The Orange County Arts Guild will host the 18th annual Orange County Open Studio Tour on Nov. 3, 4, 10 and 11. It will feature such artists as Julie Eastman, Trudy Thomson, Nadine Zenobi, Emily Lees and Lisa Goldstein.

Rachel Goodwin's collage exhibit "Lights, Peacock, Action," is featured in Building Three of Golden Belt, in Durham, until Aug. 5. It is presented by the Durham Art Guild.

The ceramic figurative sculptures of Donna Polseno are on display in an exhibit at Eno Gallery, in Hillsborough, until Aug. 25.

Aurora Mira Pawlus' abstract art exhibit "A Ride to Subconsciousness" is featured at Focal Point Gallery, in Chapel Hill, throughout August.

The oil paintings of Tessa Guze are featured in "Beginner's Mind: Painting With an Open Heart," an exhibit in the Allenton Gallery of the Durham Arts Council, until Sept. 7. The paintings were inspired by her world travels.

The wood and mixed-media sculptures of Elizabeth Spotswood Alexander Spencer are featured in "The Etiquette of Migration," an exhibit at Gallery A, in Raleigh, until Sept. 25.

Cary Gallery of Artists celebrates its seventh anniversary on Aug. 31. The gallery was founded by Winnie Ferguson.

The Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh elected Leah Goodnight Tyler as vice-chair of its advisory board.

Ruth Warren, marketing coordinator of the Scrap Exchange, a nonprofit reuse center, in Durham, and her siblings, Lee Stadler and Lynne Manne, collaborated to create "A Legacy of Thrift." The exhibit focused on the life of their parents, Raymond and Leola Glover, and was on display in the Green Gallery of the center.

Emily Weinstein, a Chapel Hill artist, presented her series of 28 paintings, "'On the Road' Landscapes With Automobiles," at the N.C. Crafts Gallery, in Carrboro.

Dianne Rodwell showed her newest encaustic series at First Friday Gallery Walk at Artspace, in Raleigh.

Lois Bronstein's "I (heart) Color," an exhibit of watercolor paintings, was featured at Exotique International, in Durham.

Nancy Trovillion, deputy director of the N.C. Arts Council, and Sherry DeVries, executive director of the Durham Arts Council, spoke at a presentation of the results of the Arts and Economic Prosperity IV study in Durham County. This was the fourth national study of the impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry by Americans for the Arts.

Dalia Mouawad, a fifth-grade student at Emerson Waldorf School, in Chapel Hill, exhibited and sold her paintings at Joe Van Gogh, in Chapel Hill.  Dalia donated the proceeds from the sale to Paws4ever, an animal shelter, in Mebane.

Jo Cooper, executive of Josephine Cooper LLC, a Washington-based consulting firm, and Silda Wall Spitzer, principal of NewWorld Capital Group, in New York, were appointed to the board of trustees of Meredith College, in Raleigh.

N.C. State University, in Raleigh, appointed:

• Dr. Mary Catherine Watzin as dean of its College of Natural Resources. Formerly, she was the dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont.
• Gayle S. Lanier, vice president of corporate services for Progress Energy, in Raleigh, to the board of trustees of the university.

Valentina Scribner, director of technology for Wake Christian Academy, in Raleigh, was appointed to the board of trustees of Wake Technical Community College.

William Peace University, in Raleigh, named:

• Vanessa Tinsley, Ph.D., its director of institutional research.
• Michelle Hemmer its financial aid advisor and loan coordinator.
• Tanya Scarborough an administrative assistant and guest coordinator for the admissions office.

Lolia Kienka, a senior tennis player at Shaw University, in Raleigh, was selected to participate in the Career in Sports Forum of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, in Indianapolis. It was her second time participating in the forum, which allows student-athletes to explore careers in sports.

Durham Tech is offering Escaping Violent Encounters-4-Women, a training course, at its Orange County Campus, in Hillsborough, as well as its Northern Durham Center. The course will be taught from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 18, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8.

The N.C. Council for Women presented a board development forum for grant recipients that featured Beth Briggs, its executive director, and Beth Woods, the state auditor. Participants learned about forming community partnerships in the current fiscal climate.

