New Hires and Promotions

Sarasota Memorial Hospital has appointed Dr. Kunal Saigal medical director of radiation oncology services at the expanding Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute. Saigal has overseen Sarasota Memorial radiation oncology services since SMH opened its first outpatient radiation oncology center on University Parkway in 2020. Since then, the Jellison Cancer Institute team has added advanced radiation oncology services to the cancer treatments available at the hospital’s Sarasota campus, with plans to expand and enhance those services as it completes the next phase of the Cancer Institute, an outpatient cancer pavilion that will begin construction early next year.

Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse has been elected chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority. Also elected to serve one-year seaport board officer terms, effective Jan. 1, 2023, are James Satcher, first vice chairman; Jason Bearden, second vice chairman; and Mike Rahn, third vice chairman. They join Amanda Ballard, Vanessa Baugh and Kevin Van Ostenbridge. The Manatee County Port Authority board consists of the seven members of the elected Manatee County Commission, but with distinctively separate officers and financial accountability. The authority sets policy and oversees major expenditures for SeaPort Manatee.

Delesa Hinkle Morris, who joined Tidewell Foundation in July 2022, has been named the organization's interim president. Morris has more than 20 years’ experience in strategic planning, project management, fundraising, donor relations and partnership building to drive growth for healthcare and higher education not-for-profits. Before coming to Tidewell, she was executive director of philanthropy at Cleveland Clinic's Martin Health Foundation.

Awards

Melissa Harris, sales associate at Ian Black Real Estate, has been named the Commercial Real Estate Alliance (CREA) Commercial Realtor of the Year by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee (RASM). The award is presented each year to a member of the CREA who "epitomizes the realtor image and has a proven track record of dedication to their fellow agents and community."

The National Council of Jewish Women will honor Beth Duda, Amanda Horne, Janet Kahn, Dr. Wendy Katz, and Jone Williams at its 41st annual Women in Power event.

Jody Rain has been appointed to the Florida Board of Nursing by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Rain is the registered nurse supervisor at Manatee Memorial Hospital and the clinical solutions director of PointClickCare. She is the former president of the Manasota Chapter of Emergency Nurses Association. 

Selby Gardens' "Lights in Bloom" is a repeat winner in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice contest for "Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights." The annual holiday light show earned sixth place this year out of the 20 botanical garden light displays across the country that were nominated. The national nominations were selected by an expert editorial panel in November, and the public then voted to produce the top 10 list of winners. This is the second year in a row and the third time in four years that Lights in Bloom has received this recognition. Last year, it earned the No. 8 spot on the list.

Firehouse Magazine—the nation’s leading firefighting publication—and The Architect’s Newspaper—a renowned design publication—recently announced Sweet Sparkman Architecture and Interiors as the recipient of two annual awards for Longboat Key Fire Station #92. Firehouse Magazine awarded Sweet Sparkman its Career Stations 2 Bronze award, while The Architect’s Newspaper awarded the design firm the Editor’s Pick commendation in its 2022 Best of Design Awards for the civic category.

Venice-based PGT Innovations lwas recently named a winner in the 2022 Window + Door Awards by Window + Door magazine. The annual awards program highlights the best products in the residential fenestration industry. As the award recipient for "Most Innovative Support/Marketing Program," PGT Innovations was recognized for its LeadMatch program.