Dr. Sharon Green, president of the Kansas Board of Examiners in Optometry, attended the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry annual meeting June 19-21 in Dallas. The mission of the association is to represent and assist member licensing agencies in regulating the practice of optometry for the public welfare.

Green is a member of the association’s Nominating Committee and National Board Exam Review Committee and is chairwoman of the License Mobility Committee. Green is an optometrist with Lawrence Family Vision Clinic.

¢ Jilinda White, Denise Bryan and Nick Hoegler have received promotions at First State Bank & Trust. The bank also has hired Dave Britt.

White has been promoted to executive vice president and is responsible for customer service and new business development in the retail department and for the bank’s marketing department. White previously was senior vice president and has 25 years of banking experience. She works at First State Bank & Trust’s corporate headquarters in Tonganoxie.

Bryan has been promoted to customer service representative at the bank’s branch in Perry. She has worked with First State Bank & Trust for one year and previously worked in banking in Pittsburg.

Hoegler has been promoted to loan collector at the bank’s headquarters. He has worked in the retail, operations and legal compliance departments at the bank for eight years.

Britt has joined the bank’s Perry office as a mortgage loan originator, assisting customers with home loans and other mortgage lending needs. He previously worked in banking in the Kansas City area.

¢ Dan Huston, owner of Danielsan Electric, and Vicki Hull, marriage and family therapist with Lawrence Therapy Services, were inducted as new members to Douglas County Connection, a business referral organization that meets at 7 a.m. Wednesdays at Alvamar Country Club. For more information on membership, call Steve Lane, LPL Financial Services, at 749-1881 or visit the Web site at www.dccreferandconnect.org.

¢ The Kansas Board of Accountancy has announced that Huei Chi Yang, Lawrence, passed the computerized examination in the January/February 2005 exam window. Twenty-one of the 90 people who took the exam passed; passage of the national examination is the first step to becoming a certified public accountant. To be eligible to receive a permit to practice, an experience requirement must be met.

¢ Lisa Knight, a physical therapist, has joined Lawrence Rehabilitation Clinic. She has experience with inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation. Her specialty areas include cardiac rehabilitation, brain injury, infant torticollis, scoliosis, and advance training in vestibular therapy for dizziness.

¢ DL Smith Communications, Topeka, has hired Phyllis Arthurs and Scott Wheat, both Lawrence residents.

Arthurs, who has joined the sales team, has 12 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, handling local and national accounts. Her expertise is providing business communication and phone system solutions. She will be involved with the other product lines including voicemail systems, commercial paging systems, voice and data cabling and CCTV systems.

Wheat recently joined the management team. He has 13 years experience in the telecommunications industry and most recently worked as a telecommunications engineer at Kansas University. He also has experience in leading large-scale enterprise systems and implementation for government and private sectors.

¢ Jaime Butterworth and Regan Boswell, certified colorists, have joined Beauty Biz Salon, 520 W. 23rd St. Butterworth and Boswell previously worked in the salon at JC Penney.

¢ Carol Hester has joined Riverfront Chocolates as executive sales director. She replaces Marcie Blackstone, who recently relocated to the East Coast. Hester, who has nearly 30 years of sales experience, will focus on outside sales, community relations, and wedding and special event sales. Riverfront Chocolates is located in the lobby of SpringHill Suites by Marriott, at Sixth and New Hampshire streets.

Honors and awards

The Manchester Who’s Who Registry of Executives and Professionals recognizes Laura Kathleen Nash, Lawrence, a registered nurse at Johnson County Developmental Support, for her professional accomplishments. Nash, whose background is in psychiatric nursing, has expertise in drug and alcohol counseling and has been in the nursing field for 32 years. She received her degree in nursing from Stormont-Vail School of Nursing. She also is certified in drug and alcohol counseling and is affiliated with the Kansas Association of Addiction Professionals, the National Association of Alcoholism, and Addiction and Prevention Services.

¢ Ron Hurst has been named CornerBank’s Community Cornerstone Award recipient for July. In recognition of his service, CornerBank will contribute $100 to the Mother-to-Mother organization.

Hurst is a member of the Jayhawk Breakfast Rotary Club, Lawrence Library Board, Lawrence Chamber of Commerce Senior Council, Kansas Selective Service District Appeals Board and the New Generations Society of Lawrence.

He has served as president for the Jayhawk Breakfast Rotary Club; president of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center board; president of Concerned Black Parents Inc.; president of Lawrence NAACP; co-chairman of the Lawrence School District Site Selection Committee for Free State High School; and co-chairman of the Lawrence Enforcement Coalition.

He has served on numerous commissions, boards and committees, including United Way board of directors, Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission, Kansas Commission on Environment, Sesquicentennial Commission, Boys and Girls Club board, and Habitat for Humanity board.

Hurst, a 1956 Lawrence High School graduate, worked at Kansas University for 39 years before retiring. He worked in the Physics Department and the Department of Civil Engineering.

He has received the Douglas County Senior Services’ Senior Award. Hurst and his wife, Joanna, were named Substantial Citizens of the Year in 1994 by the Lawrence Kiwanis Club. He also was inducted into Lawrence High School Hall of Honor in 2004.

