estate announced the acquisition of Pink Palm Properties, founded by Rochelle LeCavalier in 2008, in Boca Raton. LeCavalier and her staff of three will join Douglas Elliman’s Boca Raton office and LeCavalier will be executive director of luxury sales. In addition to LeCavalier, her daily operations team is now a part of The Pink Palm Properties at Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division specializing in properties primarily located in the gated community of Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, Boca Raton.
Governmental
West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio has appointed Joseph Chase and Lisa Gerard to the board of the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority. The board is led by
Bob Sanders, incoming DDA Board Chair, and includes outgoing chair Upendo Shabazz; Cynthia Nalley; Rick Reikenis; and Robert Sanders. Rob Samuels is stepping down as vice-chair of the board and will be replaced by Reikenis.
Chamber
Denise Jordan was named executive director of the Greater Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Medical
Melissa Guanche, M.D., has joined Baptist Health Medical Group, a network of primary care doctors and specialists as part of Baptist Health Center for Spine Care. She specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation that aims to enhance and restore the functional ability of patients with physical impairments or disabilities affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons. Guanche is affiliated with Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital. The Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida announced the addition of psychosomatic medicine physician
Constanza Martinez Piñanez, M.D. Piñanez specializes in the prevention, assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders and emotional conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to fear of recurrence and cognitive deficits, which can directly affect a patient’s condition and overall health. Previously, Piñanez was a psychiatrist at Ozark Center-Freeman Health System in Joplin, Mo. Boca Raton Regional Hospital appointed John Roberts, MD, MBA, to the medical staff of the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute and BocaCare Physician Network at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. In the past, Roberts was chief of general thoracic surgery at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and other clinical appointments at Centennial Hospital and Baptist Hospital in Tennessee. He also held faculty appointments as Instructor in Surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and as Assistant Professor of Surgery at both the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Transportation
Brightline announced Bob O’Malley has joined the privately owned, operated and maintained passenger rail system in the newly created role as vice president of government affairs. O’Malley will oversee government affairs and community outreach of Orlando to Tampa expansion efforts. O’Malley joins the organization after working 10 years as the resident vice president of government affairs in Florida for CSX Transportation.