Newsmakers, Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2015

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension selected Eric Killian as the southern area director overseeing the daily activities for Clark, Lincoln, Nye/Esmeralda, Eureka and White Pine counties. He is to lead more than 110 faculty and staff members in five counties, 10 offices and an annual multimillion dollar budget.

Air Force Tech Sgt. Anthony R. Grisafe has arrived for duty as an enlisted accessions specialist with the 361St Recruiting Squadron in Kennewick, Wash. He earned an associate degree in 2012 from the Community College of the Air Force in Las Vegas.

UNLV business students Annegenelle Figueroa, Kayla Shim and Brett Sebastian, all seniors, and Kevin Curry, a junior, won the American Institute of CPAs Accounting Competition and $15,000.

Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican named Brian G. Brannman as senior vice president of its Nevada service area on Jan. 7. Brannman will remain as the president and CEO of the Siena campus.

ChoiceCenter Leadership University announced Jan. 7 that a 32-person team in its Leadership Program has raised $123,000 in seven days for the Easter Seals Nevada’s Adult Day Services Program through cash, matched funds or in-kind donations of items or services. The team surpassed its goal of $80,000.

Haley Fortezzo of Las Vegas received the National Italian American Foundation scholarship. Fortezzo is attending UNLV.

The Meadows School announced that three of its upper-school students are Scholastic Art Award recipients: 12th-grader Bridgette Choi and 11th-graders Akosua Sarfo and Jaye Straus. They competed against seventh- to 12th-grade students in the Southern Nevada region and took top honors.

Army Pvt. Jennifer A. Hernandez graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. Hernandez is the daughter of Carlos and Debbie Hernandez and granddaughter of Jim Grayel, all of Las Vegas. She is a 2011 graduate of Centennial High School.

Army Pvt. Arturo Quezada-Tachiquin graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is a 2013 graduate of Veterans Tribute Career & Technical Academy.

Air Force Airman Jacob R. Chillson graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio. Chillson is the son of Ricky Robinson of Las Vegas.

Oregon State University named several local students to the honor roll: Megan L. Haverman of Henderson; and Jennifer J. Farmer, Stacy A. Kreuziger, Aimee Miller, Wyatt T. Morris, Mason K. Shields, Rachel M. Soo Hoo and Kate L. Threlfall, all of Las Vegas.

Haley Hammond of Las Vegas graduated from Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.

Mary Huggins of Las Vegas made the fall 2014 dean’s list at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.

Ashley Yelton of Henderson made the fall 2014 dean’s list at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.

Oklahoma City University named Casey Andrews of Las Vegas and Taylor Paulson of Henderson to the fall 2014 president’s honor roll.

Trina Whiteside of Las Vegas made the fall 2014 dean’s list at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.

Lauren Sutherland of Las Vegas made the fall 2014 dean’s list at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.

Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., graduated several local students in May: Fawaz AbdulJabbar, April Barba, Franz Ferguson, Ann Fredrickson, Zheng Gong, Kurt Hansen, Caitlin Hawkins, Lacy Holliday, Michaelyn Jones, Jae Hak Kim, Michael King, Daniela Madrid, Robert McAleer, Alexandra Medina, Chad Miller, Ruth Ryan, Pritni Sandhu, Priyank Ketankumar Shah, Kate Slawski, Erica Thompson, and Anudeep Mydam, all of Las Vegas; and Charles Andrulis, Amanda Campbell, Steven Cimbalist, Robert Cohen, Grant Frailich, Cheryl Hangarter, Lindsay McDannald, Chloe Presti, and Caitlin Ross, all of Henderson.