Eileen Jang, of Cary, a student at Durham’s N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, was named the U.S. winner of the 2009 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for her work “Natural Organics Control Aggregation of Mercury Sulfide Nanoparticles in Freshwater Systems.” She won the most prestigious international competition for water-related research.

University of Phoenix appointed Candice Morgan the campus director of the Raleigh and Fayetteville locations.

Cassandra Blair, of Fuquay-Varina, received a $3,000 Leaders Scholarship at Mount Olive College, where she will attend in the fall to study exercise science.

Head of school Harriet Lasher announced that The Raleigh School, located in West Raleigh, received dual accreditation from the Southern Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Raleigh author Joan Holub wrote a children’s book entitled “Apple Countdown,” which was recently published.

Durham native and current Carrboro resident Erica Eisdorfer published her debut novel, “The Wet Nurse’s Tale.”

Author Lee Smith, a Hillsborough resident and a former N.C. State University professor, will perform works that inspired the musical “Good Ol’ Girls” at the N.C. Literary Festival in September at UNC-Chapel Hill.

DJ Mitsch, a local entrepreneur and author, as well as a master certified coach, released her first non-business book, “Mystic Grits, A Southern Girl’s Journey to Wisdom.”

Kelly Wright, of Sanford, joined the Temple Theatre as marketing director. 

Nancy Breeding, of N.C. State University Theatre, announced the debut of the theater spaces in the newly renovated Frank Thompson Hall on campus.

Raleigh writer Maureen Sherbondy offered a course entitled “Get Out There – Get Published” through Wake County Public Schools’ Lifelong Learning With Community Schools Program.

Fuquay-Varina author Lila Hopkins shared her latest novel, “The Master Craftsman” at InterAct’s 2009 Authors Series. Hopkins was recently honored with the Book of the Year Award in Family Drama by the High Country Writer’s Club in Boone.

Sladesign, created by Chapel Hill designer Marcela Slade, presented its fifth collection – featuring skirts – at Golden Belt in Durham in July.

Author V.K. Fields of Raleigh released her latest book “Radical Sex for Christian Singles.” Fields is a minister, youth mentor and businesswoman.

Valarie Schwartz, a Chapel Hill resident and columnist for the Carrboro Citizen, published “Remembering Chapel Hill: The Twentieth Century as We Lived It.”

Elizabeth Edwards, an attorney and the wife of John Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, is planning to open a furniture store, The Red Window, in Chapel Hill’s Rosemary Village in October.

Beverly Mahone, founder and president of Boomer Diva Nation, was recognized for having one of the Top 200 mom-based businesses in America by VerticalResponse and StartupNation.com. The Durham-based company serves as an online community for baby-boomer women. 

Hampton Roads Bankshares, the holding company for Bank of Hampton Roads and Shore Bank, hired Nancy B. Harner as vice president of business development at Gateway Bank Mortgage in Raleigh.

Cornerstone Solutions, a political consulting, strategic communication and issue management firm with a location in North Raleigh, hired Mandy Fletcher Fraher as the new vice president.

Lou Jurkowski, chief executive officer at Raleigh architectural firm BJAC, announced:
• N.C. State University alumna Lynn Eskridge Dunn, senior project manager, was named a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional by the U.S. Green Building Council.

• Christina Graham, construction administrator, was certified as a Construction Documents Technologist.

Associate designer Rachel Knudson and project designers Candace Honeycutt and Calley Springer, of Phillips Architecture in Raleigh, passed the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam and are now certified interior designers.

Stacey Rose, a team leader and consultant for The Pampered Chef, moved her business to Raleigh from Medina, Ohio.

Donna Sylver, owner of Durham-based Sylver CPA, a certified public accounting and consulting firm, received the Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award, as well as the Professional Women’s Network Inspiration Award, at the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce Circle of Success Awards luncheon in June. Also, the Circle of Influence Diversity Award in the Small Business Category was given to Sylver CPA.

Apex artist Laura Kelly, owner of Laura Kelly Designs & Licensing, recently expanded the use of her signature black Sharpie fine point marker to sign with the Sharpie® brand. Sharpie has also asked Kelly to work with its back-to-school campaign later this summer.

