Faces and places

Troy Gregory has been promoted to senior vice president of University National Bank, Lawrence. He joined the bank in 1992, and has been senior commercial officer and consumer-lending officer.

Molly M. Wood, a partner with Stevens & Brand, Lawrence, will present an elder law update during the Kansas Bar Assn.’s second annual CLE Slam Dunk, a continuing legal education program Monday and Tuesday in Manhattan. The event is conducted in cooperation with the Kansas State University Foundation.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital recently named Vicki Childers to be director of the Health Information Management Systems Department. Childers has more than 10 years of medical records experience, and is a registered health information administrator. Childers is responsible for the supervision of 30 staff members charged with maintaining complete, accurate and confidential patient records. She most recently was director of health information management at Hays Medical Center in Hays, and has a bachelor’s degree in health information management from Kansas University.

Steven Costello has joined Landplan Engineering as an engineer I, providing design support for stormwater collection/detention, wastewater collection, water distribution and street projects for municipal, commercial and residential clients. He previously was a design engineer for an engineering firm in Durango, Colo. Costello received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and economics last year from Kansas University.

Rozanna Davis, Lawrence, has been promoted to director of human resources at Menninger Clinic, Topeka. Davis’ main focus is recruitment. She also oversees compensation and benefits, employee services, staff orientation and recruiting compliance. Davis has worked in Menninger’s Human Resources Department for four years.

Kohlman Systems Research, Lawrence, has been awarded a subcontract by Frasca International of Urbana, Ill., to support Frasca’s development of a Cessna Caravan 208B full-flight simulator for the University of Alaska. The support will include the provision of Caravan ground and flight test data plus simulation models developed and validated against test data. The data and simulation models are to meet the requirements for Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 120-40B for Level B full flight simulators.

The Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment Assn. announced its new officers for 2002: Nancy Longhurst, executive director of Leadership Lawrence, president; Scot Buxton, vice president of Charlton Manley Insurance, vice president; Bill Salome, a consultant for UtiliCorp United, treasurer; and Chris Fevurly, medical director of LMH Occupational Medicine, secretary. New board members are Patricia McRae-Denning, Pam Simons and Mark Garrett.

The association honored outgoing board members Jan McCullough, Phil Struble and Jerry Nossaman.

The association’s board also includes Stan Rolfe, James Schwartzburg, Marlene Penny, John Nitcher, Bob Georgeson, Donna Osness, Gene Meyer and Kathy Clausing.

The association works to secure private gifts and financial support for medical education, research, land acquisition and hospital programs; to guide the use of the money; and to help sustain the community hospital.

Carole Dibben is the new head of circulation services at Lawrence Public Library. She accepted the job Jan. 1, after Pattie Johnston’s move to the library’s new Senior Services Outreach position. Dibben attended Baker University and graduated from Emporia State University. She worked in the serials and interlibrary loan departments at Kansas University’s Watson Library before receiving her master’s degree from Emporia State in 1994. Dibben had been director of the Arkansas City Public Library since 1995.

Mike Weinbrecht, owner of Prairie Meadow Greenhouse, has begun specializing in organically grown wheatgrass, which he provides to Juice Stop locations in Lawrence and Topeka. Weinbrecht plans to expand his offerings to include a variety of organic herbs, sprouts, juicing supplies and herbal teas. Prairie Meadow Greenhouse is located 12 miles west of Lawrence at 7321 S.E. 45th St. in Tecumseh. Winter hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 233-8000.

Tom Hodge has been named president of Kansas International. Hodge is a partner in FTI Inc., a small business involved in export trading and import distribution. He is former export finance director for the Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing.

Ki-June Park, owner of Lawrence Tae Kwon Do, is vice president of the organization, and Bennett Griffin, president of Griffin Technologies, is its past president and is chairman of the board. Kansas International is dedicated to fostering relationships between Kansas companies and international businesses.

John Spiridigliozzi, a Lawrence psychologist with Psychological Resources Inc., was elected president of the Kansas Psychological Assn. He served previously on the association’s Board of Governors and Colleague Assistance Committee. He also was a Region 2 representative, which includes Lawrence, Topeka and surrounding areas.

