—The Southeastern Museum Council appointed of Julie Harris to its board of directors at the council’s annual meeting in Williamsburg, Va. Harris has been executive director of the River Discovery Center in Paducah since 2001. The council is the regional affiliate of the American Alliance of Museums.
— Lisa Mead, a senior branch office administrator at the Edward Jones branch office of Kurt Sutton in Paducah, attended the annual BOA Managing Partner’s Conference at the firm’s headquarters in St. Louis.
The three-day conference pooled 350 of Edward Jones’ branch office administrators to collectively recognize and reward their client service excellence, as well as take time to pinpoint the critical activities necessary to provide excellent client service.
— Katie Claxton joined the staff of Innovations Branding House, 612 Broadway, as account representative. Claxton has more than 10 years of sales and customer service experience. She studied international relations and psychology at West Kentucky Community & Technical College and at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
— The Council for Advancement and Support of Education named West Kentucky Community & Technical College an award winner in its 2012 Circle of Excellence awards program. WKCTC was recognized for its outstanding performance and overall improvement in educational fundraising among the nation’s community colleges.
Each year, CASE recognizes best practices in advancement and outstanding people who contribute to the growth and understanding of the advancement profession.
Kay Travis, WKCTC director of advancement, accepted the college’s award in October at the Conference for Community College Advancement in San Diego. She and fundraising professionals from Virginia and New York were featured in a panel discussion where they discussed what they do to achieve their overall success and how others can adapt their strategies and attitudes to reach their particular fundraising goals.
Also, Amber’Lee Douglas of Paducah was elected to serve as a student regent to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Trustees.
Douglas, 28, is pursuing an associate degree at West Kentucky Community & Technical College, where she was elected as the college’s 2012-13 Student Government Association president.
— Coldwell Banker Purchase Realty Group announced a new member of its residential sales team, Sharon Carvell. Carvell is a Kentucky licensed real estate sales associate with Coldwell Banker Purchase Realty Group and a member of the Paducah Board of Realtors.
— Jim Rudolph was awarded the 2012 Newell G. Hicks Vision Award at the North American International Livestock Exposition.
Rudolph is a retired professor of equine sciences at Murray State University. During his service to MSU, he also became the first director of the Murray School of Agriculture, and he remains a professor emeritus.
Rudolph has served the expo with distinction while also completing an outstanding career as an educator, farmer and equine producer.
The award that was presented to Rudolph is presented annually to an individual who has worked with North American International with outstanding service distinction.
— The Murray-Calloway County Hospital Center for Health and Wellness added Molly Rogers as a licensed massage therapist, joining Gracian McElroy, L.M.T.
Rogers always had an interest in massage therapy, but found herself especially compelled to learn more after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Many patients with fibromyalgia find relief from massage therapy, as their body aches from the disease.
She holds a NCBTMB National Certification and is a Kentucky-licensed L.M.T. Her specialties include Swedish, deep tissue, pressure-point therapy, aromatherapy, reflexology and fibromyalgia.
For more information, call 270-762-1348.
— Lourdes promoted Lee Syphus to vice president of Mercy Medical Associates’ Kentucky region. Syphus had been working as executive director of Mercy Medical Associates, Lourdes’ employed physician practice.
— Dr. Monte Finch, gastroenterologist at Murray-Calloway County Hospital, was named one of the nation’s most compassionate doctors by Patients’ Choice, an online community where people rate and review physicians.
Finch is rated in seven categories, including for bedside manner in which he earned 3.7 out of a possible 4 points.
Finch earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University in 1978. He graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982.
Finch has worked as a gastroenterologist since joining the MCCH staff in 1988, and accepts patients at West Kentucky Gastroenterology in the Medical Arts Building West Wing at 300 S. Eighth Street, Suite 182-W. For more information, call 270-759-4000.
— Kemper CPA Group LLP has been accepted as the newest member of the National CPA Health Care Advisors Association.
The HCAA is a nationwide association of CPA firms that provide specialized accounting, tax and consulting services to the health care industry. Kemper CPA has offices in Paducah and Henderson, as well as in California, Illinois and Indiana.
