The Cary Art Loop Final Friday: Feature Show "Luminous Landscapes and More Sparkle" exhibits paintings by Sarah Sheffield, a local artist. The show takes place Sept. 27 from 6 to 8 pm. Sheffield speaks about her art at the gallery's "Coffee With the Artist" Sept. 28 from 11 a.m. to noon.

 

Heather Allen, an artist business consultant, announced her fall line-up of workshops designed for visual artists, designers and craftspeople in the Triangle. Business workshops are being held at arts venues including Artspace and Pullen Arts Center, in Raleigh, and Gather, in Cary. Allen offers workshops such as "Using the Internet to Diversify Sales and Income Streams," "How to Boost the Perceived Value of Artwork Through Branding," and "How to Identify Your Market in the Art World."

 

Nancy LaPonzina, a local author, launched "A Path Through the Garden," the sequel to "Nardi Point," her debut novel. Last year, her first novel was awarded the First Place Blue Ribbon for Women's Contemporary Fiction in the Chanticleer Book Reviews. Both novels are set in Raleigh. LaPonzina writes women's fiction with references to archaeology, the metaphysical and alternative healing.

 

Lindsey Kaplowitz, of Cary, opened Starpath Dance Academy. Kaplowitz is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill who has danced for 25 years and taught for 13 years.

 

Artspace, of Raleigh, announced its 2013-2014 board of directors, including:

• Andrea Nixon (chair) – PNC Bank, senior vice president, risk reporting
• Kim Spinello (treasurer) – PricewaterhouseCoopers, tax partner
• Amy Baker – community volunteer
• Jessica Cunningham - Novella Clinical, director of marketing
• Lisa Dixon – Womble Carlysle Sandridge & Rice, partner
• Alia El-Bermani – Artspace Artists Association
• Dana Hughens – Clairemont Communications, CEO
• Angel Miller – Highwoods Properties, property manager
• Rory Parnell – The Mahler Fine Art, owner

 

 

 

William Peace University , in Raleigh, announced that Lynn C. Owens, Ph.D. co-authored a research paper that received international recognition from the World Journal Education Congress. Owens serves as associate professor of communication and communication department chair. Her paper on "The Evolution of Journalism Skills Required by Top U.S. News Companies" won third place at the congress. Among more than 100 submissions, Owens' work was the only U.S. paper to place. She's in the process of publishing the document.

 

Pamela Tolson is the new director of communications at Saint Augustine's University, in Raleigh. Tolson comes from Florida A&M University, where she served as director of media relations.

 

Jessica Thomas was named the inaugural director of the Sustainability Initiative at the N.C. State University Poole College of Management, in Raleigh. Previously, Thomas was managing director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School and program director of its Business Accelerator for Sustainable Entrepreneurship.

 

Smith's Coffee, a water and coffee products and services provider in Pittsboro, hired Syvella Robinson as business development coordinator. In this position, Robinson is responsible for the company's website, e-commerce efforts, new business and customer portal development, e-mail marketing and route sales campaigns.

 

Kassie Rempel, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, founded Lillybee University, a college-themed shoe line for women. The line offers ballet flats featuring the colors of universities. Rempel was inspired to create it while searching for a pair of shoes that were both spirited and stylish to wear to basketball games while in college. The shoes can be purchased at www.lillybee.com.

 

 

 

Catharine Biggs Arrowood, a partner in the Raleigh office of Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, was elected president-elect of the N.C. Bar Association. Arrowood will serve as president-elect during 2013-2014 and will become president in June 2014.

 

Ginger Scoggins, P.E., president of Engineered Designs, in Cary, was installed as director and regional chair of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) at its 2013 annual meeting. Scoggins serves on ASHRAE's board of directors and as chair of Region IV, which covers Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

 

Mary Yount, IOM, was hired as the executive director of the Knightdale Chamber of Commerce.

 

The second annual Love, Hope & Strength Fundraiser takes place at Flanders Art Gallery, in Raleigh, on Aug. 10, from 7 to 10 p.m. This year's theme is "Nurturing a Community With Love, Hope and Strength" to emphasize the importance of building a strong community in the fight against spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Cary residents Mimi Chan and Cindy Schaefer are sharing their stories of how the disease has affected their families and how a strong community can change the future of SMA.

