Names and faces

NAMES AND FACES

Larry Winegar has joined Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee as vice president of development and planned giving. Winegar, a certified financial planner, is responsible for donor relations and the enhancement of the Meals on Wheels PLUS Planned Giving program, endowment fund and legacy society. Winegar has more than 10 years of experience in the local community and more than 20 years of experience in trust, wealth and legacy. Most recently, he was vice president and private wealth adviser at Regions Bank, where he worked to provide wealth services, investment and trust management. Winegar is also knowledgeable in the charitable services arena, having been a volunteer at several nonprofit organizations, including Meals on Wheels PLUS, and serving on multiple nonprofit planned gifts and professional advisory committees.

Christine Manring is State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota's new assistant director of communications and marketing. With nearly 30 years of experience working in marketing and communications, Manring has spent the majority of her career working for academic institutions, including SCF and University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. Manring holds a bachelor of science degree in public relations from the University of Florida.

She most recently served as SCF's interim director of communications and marketing, as well as marketing coordinator. She also has held positions at the Asolo Repertory Theatre and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

Mireya Eavey has joined United Way Suncoast as Sarasota area president. Eavey replaces past president Katie Knight, who left the organization in June. Eavey will provide strategic and operational direction for all Sarasota and DeSoto area United Way community programs. In her previous role she was executive director of CareerEdge. The CareerEdge Funders Collaborative investor board will remain at the helm of the collaborative and has approved transitioning operational leadership from State College of Florida to the United Way Suncoast. Gulf Coast Community Foundation will remain the fiscal lead under the direction of CEO Mark Pritchett. Eavey holds an MBA from Argosy University with a concentration in Sustainable Systems, and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of South Florida, with an international business certificate.

Amber Dubiel, a medical student at Lake Erie College

of Osteopathic Medicine, co-authored an original research paper recently published in the journal Neuroscience. Along with LECOM faculty member Randy Kulesza, Dubiel participated in a study of autism spectrum disorder. Using an animal model, the research explored how the processing of sound inputs could impact the language deficits that individuals with autism often have. Pursuing her master's degree in biomedical science degree at LECOM Erie in Pennsylvania, Dubiel embarked on a research project with Kulesza, whose autism research appealed greatly to Dubiel. Her stepbrother is autistic and uses sign language but is unable to speak. A graduate of Lakewood Ranch High School in 2009, Dubiel received an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences with a minor in public health from the University of South Florida.

After completing her master of science degree at Erie, Dubiel was accepted to medical school at the LECOM Bradenton campus and returned home to Florida.

The law firm of Fergeson, Skipper, Shaw, Keyser, Baron & Tirabassi, P.A., has been named a 2016 Best Law Firm by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. The firm was ranked in Tier 1 for trusts and estates Law and Tier 2 for tax law in the Sarasota Metro area. Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale.

Amy Farrington will assume the position of vice president for public policy and Sarasota Tomorrow Initiatives for the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce in January.

Farrington was most recently director for administration of donor relations at ShelterBox USA, where she provided organizational oversight of finances, human resources, donor relations and policy.

Farrington has an MSA in public administration from the University of West Florida and a law degree from the University of Florida College of Law. In her new position with the chamber, Farrington will work with local and state government officials and several of the chamber's councils.

This story was originally published December 13, 2015 at 10:52 PM with the headline "Names and faces ."