To be awarded membership in HCAA, firms must demonstrate proficiency and commitment to serving clients in health care.
Through HCAA, members gain access to relationships and educational resources that assist them in staying on the forefront of the health care industry.
— Blake Johnson, a photographer from southern Illinois, joined the marketing team at Innovations Branding House, 612 Broadway. Johnson graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in photography after studying traditional photographic processes and digital imaging. He has more than eight years’ experience in commercial and editorial photography, as well as traditional and digital printing.
— Gov. Steve Beshear reappointed several locals to boards and commissions.
Effective Nov. 22, June G. Hudson of Benton will be reappointed to the Kentucky Lottery Corp. Board of Directors to serve a term expiring Nov. 28, 2016. Hudson works for Liberty Tax Service.
Elijah Allen Kyle, of Clinton, was reappointed to the Agriculture Water Quality Authority to serve a term expiring Oct. 1, 2016. Kyle is an executive staff adviser for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, which he represents for the water quality authority.
Beshear designated Randall D. Fox, of Benton, as chairman of the board of directors for the Bluegrass State Skills Corp.
Fox is a human resources special projects leader at Rio Tinto Alcan.
— Jeremy White was awarded a Top Advisor designation by Cetera Financial Specialists for the 10th consecutive year in recognition of his commitment to helping clients achieve their financial goals, for educating and inspiring them toward their financial goals as well as his dedication to service and excellence in the financial services industry. BlytheWhite is a Paducah-based CPA firm.
— Christian Care Center of Kuttawa received the 2012 statewide Innovation in Care Program Award at the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities Annual Awards Banquet. The program, G2G (Generation to Generation), is a three-phase program that links the facility’s residents with third-graders at Lyon County Elementary School. It educates children on aging, healthy lifestyles, and breaking down barriers and stereotypes of nursing homes.
Christian Care Center of Kuttawa bested several other facilities across Kentucky for this honor.
KAHCF, the trade association that represents proprietary and nonproprietary long-term care facilities throughout the commonwealth, presented more than 40 awards at the banquet at the Galt House in Louisville.
— Murray-based Wisdom Tree Technologies, LLC has received the Outstanding Achievement Award from its prime customer, Logos Technologies Inc., for its work performed under the Kestrel Persistent Surveillance program.
Wisdom Tree Technologies is a Native American-owned, U.S. veteran-owned business serving the defense, law enforcement, national security, inter-agency, corporate and social complexity communities.
WTT subcontracts to Logos Technologies to provide system operator/analysis for the Kestrel Wide Area Persistent Surveillance system. Kestrel is a fully integrated Wide Area Surveillance sensor for Aerostats. The Kestrel system is currently deployed to several locations in Afghanistan and additional site fielding continues under a recently expanded U.S. Navy contract for additional sensor procurement.
Scott Allen, founder and president of Wisdom Tree Technologies, said, “This award reflects great honor in the job we are doing to support our customers, our forces forward and our country.”
— Jackson Purchase Medical Associates announced that Dr. Melissa Purvis was awarded partner status with the organization.
Purvis joined JPMA in September 2010 and is a graduate of Murray State University. She earned her medical degree at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., and is board certified in internal medicine.
Jackson Purchase Medical Associates formed in 1992 and represents seven medical groups: Internal Medicine Group, RediCare, Western Kentucky Kidney Specialists, Paducah Endocrinology, Paducah Rheumatology, Paducah Family Medicine and the Ballard County Medical Clinic.
— Chris Wooldridge was inducted into the Kentucky Small Business Development Center network’s Million Dollar Loan Club for 2012. Wooldridge is district director of the Murray State University Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business Small Business Development Center. The Million Dollar Loan Club is exclusive to those who assist small business clients secure more than $1 million of loans to start, purchase and expand their businesses.
“Chris Wooldridge does a tremendous job in helping small businesses throughout the footprint of Murray State University in west Kentucky,” said Dr. Tim Todd, dean of the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business.
As district director, Wooldridge oversees the 24 counties of the Murray State University SBDC footprint. Through offices in Murray, Paducah, Hopkinsville and Owensboro, the program assists start-up and existing businesses by offering free business consultations as well as affordable business workshops and seminars.