Mary Moore Ritchie, of Service Corps of Retired Executives, spoke at Business Tool Box: Cash Flow, an event at the White Ventures Chamber Building, in Morrisville. She discussed best practices and advice on how businesses can manage their cash flow.

Hughes Pittman & Gupton, a certified public accounting firm, in Raleigh, served as the judging tabulation team for the 2012 Miss N.C. Scholarship pageant. The company has served in this capacity for more than five years.

Sally Webb, CEO of The Special Event Company, an event and meeting management firm, in Research Triangle Park, announced that the company received six Trinity Awards from the greater N.C. chapter of the International Special Events Society.

Sepi Asefnia, president of SEPI Engineering & Construction, in Raleigh, announced that the firm received a Steady Growth & Profitability Award in the 2012 Pinnacle Business Awards presented by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.

Nannette Stangle-Castor, Ph.D., a senior technology transfer consultant at Fuentek, an Apex-based consulting firm, co-authored a white paper titled "And the Winner Is…: Using Innovation Awards to Boost Commercialization." The paper was developed in collaboration with the Innovation Projects Office at NASA's Glenn Research Center, in Cleveland.

Linda Quarles will serve as an honorary chair of "Expressions: A Celebration of Food and Art," a benefit for the Lucy Daniels Center, in Cary. The event will take place Nov. 9 at the Umstead Hotel and Spa, in Cary.

Yugala of Yugala Baked Goods, a vegetarian bakery stand, in Hillsborough, hosted a free cooking class at the Orange County Main Library.
Slingshot Coffee, a cold brew coffee company owned by Jenny Bonchak, recently surfaced in Raleigh shops. Slingshot is made in the kitchen of Market Restaurant, in Raleigh.

Gov. Bev Perdue spoke at the annual meeting of the N.C. Business Committee for Education, in Raleigh.

Frances Selema and Shirreef Loza, senior international trade specialists with the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce, spoke at the "Business Innovation Through Exporting" panel, in Durham.

Kathleen Merrigan, agriculture deputy secretary, traveled to N.C. Central University, in Durham, to speak about federal contracting opportunities for local small businesses at the USDA Small Business Training and Matchmaking conference.

U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers, chairwoman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Healthcare and Technology, gave a talk on "Investing in the Future" at the Fast 15 Signature Event at N.C. State University, in Raleigh. She spoke about the new technologies and companies created at the university.

Phyliss Craig-Taylor was named the new dean of the School of Law at N.C. Central University, in Durham. Craig-Taylor served as associate dean for academics at Charlotte School of Law, in Charlotte, and was a law professor at NCCU from 2000 to 2006.

Yolanda McGill, Raleigh-based senior counsel for the Fair Housing and Fair Lending Project of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, will speak at the American Mortgage Conference, to be held in September, in Raleigh.

Amy Jo Phillips has joined Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton's Raleigh office as an associate. She will work in the litigation department as a member of the labor and employment team.

Natalie Fioto was promoted to integrated marketing executive at Koroberi, a B2B marketing agency in Chapel Hill.

Patty Briguglio, CEO of MMI Public Relations, a public relations firm in Cary, announced that Kathleen Donnelly has joined the firm as an assistant account executive. Briguglio also announced that the firm received:

• Two 2012 Communicator Awards from the International Academy of Arts for exhibiting innovative work that has made a lasting impact.
• An Award of Distinction for its work on a video project. The project documented the Girls Leadership Camp at the 2011 United Way Women's Leadership Council.
• An Award of Distinction for its work on the grand opening video for The Chef's Academy.
• Two 2012 Hermes Creative Awards from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
• An honorable mention in the Social Media/Facebook Site category for its efforts on behalf of Carolina Beach, N.C.

Beverly Murray, founder and president of R&M, a branding agency based in Cary, announced that the firm celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this summer.

