Gary Pelcak, chief auditor for Central National Bank, recently has earned the professional designation of certified fraud examiner. Such examiners are responsible for resolving a range of allegations of fraud and white-collar crime. They have the expertise to obtain evidence, take statements and write reports, testify to findings, and assist in all aspects of detecting and preventing white-collar crime. Pelcak, Junction City, has been the bank’s chief auditor since 1993. Central National has several bank locations in Lawrence.

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Jennifer Williams, occupational therapist with Lawrence Therapy Services, attended a conference “Assessment and Intervention for Shoulder Dysfunction.” Williams provides services in the Lawrence and Baldwin offices and also provides in-home visits.

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Nancy Knaggs is the new director of health information management services at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, having accepted the position in early January. She had been the hospital’s data quality manager since 2002, also serving as assistant director for medical records.

Knaggs previously worked as data quality supervisor at Stormont-Vail HealthCare in Topeka. Knaggs is a member of the American Health Information Management Assn. and the Kansas Health Information Management Assn.

Knaggs is pursuing a degree in health service administration from Washburn University.

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Christy Edwards and Kathleen Thomas have opened Solace Counseling Services, 719 Mass., Suites 125 and 126. Edwards is a clinical social worker and is accepting new clients for individual, couple and family counseling, and DUI evaluations. She received a master’s degree in social work from Kansas University in 1998, and is a Kansas Certified Gambling Counselor and credentialed by Kansas Addiction & Prevention Services. She has worked in the addiction field since 1992.

Thomas is a credentialed Kansas Addiction & Prevention Services counselor. She received a master’s degree in social work from KU in 2001. Thomas is accepting new clients for DUI evaluations. She has worked in the addiction field since 1999.

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Venteak Corp. announces the opening of its partnership in Lawrence. Venteak offers exotic hardwood flooring from environmentally managed plantations and reforestation programs. Elisabeth Neigert, a Kansas University graduate, and Linda Neigert operate the Lawrence partnership. For more information, call (785) 749-5476 or e-mail venteak@sunflower.com.

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Tim Keller recently was appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board. The board is responsible for approving appraisal courses and applications for licensing or certification.

Keller is president of Keller & Associates Inc. in Lawrence, a company he founded in 1996. Keller is a certified general appraiser in Kansas and Missouri, and is a past president of the Kansas City Chapter of the Appraisal Institute.

Keller has been appraising real property for 15 years.

Honors and awards

For a second-consecutive year, The Mirror newspaper of Tonganoxie has been named best in the nation in its circulation category by Inland Press Foundation of Chicago.

The Mirror also won the award, which recognizes work at nondaily newspapers, in 2004 and 2001.

“To have won once was a great honor,” said Caroline Trowbridge, editor and publisher of The Mirror. “To have won a second time was tremendous. When we were notified recently that we’d won yet again, we were ecstatic.”

The Mirror, which has a circulation of about 2,300, competed in the circulation category for newspapers of up to 5,000 circulation. This is the sixth year that the foundation has recognized the nation’s best nondaily newspapers, and The Mirror has won in three of those years.

The Mirror’s news staff includes Trowbridge, who formerly worked at the Lawrence Journal-World; Lisa Scheller, news editor; and Shawn Linenberger, who covers news and sports.

The Mirror is one of eight area weekly newspapers owned by The World Company, which also owns the Journal-World.

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Kermit Cottrell, Lawrence, has joined the “Honor Ring” of Allstate Insurance Co., in recognition of the agent’s standards in customer satisfaction, customer retention and profitability. Cottrell also is a top salesperson in auto, property, business and life insurance.

Tracy Dame also has achieved Allstate’s “Honor Ring” status. Dame’s office, the T.L. Dame Agency, is located in Leavenworth.

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Ruth Sarna, director of student health services in the College of Arts and Sciences at Baker University in Baldwin, has been honored by the American College Health Assn. as an ACHA Fellow.

Sarna will be recognized during the association’s annual meeting June 2 in San Diego. She was nominated for the award by colleagues in health care and at Baker.

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Jennifer Turpin, group consultant for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, recently was honored by the company for her sales performance in 2004.

Turpin qualified for the company’s Distinguished Sales Achievement Club by meeting or surpassing all of her annual goals. She achieved 136 percent of her health insurance goal, 229 percent of her dental insurance goal and 130 percent of her life insurance goal.

The annual award was the second for Turpin, who joined the sales staff in March 2001 and has worked for the Topeka-based company for more than 12 years.

Turpin works from the company’s district office in Lawrence, marketing products to existing and prospective business customers in Douglas, Franklin, Leavenworth and Miami counties. The company is the state’s largest health insurer.