— Jill Chambers, certified public accountant, joined the staff of Kemper CPA Group, LLP. A Calvert City native, Chambers graduated from Murray State University, is an active member in the Rotary Club of Paducah and is treasurer of the Paducah-McCracken County United Way.
She brings 17 years of experience in auditing, accounting, management consulting and tax services to Kemper, which has offices in Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and California.
— The McCracken County Public Library named Sarah Pace-McGowan its adult services manager. Pace-McGowan replaces Libby Childers in the position after Childers retired. A former employee of the Nashville Public Library, Pace-McGowan will oversee the local library’s first floor collections, including reference, local and family history and interlibrary loan.
A Marshall County native, Pace-McGowan earned a bachelor’s degree in English and government from Western Kentucky University before completing her master’s degree in library science at the University of Kentucky.
— Gov. Steve Beshear reappointed Tracy J. Watwood, chief of police for the Benton Police Department, to the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Private Investigators for a term expiring Aug. 15, 2014. Watwood represents police officers of the rank of captain or above.
— The law office of Jeffery P. Alford, PLLC, announced that Paducah native Ashley Wiggins joined the firm as an associate attorney. Wiggins has previously served as a law clerk for McCracken Circuit Judge Craig Z. Clymer before going into private practice. She intends to focus her practice on family law, criminal defense and civil litigation.
— Dr. Wade Northington, director of the Breathitt Veterinary Center, received the 2012 Distinguished Service Award at the 101st Annual Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association Meeting and 39th Mid-America Veterinary Conference in Louisville. He received the recognition for his devotion to the veterinary profession and providing quality service to the community and the association.
A Mayfield native, Northington graduated from the University of Kentucky with his undergraduate in pre-veterinary studies and continued his education at the Auburn University College of Veterinary medicine.
In 1972, he began practicing mixed-animal veterinary medicine in Mayfield and Hopkinsville.
— Phil Jones, an alumnus of Murray State University and the art director at the advertising agency Carmichael Lynch, was one of 34 people worldwide to win the Advertising Directors Club Young Guns X Award. This year’s competition marks the 10th annual Young Guns competition and is the smallest class in history due to intensive judging from previous Young Guns winners.
ADC Young Guns is an international, portfolio-based awards competition for creative professionals under the age of 30. This year there were entries from 39 countries and each entry was critiqued on both professional and personal work. Six of Jones’ works in his portfolio were displayed during the ADC celebration party at the ADC Gallery in New York.
Paducah attorney Brian S. Katz, of Bloomfield & Katz, has been certified as a life member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
The forums are recognized as among the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the U.S. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements.
Founded in 1993, the organization claims about 4,000 members nationwide, meaning fewer than 1 percent of U.S. lawyers are members.
Katz, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, handles serious personal injury and wrongful death cases with an emphasis on representing Jones Act seamen who are injured or killed working on the inland rivers.
— Debra Holt-Irby, a registered nurse and former Mayfield resident, has been named the director of nursing at Holliswood Hospital in Hollis, N.Y.
Holt-Irby, the daughter of Henry L. Blythe and Nadine Blythe, both of Mayfield, has been a psychiatric nurse for 16 years. She was a nurse manager for Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Services for 10 years before advancing to become a quality improvement coordinator.
As director of nursing, Holt-Irby oversees the child and adolescent, military wellness, geriatric and adult inpatient programs at Holliswood Hospital, a 125-bed private psychiatric hospital located in a quiet residential Queens community.
Holt-Irby graduated in May 1996 from Paducah Community College, now West Kentucky Community & Technical College, with an associate degree in nursing.
She is enrolled in Kent State University’s registered nursing to bachelor of science degree program with plans to earn her master’s degree in nursing.
— Two Paducah civic leaders were named as members of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.
Julie Howard Price is an attorney and graduate of the committee’s Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership.
Kristin Williams is owner and principal of KRW Strategies, an economic development and organizational consulting firm.
Price and Williams are among 18 new members of the committee, which advocates for quality education for all Kentuckians.
