NEWSMAKERS
PROFESSIONAL
Michele M. Merrell has been appointed to The LeMieux Center for Public Policy at Palm Beach Atlantic University Advisory
Board. Merrell is a senior level telecommunications and technology executive with 30 years in the corporate world. She is president of Merrell Consulting Group, a global consulting consortium, and additionally serves as a director for three corporations. She is on the international board of directors for the Global Telecom Women’s Network (GTWN), and is the North America President for GTWN, an organization that actively promotes and mentors women in the global telecommunications and technology industries.
JMorton Planning and Landscape Architecture has hired Christen Hutton as project manager of the Government Services Division. Hutton will manage the public sector projects including coordination efforts with government agencies and consulting partners. She is an adjunct instructor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida Atlantic University. A graduate of the University of Florida, she is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, announced that the Florida Bar Board of Governors has appointed litigation attorney Preethi Sekharan to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) House of Delegates. Sekharan has served as past president of the Martin County Bar Association in addition to formerly chairing its Judicial Relations Committee. She also served as past president of the Martin County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Her additional involvement includes serving as an officer and active board member of the Justice Major B. Harding American Inn of Court, and was recently appointed by Gov. Scott to serve a second term on the Florida Bar’s Federal Practice Committee.
HEALTH
Holy Cross Medical Group, has added
Paula Arciaga, D.O., Samantha Gonza
lez, M.D., and Armand Rodriguez, M.D.,
as internists to their staff.
Arciaga joins Holy Cross from Broward Health Medical Center, where she served as chief resident and academic committee chair while completing her internal medicine residency. She is a member of the Endocrine Society,
American College of Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association.
She received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of California and her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona.
Before joining Holy Cross, Gonzalez worked at the University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she served as internal medicine/primary care chief medical resident during her internal medicine and pediatrics residency. Dr. Gonzalez is a member of the
American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association. Fluent in English and Spanish, she has completed several international medical mission trips. She received her bachelor’s and medical degrees from
the University of Miami.
Rodriguez is a member of the American
College of Physicians and has been serving the Broward County community for nearly 30 years. He received his medical degree from the University of South Flor
ida, his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami, and completed his residency in internal medicine at University of South Florida-affiliated hospitals in Tampa.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Palm Healthcare Foundation has promoted Jeff Groves to director of philanthropy. With more than 10 years of experience working at nonprofit organizations, Groves will direct the foundation’s development efforts to lead change for better health in Palm Beach County. In his new role, he will guide individual donors, businesses, advisors and fellow foundations to support resultsdriven health programs for current community needs and in the future through planned giving.
EDUCATION
SouthTech Schools has
named Maynard Harvey
the first principal of the SouthTech Success Center. He was selected as principal after an extensive search for an education leader who would help establish the new center, which opens in August 2019. Harvey has 20 years of experience as an elementary and secondary public school principal. He also served as director of a nonprofit service provider, taught as a special education teacher for nine years and served as an alternative education director in a public high school. Harvey has a bachelor’s degree in special education from Indiana University of Penn- sylvania and a master’s degree in public management & educational leadership from Carnegie Mellon University.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Joseph S. Karp been named a Florida
Super Lawyer for the 12th consecutive year. A divi- sion of Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers recognizes attorneys with outstanding professional achieve- ment and peer reviews. Karp was also recognized by Florida Trend Maga- zine as one of 2018 Flor- ida’s Legal Elite.
Good Samaritan Medical Center is partnering with the States Targeting Reduction in Infections via Engagement (STRIVE) ini- tiative. This program is led by the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) of the American Hospital Association and funded by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). The goal of the program is targeted to reduce healthcare-as- sociated infections across multiple health care facilities. Over the next 12 months, Good Samaritan Medical Center will receive education, technical assistance and support in tracking improvement using data submitted to the CDC’s National Health- care Safety Network.
NextHome Real Estate Executives, an independently owned and operated real estate brokerage, will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 at the company’s new office, located in West Palm Beach at One City Plaza, 801 S. Olive Ave., Suite 118.
Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center
is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1968, the Center is now a 199-bed acute care hospital serving the medical and surgical needs of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. The hospital was the first in Palm Beach County to perform openheart procedures and has since remained one of the area’s leading heart hospitals. Gregory M. Yaffa , a shareholder at
Domnick Cunningham & Whalen was a presenter on the Florida Justice Asso- ciation Boot Camp Webinar series. His topic “Demands Pack- age & Insurance Adjust- ers,” is part of a 12-part webinar series that provides practical tips and step-by-step instruction for young lawyers to succeed in a civil trial practice. Yaffa is a civil trial lawyer with a practice devoted to representing the victims of catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death and insurance company bad faith.