Newsmakers
Wendy Whaley, Kimberly Piscione, Mary Rendina and Chris Snow have received president's awards from the Community Associations Institute of Nevada.
They received their awards at a celebration Jan. 14 at Treasure Island, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South.
The association honors HOA board members, CAI-Nevada volunteers and management companies who exemplify high standards within the industry.
Whaley is a CAI volunteer leader, Piscione is a business partner at US Bank, Rendina is a CAI executive director and Snow is a CAI executive assistant.
Louise Helton and Dennis Nolan have joined the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's advisory committee.
Helton is founder and vice president of governmental affairs for 1 Sun Solar Companies. Nolan is a former state senator.
The committee is composed of well-known residents interested in bringing educational resources, programs and applied research to Nevadans.
Savannah McBride has been promoted from assistant account executive to account executive at Trosper Communications LLC. McBride is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, and has a bachelor of arts in journalism and a minor in business administration.
Deborah Diak of Henderson has joined Cruise Planners/American Express, a national cruise and travel agency.
Thomas Schwarz has been named dean of Stetson University's School of Business Administration in DeLand, Fla.
He earned a doctorate of business administration in finance from Florida State University. He also attended Florida State for his MBA and undergraduate degrees.
He completed post-doctoral studies in international business at the University of South Carolina and in family business advising at the Family Firm Institute.
He taught finance at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and held positions at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and in the futures industry in Chicago.
Schwarz is the son of Charles and Joanne Schwarz of Henderson.
Terry Marshall of Las Vegas has been named a judge for the 2012 Global eBook Awards competition.
The e-book edition of Marshall's novel, "Soda Springs: Love, Sex, and Civil Rights," won first place for best illustrations in a fiction book in last year's contest, and it was a finalist in multicultural adult literature and teen literature.
Caryn Tijsseling, a partner at Lewis and Roca LLP, has been named a 2012 board member for March of Dimes' Nevada chapter. Tijsseling practices in the firm's litigation group, focusing primarily on construction, bankruptcy, creditor's rights and employment matters.
Rick and Geri Smith of Henderson were honored for their efforts to maintain quality in education by St. Viator's Catholic School.
A dinner and auction were held March 24 at the South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Rick serves as president and CEO of RDS Associates, a commercial real estate firm, and Geri is a marriage and family therapist.
J.R. Starkus, lead bartender at Rick Moonen's rm seafood restaurant, won the local round of the Campari Best Aperitivo Cocktail Competition in conjunction with the U.S. Bartenders' Guild.
The competition was open to all active members of the USBG, a nonprofit network for professional bartenders.
Starkus plans to compete next May 13 in New York.
Michael Westra received an Allstate Foundation Agency Hands in the Community award for outstanding commitment to community service. The award comes with a $1,000 grant.
