Kathy Daywalt's paintings and Elissa Farrow-Savos' sculptures are on display at Gallery C, in Raleigh. They're part of the gallery's Women of Wonder show. The artwork expresses the love, anger, burdens, dignity and strength of women.

Mirinda Kossoff's mixed-media artwork is featured at FRANK gallery, in Chapel Hill. The show combines Kossoff's two artistic interests: jewelry and collage.

Dale Morgan's collection The Hive and the Honeybee was presented last month by WomanCraft, in Carrboro, in celebration of National Pollinator Week.

Tinka Jordy's sculptures were featured in Eno Gallery's exhibition The Figure – in Oil, Encaustic, and Sculpture last month. The gallery, located in Hillsborough, is owned and operated by Jordy.

The Cary Chamber of Commerce nominated Cary's Elizabeth Cantino, of PNC Bank, as well as Raleigh's Kim Ferguson, of PSNC Energy, and Judy Fourie, of Fourie Insurance, for the chamber's board of directors.

Betsy Crittenden joined the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce as interim executive director. Most recently, she worked as a paralegal with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, in Durham. Previously, Margaret Cannell served as executive director of the chamber for 12 years.

Casey Peaden, an incoming first-year student, received the Public Service Scholar Award from Campbell Law School, in Raleigh. The accolade is one of three new, full-tuition awards. Peaden is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill.

Kim Moss, a Wake County resident, won the NC 529 Scholarship and was awarded $529. The endowment is sponsored by the College Foundation, N.C. State Education Assistance Authority and State Employees' Credit Union. Moss is putting the endowment toward her daughter's college education.

Camille Currin Runyans, of Raleigh, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy last month. Runyans attended Needham B. Broughton High School before studying at West Point.

Lisa Higginbotham, co-owner of 5Star Awards, an award and gift shop in Cary, won the Pinnacle Business Award from the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. 5Star Awards, which is certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, won in the Individual Entrepreneurial Company, 1-5 Employees category.

Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec, a law firm in Raleigh, was ranked by Intellectual Asset Management/Ocean Tomo Patent Rating as one of the top performing law firms in the country for patent grants. Lynne Borchers and Julie Richardson, patent attorneys at the firm, were interviewed in the IAM Magazine rankings article.

Cherry Gibbs, owner of Massage Envy Spa Southpoint, in Durham, opened her second location at Parkside Town Commons, in Cary.

Emma Sheedy, a Chapel Hill native, co-founded Box Appetit, a subscription service that delivers vegetarian recipes and ingredients to customers who lack time for cooking and grocery shopping.

Katie Colman, owner of Durham Spirits, served as guest chef at Nasher Museum of Art's Summer Days Nasher Nights last month. The event is part of a summer-long series that features local music and food, book discussions, and wine tastings.

Bonnie Hammersley was named Orange County's county manager. Hammersley, a 26-year veteran of county government, previously served as the first female county administrator in Muskegon County, Mich.

State highway patrol employees and civilians received departmental awards at a ceremony held by the N.C. Department of Public Safety in Raleigh. Recipients included:

• Leslie Manning – Meritorious Service Award
• Lt. Donna Carter – Meritorious & Appreciation Group Service Award: Patrol Stroll Committee
• Marcia Culler – Meritorious & Appreciation Group Service Award: Patrol Stroll Committee
• Lisa Evans – Meritorious & Appreciation Group Service Award: Patrol Stroll Committee
• Karen Tew – Meritorious & Appreciation Group Service Award: Patrol Stroll Committee
• Julie Gouveia-Pisano – Meritorious & Appreciation Group Service Award: Patrol Stroll Committee

Jill Hammergren's marketing and communications angency, The Media Pro, was recognized as a National Women's Business Enterprise by The Women's Business Enterprise National Council. The organization's national standard of certification gives The Media Pro access to government agencies and fellow female-owned firms in order to purchase products and partner on joint ventures.

Pam Blouin, owner of DECO Raleigh, served as moderator last month at the Creative Marketing for Creative People session of Visual Art Exchange's Ignite conferences. Mary Shannon of Landfill Dogs Project, in Raleigh, and Heather Allen of Capital H. Creative, also in Raleigh, served as panelists for the seminar.

Mary Kay Kennedy, development assistant at Artspace, in Raleigh, led Visual Art Exchange's Savvy Online Marketing session as moderator last month. Britt Hayes, a senior graphic designer at Raleigh's Gamil, acted as a panelist for the forum.

Kelly Margolis Dagger, Missy Orr, Melanie Reeve and Carol Kimball Stahl were among the new members appointed to the board of directors of the SPCA of Wake County.

Junior Women's Club of Raleigh partnered with SAFEchild, an organization focused on eliminating child abuse in Wake County, as part of the President Project of the club. Leslie Ann Jackson serves as the club's president.

Compass Center for Women and Families hosted Martha's Day, in Chapel Hill, last month. The event, named after domestic violence victim Martha Pearson, was held to raise money for the domestic violence crisis service, which has served more than 900 clients since it was founded in July 2012.

The General Federation of Women's Clubs for North Carolina reached its goal of providing 500,000 meals to food-insecure children in our state. Over a two-year span, the organization, based in Raleigh, made more than 17 million meals available to those in need.

Sierra Richmond, of Mebane, received the Mainstay Award during the annual Adult Recognitions banquet of the Orange County Girl Scouts. The accolade is the highest honor given at the county level to a volunteer who has shown significant achievement toward council goals and objectives for at least five years. Richmond was recognized for her service as a troop leader and county product sales manager.