Lenora Zenzalai Helm, a professor of music at N.C. Central University, in Durham:

• Performed with her band at the 2012 Fiji Jazz and Blues Festival in Port Denarau, Fiji.
• Created the first vocal jazz syllabus in South Africa, which will launch this fall.
• Co-created the jazz course "Jazz! Born in America," a collaborative effort with the Royal Academy of Music, in Denmark, the University of South Africa and N.C. Central University, in Durham. The course will be open to online and classroom students from all three institutions.
• Presented a paper at Future Teach 2012 entitled "Preparing 21st Century Educators as Technology Leaders and Teachers of Millennial Students."

Several groups, including Katharine Whalen & Her Fascinator and Crystal Dawn Baker, performed at Oak City 7, a free summer concert series in Raleigh.

Mary Johnson Rockers performed at the Locally Grown Rooftop Music and Movies series, in Chapel Hill.

Cary resident Lenore Raphael, an international touring jazz pianist/Steinway Artist and ASCAP award-winning composer, will perform at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex on Sept. 29.

Tess Mangum Ocaña, concerts director at The ArtsCenter, in Carrboro, announced its 2012-13 "Meet the Artist" concert series. It features reserved seats and post-performance meet-and-greet with musicians Lindsey Buckingham, Los Lonely Boys, Roger McGuinn, Judy Collins and Suzanne Vega.

UNC-Chapel Hill's Playmakers Repertory Company will perform "An Iliad," a play co-written by Lisa Peterson. The play, which is part of the PRC2 second stage series, will run Sept. 5 to 9.

Emily Ranii will direct "Brigadoon," which will take the stage Sept. 6 to 23 at Burning Coal Theatre Company, in Raleigh. The play, centered around two Wall Street men who go on a hunting trip to Scotland, features musical direction by Julie Oliver.

Several arts leaders spoke at an event at Flanders Art Gallery, in Raleigh, about the future of arts in Raleigh and Wake County. Speakers included Lisa Grele Barrie, executive director of the N.C. Theatre; Lisa Jones, executive director of Carolina Ballet; Sarah Powers, executive director of Visual Art Exchange; and Beth Yerxa, executive director of Triangle Art Works.

Gretchen Struckmeyer, a rising senior at Millbrook High School, was selected as a 2012 Triangle Rising Star. Struckmeyer was one of two students who received a $500 academic scholarship and represented the Triangle at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards.

Soroptimist International of Raleigh, a group of business and professional women, named new officers to its 2012-13 board of directors, including president Terri Craig; co-vice presidents Joyce Rothchild and Shamika Lewis; treasurer Judy Little; and directors Donna Masterson, Gaye Mayes and Renee Marie Engle.

Nicolette Baglio was elected president of the HopeLine board of directors for 2012-2013. HopeLine is a Triangle-based nonprofit that provides free suicide prevention and crisis intervention for adults and teens. Baglio is the owner of ProAnnecto, a management consulting firm, in Raleigh. She joins a new executive board, including vice president Lauren Brown, an account executive at S&A Cherokee, a communications firm, in Cary; secretary Yancy Strickland, the owner of Strickland Consulting, a consulting firm that caters to nonprofit organizations; and board member Allyson McNeill, a court administrator for N.C. Eastern Bankruptcy.

Heather Barnhardt, founder of First Endeavors, a community housing program to assist women, recently opened a transitional home for female veterans in Durham.

The board of delegates of the Triangle J Council of Governments selected leaders to serve as officers for the seven-county regional planning organization.  Pamela Baldwin, a Pittsboro commissioner, was elected first vice chair and Jennifer Robinson, a Cary councilor, was elected secretary/treasurer.

Melissa Cain, executive director of the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation, presented a $150,000 grant earmarked for the Chapel Hill Public Library Opening Day Collection.

Anne Shoemaker received the Distinguished Service Award from the Association Executives of North Carolina. Shoemaker, who serves on the board of the organization, is the chief operating officer of the N.C. Association of REALTORS.

Hannah Grannemann, managing director of PlayMakers Repertory Company, in Chapel Hill, was elected to the board of directors of ARTS North Carolina, the statewide advocacy organization for the arts.

Mora Melican, principal of Walp Medical Consulting and director of mentoring for the Research Triangle Park chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association, was the keynote speaker at the "KNOW: Mentor 'Speed Dating'" luncheon at Prestonwood Country Club, in Cary. The event, which was hosted by the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce, focused on building a successful mentoring relationship.

