BRADENTON -- Three new members have joined the board of directors for Realize Bradenton Inc.

Johnette Isham, executive director for Realize Bradenton, is enthused and energetic about the addition of Bridgette Halliburton, Stewart Moon, and Deborah Pfeifle to the board, which is already involved in renovating and promoting the Bradenton community and its various arts and attractions.

"They each bring a different perspective and expertise, and are going to offer a very broad range of talents and contributions to Realize Bradenton and the continuing revitalization of our Riverwalk," she said. "We've got a really fabulous board here that will be made that much better with these new additions."

The range of experiences and backgrounds for the three board members, who are replacing others who have left, is broad.

Pfeifle is an experienced clinician, catastrophic case manager, and life care planner. She has a history of involvement with Take Stock in Children Manatee and the Community Coalition for the Homeless, and brings a competitive business ethic to the plate with her current position as CEO of Gould and Lamb LLC.

"I moved here four years ago, and the town has really grown on me." Pfeifle said. "I

aim to leverage the relationships that I have in the business community and elsewhere to really get people interested and involved in building excitement for what we have going on in the community. There are so many gems, so many businesses down here that people just don't know about."

Halliburton is a Bradenton native with a wealth of experience in the nonprofit and public service sector, and worked for several years as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Manatee, working to create programs to empower people out of poverty.

The third addition, Moon, serves on the board of directors for Manatee Young Professionals and comes from a small business background. Moon works as the director for marketing and sales for Air & Energy, and also spends time doing after-school tutoring at the Anna Maria Island Community Center.

"I grew up here and I plan on living the rest of my life here. I want my town to grow culturally and economically, and really become a destination rather than just the area between Tampa and Sarasota," Moon said.

The new board members will join the current 10-member board.

Currently, Realize Bradenton is working on projects like ArtSlam 2012, a live-action outdoor art festival scheduled for early November, and establishing the Creative Registry, a public list of creative professionals and businesses interested and involved in Manatee events.

For more information on Realize Bradenton, Manatee events and current projects, visit www.realizebradenton.com or speak to a representative at (941)681-0708.

Kurt Spurlock, Herald news intern, can be reached at 941-745-7080, ext. 2630. Follow him on Twitter @KurtSpurlock.