On the Move

Hirings and promotions from the Tampa Bay business world

By Dolly Brosan, Times Staff Writer
Published October 14, 2007

 Stephanie Bryant, Director of the School of Accountancy, University of South Florida

Dr. Stephanie Bryant, a faculty member at the University of South Florida for seven years and the Dan R. and Tina P. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Accounting, has been promoted. Bryant is a member of the American Accounting Association, where she was president of the information systems section in 2005-06. She is the international president of Beta Alpha Psi and has consulted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Bryant earned her doctorate in accounting from Louisiana State University and has coauthored two accounting textbooks.

Christian Passath, Director of restaurants, Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza

After more than three years as director of catering, Christian Passath has been promoted at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza. Passath will oversee PELAGIA Trattoria, Gabriella's and in-room dining for the 293-room hotel. Previously, Passath was catering sales manager for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sarasota, catering sales manager and director of restaurants/food & beverage for the former Wyndham Westshore Hotel and director of restaurants for the Tuscan Oven restaurant. He is a hospitality management graduate of Nova Southeastern University.

John Kynes, Director of business development and public affairs, PDC Affordable Housing

John Kynes joins PDC Affordable Housing, a St. Petersburg affordable-housing organization, after serving as district director in Tampa for former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis. Previously, Kynes was director of intergovernmental relations for the city of Tampa. He also has worked for then-Florida Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay and then-U.S. Sen. Lawton Chiles. Kynes earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and a master's degree from American University. Kynes is on the boards of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Salvation Army in Tampa, and is a member of the Florida Housing Coalition.

ACCOUNTING

Gregory, Sharer & Stuart, St. Petersburg, announces these appointments. Jeremy Hill and Erik D. Allmond have been staffed auditors; and Anthony Scuotto has been named a tax staff accountant. Hill was a market researcher at Advantage Marketing Inc., Savannah, Ga.; Allmond was an accounting intern at Thomas Financial Group, Tampa, the fixed assets intern at Rooms to Go, Seffner and the loss prevention intern at B&B Corporate Holdings, Tampa; and Scuotto was financial analyst at Marsh Inc., Tampa.

ADVERTISING

FKQ Marketing & Advertising, Clearwater, announces these appointments and promotions:Kyle Belote, assistant account executive; Jenna Herold and Zeynep Minareci, new account coordinators. Belote was an account coordinator; Herold was an account coordinator at Halseon Marketing Communications, Clearwater; and Minareci was a sales associate at Franklin Templeton Investments, St. Petersburg.

ARCHITECTURE

Elements Architects and Interior Designers, Tampa, announces these appointments:Leesa Ann Nero, vice president of operations; and Gary Smith, director of architecture. Nero will continue to serve as director of interior design; and Smith was senior architect at PBS&J, Tampa.

BANKING

Freedom Bank of America, St. Petersburg, announces these promotions and appointments:Julieann Allison, vice president/office manager at the Koger branch; Nicole Hawthorne, assistant vice president/assistant office manager, Koger branch; Dorothy "Dottie" Willits, assistant vice president/assistant officer manager, St. Petersburg; Kimberly Sigley,banking officer/head teller, Koger branch; and Ericka Lien, head teller, St. Petersburg. Allison was assistant vice president/assistant office manager at Freedom's main office in St. Petersburg; Hawthorne was a personal banker at the main office in St. Petersburg; Willits was a service banker at Wachovia Bank, St. Petersburg; Sigley was a speciality banker at Wachovia Bank, St. Petersburg; and Lien was a teller at Freedom's main office in St. Petersburg.

FINANCIAL

Majesty Title Services LLC, Tampa, announces these appointments:Phyllis Rehfus, escrow closer; and Cindy Maxie, relationship manager for Hillsborough County. Rehfus was an escrow closer at Paramount Title Corp., Tampa; Maxie was a lender specialist and southeast regional cross sell coordinator with First American Title Insurance Co., St. Petersburg.

HOSPITALITY

John Stambaugh has been named director of wine at Tastings, St. Petersburg. Stambaugh was director of beverage standards at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

LEGAL

Hill Ward & Henderson P.A., Tampa, announces these shareholders have been named to the 2008 edition of the Best Lawyers in America: Thomas W. Black, David S. Felman, Gina K. Grimes, William C. Guerrant Jr., Bret Hamlin, Thomas N. Henderson III, Benjamin H. Hill III, John L. Holcomb, Stephen M. Hudoba, Timothy A. Hunt, C. Howard Hunter, Jonathan P. Jennewein, Robert E. V. Kelley Jr., David T. Knight, Brett J. Preston, R. James Robbins Jr., Lynn W. Sherman, Robert A. Shimberg, W. Lawrence Smith, Brian C. Sparks, R. Dennis Tweed, David R. Tyrrell, Dennis P. Waggoner, and Alton C. Ward.

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, Tampa, announces the following attorneys have been named to the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America . C. Philip Campbell Jr., Bruce H. Gordon, Kent W. Ihrig, John S. Inglis, Darrell C. Smith, Theodore C. Taub, Barbara R. Pankau and Gregory C. Yadley. The firm also announces that Mindi M. Richter, Brian W. Schaffnit and Philip A. McCormick have joined the firm as associates. Richter was an attorney at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Chicago; Schaffnit was an attorney at Joyce and Reyes, WHERE; and McCormick is a recent graduate from Stetson University College of Law.

Nathaniel L. Doliner has been appointed vice chairman of the Section of Business Law of the American Bar Association and has been named editor-in-chief of Business Lawyer, a quarterly publication by the Section of Business Law. Doliner is a managing shareholder at the law office of Carlton Fields, Tampa and practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and other areas of corporate law.

Stann Givens has been elected president-elect to the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Givens is a partner and practices divorce litigation at Knox & Givens PA, Tampa.

Rebecca Steelehas been named president-elect of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers. Steele is director of the West Central Florida Regional office of ACLU of Florida and serves on the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Trial Lawyers' Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

TRANSPORTATION

Philip L. Winters is the recipient of the 2008 Bob Owens Transportation Demand Management Championship Award. Given by the Association for Commuter Transportation, the award recognizes people who influence local, regional, or national efforts to reduce traffic congestion, decrease pollution and improve mobility through transportation demand management programs such as carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling to work, flexible work hours and telework. Winters is director of the transportation demand management program at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

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[Last modified October 12, 2007, 19:32:16]