Cindy’s House Café and Catering in Cary is now Chatham Street Café and Catering, noted managing partner Gayla Bonke. The restaurant has been redecorated while its menu has been updated and its hours expanded.

Apex entrepreneur Heather O’Sullivan Canney will host the first Young Entrepreneurs Success Seminar in Orlando in September. The purpose of this annual seminar is to inspire, empower and educate young entrepreneurs ages 9 and up to embrace their natural creativity, identify and leverage their resources, and grow their business ventures.

Laura Gross, assistant media buyer for Raleigh-based advertising firm Howard, Merrell & Partners announced:
• The firm won three Silver Telly Awards at the 30th annual Telly Awards competition in recognition of work done for Georgia-Pacific Professional.
• It also received six Sir Walter Raleigh Awards and two Best in Division honors at the Raleigh Public Relations Society’s annual awards dinner.
• The firm received the Graphis Poster annual 2010 Gold Award.

Three stylists from Lather Hair Salon in North Raleigh – Lauren Lawson, Alissa Phillips and owner Jessica Williams - honed their hair coloring skills at a “Swatch and Learn” workshop in Morrisville featuring “Koleson Perfect” tonal colors by Wella Color Movement.

Lorana Price, CEO of Holy Cow Branding, a communications firm in Cary, spoke as part of the Entrepreneurship Panel at the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business at Campbell University’s Summer Program.

Crescent State Bank named Mary Ann Freeman branch sales manager at its new office on Creedmoor Road in Raleigh. 

Two Triangle businesswomen — Lisa Pineiro, president of Technical Services, a Durham employment service and recruiting firm, and Patty Briguglio, president of MMI Associates, a Raleigh public relations firm — participated in ABC News’ special edition of “Primetime” on healthcare with President Obama in Washington, D.C. in June. 

Karen Diamond, first vice president at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Chapel Hill, earned a Master of Business Administration in the OneMBA Global Program at UNC-CH Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Julie Hopfer, vice president at Bank of America, and her mortgage team recently received Platinum Club status as they have for eight consecutive years.

Cancer survivor Dana Powers opened In the Pink, a boutique in Durham offering wigs and post-breast-surgery undergarments.

Maite Eceiza is the new director of guest relations for Raleigh’s Rocky Top Hospitality, an operator of restaurants.

Janet Northern, from Durham-based advertising agency McKinney Silver, said the firm was selected by Aprica, a Japanese maker of premium strollers, car seats and other children’s products, to lead brand expansion efforts across the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Merrill Lynch financial advisor Susan Rosenthal, of Durham, was recognized as one of the country’s top female advisors by Barron’s magazine. Rosenthal was previously recognized by Barron’s on the “America’s Top Advisors: State-by-State” list.

Deborah Quay, director of audit services for Hughes Pittman & Gupton, a CPA firm in Research Triangle Park, said it has partnered with OptionEase to add an applications service to its portfolio of accounting and auditing resources. She also announced the firm’s use of Twitter to keep clients up-to-date on the latest financial, regulatory and accounting news.

Michelle and Dodd Aldred, owners of Triangle Catering, launched a new venture in Durham: the Cotton Room at Golden Belt. It’s an event venue featuring cuisine, planning and décor.

TriangleModernistHouses.com, a nonprofit that preserves, advocates and builds community around modernist residential design, has contracted with Blueplate PR in downtown Raleigh, a boutique public relations agency owned by Kim Weiss.

Stephanie Williams opened BrowZnAround Eyebrow Studio, which provides waxing services at Triangle Town Center in North Raleigh.

Taneka Bennett, director of marketing for Durham’s Museum of Life & Science, announced the opening of “Dinosaur Trail.” The museum’s first dinosaur trail opened in 1967, but was destroyed by Hurricane Fran in 1996.

N.C. Central School of Law alumna Gwendolyn Burrell was named executive director of the Governor’s Crime Commission Division and an acting deputy with expanded responsibilities in the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety.

Volunteer coordinator Simone Woodward announced that Meals on Wheels of Durham will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the end of August in celebration of its recent relocation. This is the first time in the organization’s 34 years that it will operate out of its own facility.

Raleigh’s Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities, which offers education as well as residential and family support services to children and adults with special needs, is celebrating its 40th birthday.

The Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, a new nonprofit organization in Durham that provides rehabilitation and medical care for animals native to North Carolina, has opened, said president Pamela Bayne. Bayne is responding to the void created by the July closing of the Piedmont Wildlife Clinic, the area’s only wildlife hospital.

Nominated by IBM, Younghee Overly received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for starting the N.C. chapter of UNIFEM/USNC, the only United Nations fund whose sole mission is to address women’s human rights and equality worldwide.

Leslie deRosset, MPH, Latino campaign coordinator, announced the launch of a Spanish-language health Web site as part of the getfolic.com family. The new section, getfolic.com/espanol, addresses wellness issues that are important to Hispanic women in North Carolina.

The Raleigh City Museum presented the nominees for induction into the board of directors for 2009-2010, including Raleigh residents Renee Elder, Margaret Henderson, Samantha Hatem and UNC-CH alumna Katherine Kenyon Henderson.

Alexandra Oliver, a drama and dance student at Trinity Academy of Raleigh, served as a judge at the 2009 N.C. Education Ball, hosted by Communities in Schools of North Carolina. 

The Greater Raleigh chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners announced:
• Lorraine Johnson, the principal of Triangle Financial Advisors, an independent financial advisory company in Raleigh, was presented with the 2009 Public Policy Advocate of the Year award. She was also installed as the 2009-2010 political advocacy chair.
• Sharon Wolfe, owner of Novel-Ts, an advertising specialties company located in Cary, was awarded the Mary Diener Spirit Award as the 2008-09 Member of the Year.
• Patty Briguglio, president of MMI Associates, a Raleigh-based public relations firm, was named the 2009 Woman Business Owner of the Year.

United Way of the Greater Triangle announced:
— The 2009 board of directors and its officers, including:
• Secretary Linda Foreman, Durham Public Schools;
• Caren Anders, TrustAtlantic Bank;
• Denise Smith Cline, Smith Moore;
• Joyce Kuhn, Orange and Chatham Alternative Sentencing;
• Kim Saunders, Mechanics and Farmers Bank.
— The Campaign Cabinet, who will oversee the Triangle’s 2009 United Way campaign, including:
• Dr. Victoria F. Haynes, RTI International;
• Autrice Campbell Long SunTrust Banks;
• Farima Dean, The Redwoods Group;
• Marie Felder, RTI International;
• Lisa Schiller, Rex Healthcare;
• Nancy McGuire, McGuire Consulting Group;
• Tracey Martin, Sun Trust Banks;
• Allison Taylor, Deloitte.

Wake County SmartStart unveiled its redesigned and enhanced Web site, the first major update for the site since its launch in 2004, said Pam Dowdy, executive director. The redesign was completed in collaboration with Ann Marie Amico Design in Fuquay-Varina and FireStream Media in Durham.

State Employees’ Credit Union, a nonprofit financial cooperative, completed a record-setting year for its Triangle March Of Dimes March for Babies fundraising campaign, collecting more than $52,000 for the charity, said Tina Prince, SECU Triangle area team captain.

Diana Peronis was recognized by the InterNeighborhood Council as a 2009 Durham Neighborhood Hero in recognition of her work as a clean energy volunteer.

Located in Cary, the Eastern N.C. chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training is preparing for the NIKE Women’s Marathon, slated for this fall in San Francisco. The team is predominately comprised of women from the Triangle, said Denise Mikesh. 

Pretty in Pink Foundation, a Raleigh nonprofit that provides financial assistance and quality of life resources for underinsured and uninsured people diagnosed with breast cancer in North Carolina, is among the finalists for the first annual GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards focusing on the Research Triangle Park region.
Conni Tucker, Wake County Economic Development assistant executive director, spoke at the Association of Legal Administrators monthly meeting in June at the N.C. Cary Bar Center, about the local and regional economic forecast.

The American Heart Association announced that 250 guests attended the Triangle Go Red For Women Luncheon in May, which raised more than $80,000 to support female-focused research and education to fight heart disease.

The Raleigh Hall of Fame announced its class of 2009. The inductees will be honored in September and include:
• Mabel J. Dorsey, historic preservationist and catalyst for the restoration of the L.L. Polk House and Historic Yates Mill;
• Margaret Rose Murray, a catalyst for equal access to quality education and founder of Vital Link Private School for children with disabilities;
• Carolyn S. King, committed to peace and non-violence, justice and respect for human rights;
• Betty Lee Tiddy Moore, co-founder of the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities.
• Jane Simpson McKimmon, a supporter of continuing education and a force behind the development of the Home Demonstration Program in North Carolina, will be honored in the Centennial Hall of Fame category.