Valerie Fields, a Raleigh-based entrepreneur and educator, was elected president of Women's Forum of North Carolina. The nonpartisan group is comprised of diverse female leaders dedicated to achieving and maintaining social, economic and political power for women.

Happily Ever After, a spring fashion showcase featuring designs from Tiffany Saini and Nick Relyea, alumni of N.C. State University, was held last month at Peachy Keen boutique, in Cary, to benefit Activate Good. The nonprofit teaches teens the value of volunteering and becoming a community leader.

Patricia Taborn Modeling and Talent Agency, in Durham, hosted the city's first Youth Entrepreneur Expo to provide networking opportunities for young entrepreneurs.

The N.C. Council for Women, based in Raleigh, recertified 50 domestic violence batterer intervention programs last month. The programs provide information and resources to domestic violence offenders on how to stop abusive behavior.

Xena Gray, of Cary, was named top seller for this year's Girl Scout Cookie Sale program for selling more than 4,700 boxes of cookies. She is a seventh-grade student at East Cary Middle School and a member of Girl Scout Troop No. 15.

Betty Rhodes, of Durham, retired last month from an 18-year career at Carolina Theatre, in the Bull City. Rhodes, who served as education coordinator at the performing arts venue, is currently a partner in Coffee & Creame, in the city.

Lindsey Tims, a multi-instrumentalist from Raleigh, performs at City Plaza, in her hometown, on July 17.

The Triangle Rising Star Awards announced the program's scholarship finalists last month. The grant is awarded to high school students active in theater. The finalists for best actress, as well as their roles and plays, are:

• Emily Cotton, Durham Academy, Durham – Hope, "Urinetown"
• Morgan Oh, Voyager Academy, Durham – Sandy, "Grease"
• Taylor Owens, Hillside High School, Durham – Nina, "In the Heights"
• Julianne Vance, Jordan High School, Durham – Rusty, "Footloose"
• Tyler Crocker, West Johnston High School, Benson – Dorothy, "The Wizard of Oz"
• Danielle Katz, East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill – Audrey, "Little Shop of Horrors"
• Cristina Alba, Panther Creek High School, Cary – Gertrude, "Seussical the Musical"
• English Bernhardt, Ravenscroft High School, Raleigh – Esther, "Meet Me in St. Louis"
• Sarah Gordon, Enloe High School, Raleigh – Dorothy, "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
• Amanda Jones, Wake Forest High School, Wake Forest – Tracy Turnblad, "Hairspray"

Cindy Martin joined Fonville Morisey Realty as a full-time associate of the Highway 54 office in Durham.

Jamie Werkman, of Raleigh, joined M/I Homes as a new home sales consultant. Werkman spent eight years working for the company's Charlotte division before moving to the Triangle.

UNC announced:

• Rebecca Knickmeyer, assistant professor of psychiatry at UNC School of Medicine, in Chapel Hill, is the lead author of a recently published study. The study found that children of mothers who took antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, commonly known as SSRIs, during pregnancy were more likely to develop Chiari type 1 malformation than children of mothers with no history of depression. Chiari type 1 malformation is a condition that causes brain tissue to extend into the spinal canal.
• Ashley Henderson, assistant professor of medicine, co-authored a paper on new research indicating that mucins, the protein framework of mucus, are significantly increased in cystic fibrosis patients and play a major role in failing lung function.
• Brionna Hair, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology, led a study finding that 35 percent of breast cancer survivors met physical activity guidelines post-diagnosis.

National Institute of Environmental Health Science in Research Triangle Park, announced the recipients of the Pathway to Independence Award. The winners, who will receive funds to cover research supplies and attendance at national meetings, are:

• Shannon Whirledge, a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University, in Durham, who explores the interaction between hormones in the uterus using genistein, a substance that occurs naturally in soy.
• Natalie Gassman, a postdoctoral fellow at the institute, in Durham, who plans to study how cells undergoing oxidative stress adjust their repair mechanisms in response to the environmental toxicant bisphenol A.

Michelle Cueva, of UNC, along with Mira Brancu and Jean Beckham, both of Duke University, are among the authors of a report on a new, five-question screening tool that can help clinicians identify which veterans may be at greater risk of violence.

The Public Technology Institute recognized Durham's Technology Solutions Department for its use of technology to improve science delivery, reduce costs and generate revenues. Kerry Goode, who serves as the department's chief information officer, said, "We are using information technology in an innovative and creative manner to solve business problems that align with our strategic plan goals."

Chapel Hill resident Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, in Research Triangle Park, received an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Israel.

Marion Broome was named dean of the Duke University School of Nursing, in Durham. Broome also became associate vice president of academic affairs for nursing at Duke University Health System. She previously served as dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing.

Lee Smith, an author who lives in Hillsborough, was the keynote speaker at A Burwell Homecoming at the Burwell School Historic Site, in the town, last month. The event celebrated the decedents of those who studied, lived and worked on the Burwell property.

Chapel Hill's Krista Bremer, author of "My Accidental Jihad," spoke with Bookwatch's D.G. Martin on UNC-TV last month.

Amanda Wright, designer and owner of Wit & Whistle, in Cary, co-authored a new book, "PINTEREST PERFECT!" The book, inspired by the social-media website Pinterest, is a how-to guide for artistic projects and creative design.