Linda Craft & Team, REALTORS, based in Raleigh, announced:

• Muriel Bijeau celebrated 10 years as a buyers' agent.
• Kim Crump was designated an Accredited Buyers Representative by the National Association of Realtors.
• Eddi Boucher joined the team as a rental agent.
• Pamela Mansueti earned her second consecutive Agent of the Month honor.
• Marge "Meg" Russell was named regional manager and corporate liaison for the North Carolina office of Allison James Estates & Homes, an Internet-based real estate brokerage. Russell will supervise a team of agents serving the 16-county area of the Triangle Multiple Listing Service.

Kim Barnhart joined the sales team of Heritage, a New Home community in Wake Forest.

ERA Pacesetters Realty, in Cary, announced sales leaders for the month of June. The women recognized were:

• Nancy Guenther, Sharoni Rotondo and Nancy Hays for listings.
• Terri McCall, Gwen Hager and Nikki Belsito for sales.
• Nancy Guenther and Maria Moga for closings.

At N.C. State University, in Raleigh:

• Albena Ivanisevic, Ph.D., an associate professor of materials science, co-authored a paper describing a new microscopy technique that can be used to improve understanding of human tissues and other biomedical materials.
• Yaroslava Yingling, Ph.D., an assistant professor of materials science, co-authored a paper describing the capability of gold nanoparticles to "unzip" DNA.

At UNC-Chapel Hill:

• Saskia B. Neher, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of biochemistry and biophysics at the UNC School of Medicine, in Chapel Hill, was named a Pew Scholar in the biomedical sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Neher is the eleventh UNC recipient of this honor since the program began in 1985.
• Blossom Damania, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and immunology, led a team that published research on cancer cells and the way they metabolize fuel differently than normal cells.
• Dr. Sally Johnson, professor in the UNC forensic psychiatry program, co-authored a study that examined factors that are important in preventing violence by military veterans returning from war.
• Rachel Noble, professor at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, created a test that reduces the time necessary to detect E. coli in water samples. Past tests needed 18 to 24 hours to detect the bacteria, but Noble's test needs as little as two hours. Her method helps health officials make better-informed decisions and allows beaches to close based on real-time results.

The Bra Patch, a Raleigh store that offers hard-to-fit and custom bras, doubled the size of its store and became an in-network provider for Blue Cross Blue Shield to provide products for mastectomy patients.

Dress for Success Triangle, with a store and offices at Northgate Mall, in Durham, is holding its semi-annual Excess Sale on Aug. 4. The store provides professional attire, a network of support and career-development tools to help disadvantaged women achieve economic independence.

Lois Cozart, owner of My Girlfriend's Closet, a consignment boutique in Apex and Cary, spoke at the conference of the National Association of Resale & Thrift Stores.

Hadassah Lieberman, wife of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, will be the keynote speaker at the Women's Health Symposium on Oct. 21, in Raleigh.

Joanna Burgess, RN, CWOCN, of Apex, received the Great Comebacks National Award. Great Comebacks is an organization that raises awareness of quality-of-life issues for people living with diseases that can lead to ostomy (colon, small intestine or bladder) surgery.

Judith Hanson Lasater, a yoga instructor and author, will visit the Moving Mantra Yoga Studio of North Raleigh and host a weekend workshop Nov. 2 to 4. She'll focus on the therapeutic effects of yoga positions for the organs.

Crystal Koran Stauffer, a registered dental hygienist, is now working at the Cary office of Wake Dental Care.

Duke Medicine's Ramblin Rose Women is hosting a five-mile run on Oct. 21. The aim of the run is to empower women and benefit the Duke Cancer Institute.

The Paint It Pink Gala will take place Oct. 25 at The Stockroom at 230 in Raleigh. Proceeds from the benefit will be donated to 1in9, a charity that works with UNC's Comprehensive Cancer Center to identify women who are undergoing treatment for breast cancer but can't afford to continue.

Susan Wyler, MPH, RD, LDN, is the newest member of the Chapel Hill Doctors Integrative Health Center. Wyler specializes in nutritional wellness and provides dietary counseling.