BUSINESS PEOPLE
■ Cassie B. Barlow, PhD, has joined the Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley Chapter Board of Directors. Dr. Barlow has previously served as Honorary Chair of the Dayton Walk to End Alzheimer’s, one of the largest fundraising events in the Miami Valley. She is currently co-chair of a chapter military/veteran initiative focused on dementia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Barlow is employed as Director of Aerospace Professional Development Center (APDC) at Southwestern Ohio Council on Higher Education. APDC is focused on workforce development needs across Ohio, primarily in the aerospace and defense industry, as well as science, technology, engineering and math disciplines.
Dr. Barlow is familiar with leading multiple activities, serving previously as the 88th Air Base Wing and Installation Commander, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH. In that role, she commanded one of the largest air base wings in the Air Force with more than 5,000 Air Force military, civilian, and contractor employees.
Barlow says, “Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death, and is impacting everyone in all walks of life, whether personally or through greater state and federal health care costs that affect everyone. The Alzheimer’s Association exists to help provide care and support services for people living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, and also for their caregivers ... and their services are free. We must make sure that anyone affected by dementia knows that help is readily available at the Alzheimer’s Association by simply calling our 24/7 Helpline at 1-800272-3900.”
Dr. Barlow earned a Bachelor of Psychology degree from Georgetown University, Washington, DC; Master of Clinical Psychology degree from Chapman University, Orange County, CA; and Ph.D. from Rice University, Houston, TX. She also earned masters degrees in Military Operational Art and Science, and in National Security
■ Local Neurologist Kenneth Pugar, DO, MBA, dFACN, has joined the Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley Chapter Board of Directors. Dr. Pugar is the founder and President of Dayton Center for Neurological Disorders (DCND).
In his role on the chapter board Dr. Pugar will lead the Medical-Science Committee and help to ensure that chapter services are medically sound. He also is co-chair of the chapter’s Reason to Hope event scheduled for April 2018. He has been a member of the chapter’s Medical-Science Advisory Committee for several years, while also participating in various chapter activities and fundraisers.
Dr. Pugar is actively involved in the teaching of future neurologists through the highly respected residency program at Kettering Medical Center-Grandview and is a clinical assistant professor for the Ohio University of Osteopathic Medicine and the Wright State University Medical School. He has been published in several medical journals and is the principal investigator for numerous clinical trials.
He is currently Chairman of the Board of the Grandview Medical Center Foundation; Chairman of Neurology, Psychiatry and Physical Medicine for Grandview & Southview Hospitals and Co-chairman of the board of the Wallace Kettering Neuroscience Center. Dr. Pugar is currently affiliated with Grandview, Southview, Kettering, Sycamore, Good Samaritan, Greene Memorial and Soin hospitals.
Dr. Pugar received his D.O. degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
■ Local executive Julia Belden has joined Five Rivers Health Centers as its Chief Financial Officer, effective Jan. 8.
Most recently, Belden served as the CFO of Community Blood Center, d/b/a Community Tissue Services, a $120 million medical device manufacturing and distribution company with more than 700 employees and 15 locations in eight states.
Belden, a CPA and recent graduate of the University of Dayton MBA Program, was named the 2016 United Way/ Montgomery County Volunteer of the Year, 2015 “Power 50” (most influential women in the Dayton region), and 2012 CFO of the Year. She is Treasurer of the United Way of Greater Dayton Area and Life Essentials Board of Directors, serves on the University of Dayton Economics and Finance Department Advisory Council and is a graduate of Leadership Dayton Class of 2015.
■ Day Air Credit Union has announced the promotion of Amy Cline to the position of Director of Member Service. In her new role, Cline will be responsible for planning, organizing and directing the credit union’s retail operations network, which includes seven branch locations and the Day Air Member Service Center located at their Kettering headquarters.
Amy has been with Day Air Credit Union for 16 years serving in a variety of roles, including member service, financial education, and most recently as the Branch Manager for Day Air’s University of Dayton location. As a Branch Manager, she was instrumental in growing the reach and scope of Day Air’s service on the UD campus, achieving exceptional levels of member satisfaction and mentoring Day Air associates who have grown to management roles within the organization.
Amy excelled at providing financial education on campus to students by partnering with different student organizations and UD departments. In addition, she also partnered with the school’s Human Resources Department to provide financial education for UD faculty and staff. The mini course, “Financial Strategies for the Real World”, that she developed has been a staple in the classroom for more than eight years, and has reached many students across campus who are getting ready to graduate and head into the work force.
After graduating from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Amy spent the early years of her career working for Mid First Credit Union, now Mid USA.
■ Mary Fessler, Director of Marketing for the Warren County Convention & Visitors Bureau (WCCVB), has been elected to the Board of Directors for the Travel & Tourism Association’s (TTRA) CenStates Chapter, the WCCVB has announced.
The TTRA is a nonprofit association whose major purpose is to increase the quality, value, effectiveness and use of research in travel marketing, planning and development nationwide.
Its CenStates Chapter, which selected Fessler from a field of fellow travel industry professionals, serves to identify and tackle tourism-related issues in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.
Fessler has worked in marketing and development for ad agencies, corporations and nonprofits for more than 25 years, and has played an integral role at the WCCVB since joining its staff in 2013, according to the bureau’s President & CEO, Phillip S. Smith.
■ Palmer Manufacturing & Supply, Inc., recently announced Rick Hartzell as General Manager.
Hartzell and has over twenty years of manufacturing, engineering, and operations management experience and will be responsible for production, engineering, and Lean initiatives. “R. Hartzell comes to Palmer with an exceptional manufacturing background that includes extensive experience in equipment, engineering, and automation,” said Jack Palmer, President of Palmer Manufacturing.
“Palmer Manufacturing is continuing its international and new market expansion. R. Hartzell will be instrumental in managing our advanced automation equipment development for these expansions,” added Palmer.
■ Attorney Gary M. Hruska has joined the Dayton Law Firm of Holzfaster, Cecil, McKnight, & Mues.
Hruska started at the firm on Jan. 1 in an “Of Counsel” capacity. He was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1980 and the US District Court, Southern District of Ohio in 1980. Hruska obtained his Bachelor of Arts from Western Michigan University and his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Dayton School of Law.
His practice in Dayton and throughout Southwestern Ohio, has been focused in trial and litigation work, primarily in juvenile, divorce, DUI and Criminal matters. He is a member of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and both the Dayton and Ohio State Bar Associations.
Gary is involved in “giving back” and has been a member of the Dayton Certified Grievance Committee on Ethics for over 25 years.