Business

Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

PERSONNEL FILE

Submit items by 5 p.m. Monday to business@sunherald.com or fax to 896-2104.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jess H. Dickinson, of Gulfport, was among four judges and 10 lawyers honored Thursday during the National Pro Bono Celebration at the Mississippi Bar in Jackson. The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project honored judges who have worked to increase pro bono service and lawyers who have provided free civil legal service.

Hancock Bank has named 11 South Mississippians as new vice presidents. The company’s board of directors approved the promotions during the regular October board meeting. New Hancock Bank vice presidents include: Felicia Augustine, Kathy Dunaway, Andrea J. Hood, Lisa Jones, Rebecca Kelly, Jody J. Lafont, Ginger McKay, Cindy Sharrow, Vonretta Singleton, Al Tapper and Sharon J. Wiley.

Gary A. Dubaz of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Homes was recently selected as the Mississippi Funeral Director of the Year by the MFDA for 2008-2009.

Three Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College instructors have been chosen to receive the 2009 Humanities Teacher Award. Ashleigh Sumrall-Ferguson, Brian Carriere and Sandra Cassibry will each receive a $500 cash prize for the honor. The Mississippi Humanities Council selects honorees annually from each of Mississippi’s colleges and universities in the fields of English, history, music, art and philosophy.

Chris Champagne, head golf professional at The Preserve Golf Club, has been named a PGA Merchandiser of the Year for the Gulf States Section, which includes Louisiana and Mississippi. Champagne won in the resort category and will be submitted as a nominee for the national award.

The University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Coast recognized three staff members with the first Outstanding Staff Awards for their role in providing support to the university.

The awards were presented to Vernita Elsbeth Richard of Student Services, Lori Brommer of the College of Arts and Letters and Kay Bruening of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.

Twenty Hancock Bank associates are new officers within the company’s compliance, credit, finance, insurance, investments, trust, mortgage and operations units. The Hancock board of directors approved the associates’ promotions during the board’s regular October meeting.

New officers are: Barbra Flowers, compliance officer; Kathy McLuckie, credit officer; Cindy Michelet, credit officer; Ben Morehead, credit officer; JoBeth B. Lannon, finance officer; Brenda M. Rose, finance officer; Kristen Richardson Bourgezan, insurance officer; Victoria Molino, investment officer; Ethan M. Smith, investment officer; Jenné Rushing, trust officer; Brenda Palmer, mortgage officer; Marybeth Gex Arnold Denney, operations officer; Clayton Cowart, operations officer; Xuan-Di Nguyen, operations officer; Allan L. Ritter, operations officer; Roxanne Sharp, operations officer; Freddie Steinwinder IV, operations officer, and Kevin Stokes, operations officer.