 

Hospice of Wake County hired Jeanne Lawson as major gifts coordinator. Lawson is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill.

 

Kim Lewey, co-owner of Lewey Landscaping & LawnCare, announced the 2013-2014 board of directors and 2012-2013 award winners for the Greater Raleigh chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. The new board members are:

• President – Kim Lewey, Lewey Landscaping & LawnCare
• President-elect – Erin Cohen, Entrees 4U
• Immediate past president – Sharon Hill, Sharon Hill International
• Treasurer – Tracey Gritz, The Efficient Office
• Director of membership – Ingrid Jones, Impact Meetings and Events
• Director of public policy – Laura Edgerton, Edgerton Immigration Law
• Director of corporate relations – Vera Wright, Legal Placements Specialists
• Programs chair – Pamela Clark, The Thyme Savor
• Mentoring chair – Karen Albright, BodyLase Skin Spa
• Communications chair – Janice Cutler, North Raleigh Florist
• Community relations chair – Jacqui Roth, Walden Businesses
• Member-at-large – Nancy Schwartz, Loblolly Concierge

 

Researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University are receiving $3.6 million from the Susan G. Komen 2013 national research grants. The money will go toward breast cancer research.

 

Sally Webb, CSEP, CEO of The Special Event, an event and meeting management company, in Durham, was named to the board of directors of Teen Cancer, a nonprofit working to improve the lives of teenagers and young adults with cancer.The organization partners with hospitals to create youth-oriented centers for those who're receiving cancer treatment.

 

Hospice of Wake County announced that Robin Daniel, a level 2 certified nursing assistant, received an individual education scholarship from the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation, one of only six scholarships awarded by that foundation each year.  With the scholarship, Daniel plans to complete her registered nurse degree.

 

Amy Etheridge was hired as the executive director of the Carolina Designer Craftsmen Guild. Etheridge's responsibilities include developing community and statewide relationships as well as increasing funding opportunities.

 

Triangle Land Conservancy hired two new directors: Lisa Rainwater, director of communications and external affairs, and Sandy Sweitzer, director of development. Rainwater is an award-winning author with a passion for water and land protection. She most recently served as the executive director of The Catskill Center for Conservation & Development in New York. Sweitzer has more than 25 years of nonprofit experience, 15 of those in Durham. Most recently, she worked as director of development for Habitat for Humanity of Durham and Orange counties.

 

The Eastern Carolina Division of March of Dimes announced that Suzy Beth Sarver will serve as chair of the 2013 Triangle Signature Chefs Auction.

 

 

Becky Davis, from FonvilleMorisey, joined the Luxury Home Marketing Group, of Raleigh. Davis brings nearly three decades of area experience, including 23 years as a Realtor.

 

Shauna See joined FonvilleMorisey Realty as a full-time sales associate in the Highway 54 office. See is a member of the Durham Association of Realtors, the N.C. Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors.

 

Linda Craft & Team, REALTORS honored Pamela Mansueti as Agent of the Month for June. Mansueti led the team with six transactions under contract.

 

Heritage Realty, of Wake Forest, inducted the following members to its 2013 Hall of Fame: Ashley Wilson, of Wilson Realty Group/Keller Williams Preferred Realty; Dannielle Stalter, of Daymark Realty; Elisa DeLoach, of Fonville Morisey; and Ginger Rogers, Gracie Goins, Helen Croghan and Sharon Lopez, of Coldwell Banker Howard Perry & Walston.

 

 

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences welcomed Kathy Laber, D.V.M., to the Triangle, where she now serves as chief of the institute's Comparative Medicine Branch, attending veterinarian and animal program director. A professor in the field of laboratory animal science and medicine, Laber said she looks forward to shifting gears from the classroom to work in a state-of the-art research facility.

 

Researchers at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill said that adding foods rich in specific amino and fatty acids to the diets of youth with Type 1 diabetes allowed them to produce some of their own insulin for up to two years after diagnosis.The youth still required supplemental insulin, but they may have reduced their risk of diabetes complications by continuing to produce some of their own insulin, said Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, professor of nutrition at Gillings and of medicine at UNC's School of Medicine. Mayer-Davis led the study of more than 1,300 youth. "This also opens the door for a new approach that could really benefit the lives of these children," she said.