Names and faces in Manatee and Sarasota Dec. 5, 2016
Reverend Demetrius Jifunza has been appointed to the board of directors of Community AIDS Network in Sarasota. Rev. Jifunza serves as NAACP vice president and is senior pastor at Mt. Olive CMA Church in Arcadia.
Alyssa M. Nohren, attorney at Icard Merrill, has been named Volunteer of the Year by the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. The Conservation Foundation is a regional non-profit organization that works to protect eco-sensitive lands, waterways and wildlife. Nohren is a graduate of University of Florida and Suffolk University Law School. She is past president of the Sarasota County Bar Association and a current board member of PACE Center for Girls in Manatee County.
Dana Laganella Gerling and Mary Hawk, attorneys at the Gerling Law Group in Bradenton, were invited to attend the Inn of Court’s 2016 Celebration of Excellence at the Supreme Court on Nov. 5 in Washington, D.C. The American Inns of Court is an association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals. Laganella Gerling and Hawk are members of the local Manatee County Inn of Court.
John Stafford was elected chairman of the board, Bob Spencer was elected vice chairman, and Carlos Beruff was elected secretary, all at the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority. Stafford served previously as vice chairman. He recently retired as chairman of the board of FCCI Insurance Group and presently serves on a number of community organizations. Spencer is president of West Coast Tomato and serves on various foundations and charitable organizations in Manatee County. Twice the past chair, Beruff serves on a number of community boards and represents the airport on the Metropolitan Planing Organization.
Lisa Grasso has been promoted to senior art director, Heidi Cook has been promoted to special projects and events manager, and Taylor Lawless joined Grapevine Communications as client relations manager. Grasso previously was a designer and an art director. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. Cook previously was production and traffic manager and special projects coordinator. Lawless worked as a sales coordinator/national sales assistant at iHeart Media in Sarasota. She holds a bacherlor’s degree in public relations and a minor in business administration from Illinois State University.
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 December 2, 2016 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Names and faces in Manatee and Sarasota Dec. 5, 2016."