¢ Central National Bank, which has five Lawrence offices, has earned a five-star superior rating from BauerFinancial Inc., marking the 65th consecutive quarter that the Junction City-based bank has achieved the honor, giving it added distinction as an “exceptional performance bank.” The award is based on an evaluation by BauerFinancial, an independent bank-rating firm, of financial data filed by the bank with federal regulators. The bank has 35 locations in Kansas and Nebraska.

¢ Joe Jones, a Lawrence-based financial representative for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, received the Diamond Award for outstanding sales achievement at the 125th annual meeting of the Association of Network Representatives for the year ended May 31. Jones is a representative with the Hames Financial Group network office in Overland Park.

¢ Lawrence Memorial Hospital recently honored its Breast Center Steering Committee with the Vision Award, the highest award in its recognition program.

The Vision Award recognizes associates, physicians, teams or departments who have made a marked impact on LMH or the community. Recipients are nominated by hospital associates and are selected by a committee. Recipients are recognized with a plaque and $500.

The steering committee, made up of physicians, hospital associates and community members, spent two years in an effort to design a physical area and a coordinated process for all patients with breast care needs. The committee also sought input from breast cancer survivors and support groups. Many of their ideas were used to ensure that the center meets the needs of those they serve.

The committee’s vision for the Breast Center was realized with its opening in December. The Breast Center’s staff dedicates their time to early detection and care coordination. The Breast Center offers breast care, including mammography, genetics counseling and education, in a welcoming and private environment.

The Breast Center Steering Committee includes Sheryle D’Amico, Sheryl Jacobs, Donna Osness, Pat Parker, Isabel Schmedemann, Dave Sostarich, Dale Denning, John Keller, Marilee McGinness, Carol Moddrell, Stephen Myrick, Greg Orth, Gerald Pees, Mark Praeger, Sharon Soule, Matt Stein, Jack Stuber, Patty Tenofsky and Scott Thellman.

¢ Skanda Skandaverl, director of facilities management at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, recently received the 2005 Regional Emerging Leader Award from the American Society of Healthcare Engineering, a personal membership group of the American Hospital Assn.

The regional award recognizes leadership and innovation in health care engineering and facilities. It was given to 10 professionals at ASHE’s 42nd annual conference July 11 in Anaheim, Calif.

Skandaverl is president of the Kansas Hospital Engineers’ Assn. He also served for three years as president of Kansas City Hospital Engineers’ Assn.

Coming events

The Lawrence Apple User’s Group 2.0 will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Signs of Life’s community room, 722 Mass. The theme of the meeting is “Retroday and Swapmeet,” and members are encouraged to show off their old Mac equipment and bring items to trade with others. For more information, click on www.laugks.org or contact Dave Greenbaum at dsg@mac.com.

¢ Lawrence Professionals in Aging will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at Jade Mongolian Grill Barbeque, 1511 W. 23rd St. The cost for the buffet lunch is $11.50. Speaker will be Mark Bradford, deputy chief for Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical, who will discuss what emergency medical technicians experience once they arrive at an emergency scene.

¢ Lawrence Chamber of Commerce announces the following upcoming open houses and ribbon-cutting ceremonies:

¢ Community Blood Center, 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, 1410 Kasold Drive, Suite 6.

¢ Factory Direct Appliance, 11:30 a.m. Aug. 9, 2108 W. 27th St., Suite C.

¢ Amarr Garage Doors, 11:30 a.m. Aug. 31, 3800 Greenway Circle.

¢ TherapyWorks, Lawrence, is sponsoring two free seminars “Defying Nutrition Myths” and “Coping With Stress.”

“Defying Nutrition Myths” will be from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Monday at TherapyWorks, 1112 W Sixth St., Suite 120. The seminar will be presented by Peter Townley, certified personal trainer, and Carrie Heller, Wellness program coordinator.

Heller will present “Coping With Stress” from noon to 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, also at TherapyWorks. The seminar will help assess stressors and explore ways to respond.

Both seminars will include handouts. For more information or to make seminar reservations, contact Dena Johnston, Wellness Clinic director, at 749-1300.

¢ The Kansas Department of Transportation is sponsoring two public information open houses for those interested in short line railroad service in Kansas. The purpose of the open houses is to review the progress of the six-month Short Line Railroad Study being conducted by the consulting firm of Parsons Brinckerhoff for KDOT.

The study is evaluating the effectiveness of the department’s Short Line Railroad loan/grant program, which has been in effect since 1999. KDOT provides $3 million per year to short line railroads in Kansas to upgrade their tracks to provide more efficient rail service within the state.

Two open houses are scheduled:

¢ 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at McDill “Huck” Boyd Community Center in Phillipsburg.

¢ 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hughes Metro-Plex in Wichita.

Representatives from KDOT and Parsons Brinckerhoff will be available to discuss the study and short line railroad issues, as well as answer questions.

For more information, contact John Maddox, KDOT’s rail affairs manager, at (785) 296-3228 or (877) 550-5368.