New Hires

Pam Sproul joined the new Benson office of RealEstate.com. Sproul has more than five years of experience selling real estate in Benson.

Cara Scholke joined simpleview’s sales department. She has four years of experience in the destination marketing organization industry, one of simpleview’s market niches. Prior to joining simpleview, she was the director of convention services position at the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau. Bob Junke also joined simpleview as a developer in the client care division. Junke has been working in the Information Technology industry since 1992

Deborah Jassem Duffy joined the staff of Tohono Chul Park as director of development and marketing. She previously has held several development positions at the University of Arizona and the University of Arizona Foundation. She is also the owner and operator of Desert Spaces Landscape Design.

Awards, honors, and recognitions

The State Bar of Arizona’s Board of Governors and Continuing Legal Education Committee selected Craig Wisnom, attorney for Bogutz & Gordon as the 2008 recipient for the CLE Award. The CLE award is given to the State Bar member who has made outstanding contributions to Continuing Legal Education efforts by devoting time and expertise to CLE projects, which may include authoring or editing publications or planning and delivering quality CLE seminars. Wisnom also is now a legal contributor for KVOA’s "News at 4:00" program.

The Eller College of Management’s McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship recognized ten academic and business leaders who have made significant contributions to Arizona’s economy and entrepreneurial potential. Those honored are: Fletcher J. McCusker, 2008 Entrepreneurial Fellowship; Jeffrey Baymore, Robert Hall, David Lynch, Terje Skotheim, 2008 Technology Transfer Fellows; Jan Lesher, 2008 Entrepreneurial Promise Award – Rural Entrepreneurship; Lawrence M. Hecker, 2008 Business/Law Exchange Award; Jim Butler, Jeff Hursh and John Nighswander, 2008 Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.

For the second year in a row, Amar Gupta, Thomas R. Brown Chair in Management and Technology at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, is the recipient of the IBM Faculty Award. The IBM Faculty Award program is designed to foster collaboration between researchers at leading universities worldwide and those in IBM research, development, and services organizations.

Gadabout SalonSpas hair designer Elaine Lim is a finalist in the first stage of the 2008 National Intercoiffure Nouveau "Creative Cutting" contest. Lim will now move on to the second phase of the contest in Las Vegas, winners of that competition will move on to the finals in New York in the fall.

Lydia Duron Hilling of M&I Bank is the Small Business Associaiton’s 2008 Arizona Women in Business Champion of the Year. The winner of this award is an individual who has fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of women’s business ownership and has demonstrated efforts to increase business and financial opportunities for women. In addition to her management duties as a vice president and branch manager, Lydia provides support and training to local women and minority and economically disadvantaged small business owners through the Microbusiness Advancement Center, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Pima Community College’s Small Business Development Center.

Appointments

Lisa Lovallo is the new vice president and system manager for Cox Communications Tucson and Southern Arizona operations. Before joining Cox, Lovallo served as director of student affairs and advancement for the University of Arizona.

Sunquest Information Systems Inc. appointed Kelly A. Feist as the company’s vice president of marketing. Feist has held executive and senior management positions in the healthcare industry for more than 10 years. Most recently, Feist served as senior vice president of marketing at Eclipsys Corporation.

Promotions

Rick Frechette is the new manager of Arizona operation for Knight Piésold and Co. Frechette is a geotechnical design professional and engineering consultant serving primarily the local mining industry.

Alliance Bank of Arizona promoted Steve Dean to senior vice president and manager of the bank’s Tucson Commercial Real Estate Department. Dean joined Alliance Bank as a commercial real estate loan officer in February 2005. Dean has more than 12 years of experience in commercial real estate financing.