Gaye Orr, vice president of Coldwell Banker Advantage New Homes, announced that the company was selected as the sales and marketing team for Poplar Creek Village in Knightdale, Friendship Corner in Cary and Stonewall Homes at Ashbury Green in Mebane.

Coldwell Banker Advantage announced that Hala Peniazek joined its Wake Forest office and Hannah Jung joined its Raleigh office.

Fonville Morisey announced:
• Kelly Cobb was the guest speaker in Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., for the monthly meeting of the Crystal Coast chapter of Women’s Council of Realtors.
• Tracy Santrock, a Cary realtor, was awarded the Certified Residential Specialist Designation by the Council of Residential Specialists.
• Claire McCullough, residential real estate broker, was awarded the Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation by the Seniors Real Estate Specialists Council.
• Marsha Burger, an associate, was instrumental in creating a set of search features for “Green Building Attributes” that is now part of the local Multiple Listing Service. 

Caroline Plummer of Fonville Morisey & Barefoot announced:
• Denise Wildblood was named sales associate for Meadows at Olde Carpenter, a new townhome development in Cary.
• Laura Caldwell was named the sales associate for Tryon Villas in Cary.

ERA Pacesetters Realty announced that Nancy Guenther, Lisa Ligouri, Courtney Mills, Mallika Perera, Pat McElroy, Betty Holly, Terri McCall and Dee Levitz were sales leaders for July.

Allen Tate Realtors announced:
• Kecia Bland joined the Wake Forest-Rolesville office.
• Kathy Powers Uhorchak, a realtor in the Cary-Stonebridge office, was awarded the National Association of Realtors Green Designation.

Impact Properties Group named Joye Silverman the on-site agent for Highcroft Village in Cary. 

North Raleigh resident Sonya Wagner joined the Advisory Services Division of Coldwell Banker Commercial TradeMark Properties as a real estate advisor.

Andrea Crane, R.N., owner of Dermatech in Raleigh, has joined the practice of Dr. William T. Stoeckel at Wake Plastic Surgery on Tuesdays. Licensed medical aesthetician Patty Myers now serves clients there on Wednesdays.

BodyLase Skin Spas in Raleigh and Cary are offering Zerona Laser treatments, the newest product in fat-reduction technology, announced owner Karen Albright.  

Kristen McNabb, Katy Yadusky and Markie Hayes, staff members of North Raleigh’s Blue Water Spa, helped collect more than 20,000 pounds of food for the Interfaith Food Shuttle.

Eileen M. Slutsky, R.N., B.S.N., of Aesthetics by Eileen in Raleigh, coordinated the first annual Team Eileen for the Komen N.C. Triangle Race for the Cure. Her group raised more than $2,400 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Dr. Martha Peck joined the practice of Dr. Patsy Daniels to establish Daniels and Peck Family Medicine in North Raleigh, where they offer personalized, primary healthcare services. Daniels and Peck has launched a Web site, www.NorthRaleighDoctors.com.

Linda Kolstee-Ozkaynak, MSOD, certified comprehensive coach, completed the Professional Training for Integrative Health Coaches at the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine in Durham and is offering individual and group health coaching in the Triangle.

Gail Sturtevant, R.N., M.S.N., NEA-BC, currently director of operations for the Heart Center at WakeMed Raleigh, will be executive director of nursing for WakeMed Cary Hospital.

Kim Parker announced that Wake Radiology signed on as a year-round partner of the Komen N.C. Triangle affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Claudia Conty, owner of Raleigh N.C. Yoga, launched a Web site, www.RaleighNCYoga.com, and has begun teaching at the Alexander Family YMCA in Raleigh.

Nancy McFarlane, president of Raleigh-based MedPro Rx, a provider of specialty pharmacy services to clients with chronic illnesses, announced that Stephanie Y. Clifton-Pace, PharmD, joined the company as a clinical pharmacist. 

Raleigh Neurology Associates received a three-year term of accreditation as a result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology.