Names and faces in Manatee and Sarasota

Senator Nancy Detert, David Williams and Dr. Jim Woods are the new board members for Loveland Center. They will serve three-year terms. Detert has served in the Florida Senate, House of Representatives and Sarasota County School Board and will take a seat on Sarasota County Commission this month. Williams has held a succession of positions in the state and federal government and before retiring served as deputy director for management, budget and personnel for the Social Security Administration in Boston. Dr. Woods served as the chief executive officer of the State College of Florida, as president of Bon Secours Venice Hospital Foundation and as councilman for Venice City Council.

Ken Clark and Annie Clark of Clark Financial Partners recently relocated to Parrish, opening doors for new clients and veterans. Ken Clark is president and chief executive officer, while Annie Clark is vice president of marketing. They both hold the Certified Senior Adviser (CSA) designation. Ken Clark is a Million Dollar Round Table member and Annie Clark is an expert in the field of extended care, holding the designation of CLTC. They are active members of their church and serve on various boards.

Sara Hand has joined Scaale Group and Cross Border Angels as a U.S.-based regional development partner. Hand is chief executive officer of Spark Growth. As a Scaale partner, she will attend and participate in the finale of Startup India Rocks in Bengaluru in November. She is the founder and creative force behind the 3.0 Leaders Investment & Innovation Convergence Conference and was formerly the Sarasota Chapter president of the Gulf Coast Venture Forum.

Jeff Hedberg, John Johns and John Ward have joined Neal Signature Homes in Lakewood Ranch. Hedberg and Johns are the new homes sales associates. Ward is the new computer-aided design draftsman. Hedberg is a licensed Florida and Michigan realtor, acted as broker/owner of a multimillion dollar real estate company and is member of the National Association of Realtors and the Florida Association of Realtors. Johns is a licensed Florida general contractor and previously worked for commercial and residential builders. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War. Ward previously held numerous positions with architecture firms in Indiana.

Linda Gross has rejoined the board of directors for Designing Women Boutique. Gross is owner of Advice Solutions in Lakewood Ranch.

Jeff Podobnik is the new senior director of Florida and Dominican Republic operations for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Podobnik was senior director of security and contract services at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and previously served as director of Florida operations in Bradenton. He will oversee the Pirate City complex, McKechnie Field and the Pirates’ Latin American headquarters in the Dominican Republic.

Please send all Names and Faces announcements to Angie Monroe at amonroe@bradenton.com. Photos accepted in jpeg format only.

This story was originally published November 6, 2016 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Names and faces in Manatee and Sarasota."