Richard Irons, president of the Professional Renewal Center, Lawrence, has been invited to participate in the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse symposium, “Dangerous Liaisons: Substance Abuse and Sexual Behavior,” Thursday in New York. Irons, an authority on sexual addiction, will sit in on a panel discussion moderated by Tim Johnson, medical editor of ABC News. The panel will address the connection between substance use and abuse and sexual behavior, focusing on identifying the mechanisms through which substance use and abuse and sexual behavior are linked, and how they affect sexual decision-making and its consequences.

The center is an international provider of behavioral health services for helping professionals such as doctors, dentists, nurses, psychologists, clergy and attorneys.

Craig Phillips, vision and orientation and mobility specialist for Lawrence public schools, has been appointed to the Environmental Access Committee of the Association for the Rehabilitation and Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired. As the representative for Region 2B, which includes Kansas, his role is to educate, advise and coordinate with traffic engineers and to provide fellow specialists with information about environmental access issues and solutions for the blind and visually impaired.

Jeanette DeVilbiss, Carrie Dunn, and Deborah McVey, psychologists with Lawrence public schools, were among 30 presenters Jan. 23-35 during the annual convention of United School Administrators of Kansas. The convention drew 1,500 school administrators and exhibitors to hear about the best practices in education, school finance and changes in laws that affect them.

DeVilbiss and Dunn presented “The Development of Regional and Statewide Crisis Response Teams and Early Intervention/Violence Prevention Programs in Kansas.” McVey presented “Unlocking the Puzzle: Analyzing Key Elements for Student Interventions.”

The Structural Engineers Association of Kansas and Missouri has conducted its first meeting, and is looking for new members. The association’s focus is to provide structural engineers in Kansas and Missouri a direct, single voice to address issues affecting engineers. Founders of the new association are Wes Briton, of Professional Consulting Engineers; Tom Heausler, of Heausler Structural Engineers; Jeff Needham, of Needham & Associates; and Jon Schmidt, of Burns & McDonnell. For more information, call Schmidt at (816) 822-3373.

Honors and awards

The Topeka Regional Marketing office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas recently was honored by the company for its sales performance during the fourth quarter of 2001. Office employees met and surpassed their health-enrollment goals in achieving the highest sales percentage among the company’s three regions. Group consultants for the office are Pateese Harden, Donna Pashman, Jackie Tomes, Melissa Toschi, Lisa Toyne, Barry Trulson and Jennifer Turpin. Mary Jo Waugh is regional manager.

SS&C Business & Tax Services Inc., which has offices in Topeka, Lawrence and Meriden, named Byron Porter as Associate of the Year during a banquet and award ceremony Jan. 19 in Topeka.

Porter serves as SS&C’s manager of information technology, responsible for managing the firm’s internal network and supervising its information consulting services. He is a Kansas University graduate.

The firm also honored employees named Associates of the Month during 2001: Porter, Deb Unger, Teresa Ann Brobst, Jesse McConnell, Kimberly Smith, Katie Stone, Keila Warehime, Shannon Abrahamson, Chet Stone, Michael Bartlow, Chris Stofer, Jill Steinbrink, Brad Buchanan, Carolyn Nitcher, Eric Stofer, Brian Lang, Scott Holloman, Angela Smith, Zac Broughton and Judy Long.

Jean Zick was recognized for 15 years of service. Chris Stofer and Eric Stofer were noted for five years of service.

The Lawrence Women’s Network recently named Dee Dee Oliver as Woman of the Year for 2001. She is the accounting and office manager for Oliver Electric Construction Inc., which she co-owns with her husband. Oliver also is an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay Cosmetics.

Coming events

The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 11 a.m. Thursday at Taco Casa, 4821 W. Sixth St., Suite M.

Kansas Farm Bureau is launching its “Century Farm” program to honor families who have passed down a farm heritage for more than a century.

The program will recognize each family farm whose current owner/operator is related to the owner/operator of the farm in 1902 or before.

Qualifying farmers will receive a farm sign designating “Century Farm” status, Century Farm lapel pins and further recognition from Kansas Farm Bureau.

During the first two years of the Century Farm program, more than 700 family farms qualified for the designation.

Details of qualification can be obtained at county Farm Bureau offices across Kansas. The deadline for consideration is May 17.

For more information, call Mike Matson at (785) 587-6000.