RTI program director receives award
DURHAM — Robert Bray, senior program director of substance abuse epidemiology and military behavioral health at RTI International, has received the John C. Flanagan Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association.
According to a news release from RTI, the award recognizes Bray, a fellow of the APA, for career-long research achievements in military psychology.
The award honors contributions to research, service, product development or administration that advances the profession of military psychology, improves the effectiveness of military psychology systems or serves the welfare of military personnel.
It was presented by the APA Society for Military Psychology for Division 19 on Aug. 2 during the 121st APA annual convention in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Yadkin Bank announces Hillsborough branch manager
HILLSBOROUGH— Yadkin Bank has announced the addition of Rick
Chambless as Hillsborough branch manager.
In this role, he will oversee all retail banking activities in that office. He comes to Yadkin Bank with 21 years of banking experience, serving in branch management, small-business banking, and area management roles throughout the Orange and Chatham county areas.
A native of Chapel Hill, Chambless is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in political science. He currently lives in Hillsborough with his family.
NIEHS researcher receives tenure
DURHAM -- Donald Cook, a lead researcher in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ respiratory biology laboratory, recently received tenure, or a permanent research position, from the National Institutes of Health Central Tenure Committee.
The Chapel Hill resident has been with the institute since 2005. He studies how inhaled allergens and environmental pollutants affect the lungs, according to a news release.
Cook received his bachelor’s of science and doctoral degrees in microbiology and immunology from McGill University in Montreal. He began his research career in 1990 under the tutelage of Nobel Laureate Oliver Smithies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.
When he completed his fellowship in 1996, he joined Schering-Plough Research Institute in Kenilworth, N.J., as an associate principal scientist, and rose to the position of principal scientist.
He left to pursue an academic position as an assistant professor in the Duke University Medical Center Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine. After four years there, he joined NIEHS to head the institute’s immunogenetics group.
Weejee Learning hires COO
DURHAM – Weejee Learning, a provider of custom e-learning solutions, has appointed Marc Crawford to the role of chief operating officer.
Crawford will oversee the company’s day-to-day activities, will lead and manage the company’s creative and operations teams, and will set priorities for the implementation of innovative methods of content delivery.
Most recently, he served as vice president of software development for rmsource, Inc., where he was responsible for software development, project management and business development. Before joining rmsource, Crawford served as chief technology officer at Performance Impact.
His appointment is part of an aggressive growth plan for Weejee, which was founded in 2010. The Durham-based custom learning design and development company provides e-learning solutions to corporations, non governmental organizations, associations and nonprofits.
Home Builders Association announces award winners
DURHAM -- - The Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange Chatham Counties has announced the winners of the 2013 Professional Remodeling Achievement Awards.
Winners competed for first or second place in the following categories: bathrooms, kitchens, and major interior remodel.
The winners will be announced in the 2013 Fall/Winter Issue of “Remodeling Today Triangle” in September.
The winners for “Best Bathroom” were Bercon Building Company, which took first place, and Maplewood Building Company, which took second.
Horizontal Renovations took first place for “Best Kitchen,” and Bercon Building Co. took second.
For “Best Major Interior Remodel,” Corbett Design Build took first, and Will Johnson Building Co. took second.
Northwestern Mutual recognizes interns
DURHAM – Two summer interns, Matthew Dellaero and Willis Wan, who worked with the Chapel Hill and Durham network office of Northwestern Mutual were ranked as two of the top 20 financial representative interns, based on production, with the company, which has offices throughout the country.
Dellaero, a sophomore majoring in psychology, is the top financial representative intern at Northwestern. Wan, a rising senior majoring in economics, is ranked No. 17.
As students at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dellaero and Wan were accepted into the internship program in May.
Northwestern Mutual’s internship program provides real-world opportunities for more than 2,000 full-time college and university students throughout the country.
The Chapel Hill and Durham office offers internship opportunities each fall, spring and summer semester. For more information about the internship, contact Becca Goldmann at 919-401-0353 or becca.goldmann@nm.com.
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. and its subsidiaries offer financial security products including life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, investment products, and advisory products and services.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center director appointed
CHAPEL HILL – Dr. Norman “Ned” Sharpless has been appointed director of the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center effective Jan. 1.
Sharpless succeeds Dr. H. Shelton “Shelley” Earp, who will continue as director of UNC Cancer Care, a role in which he coordinates cancer care and research across the School of Medicine, the University and UNC Health Care System.
Sharpless is a Morehead Scholar and honors graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC School of Medicine. He’s currently the Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research, professor of medicine and genetics, and UNC Lineberger’s deputy director.
A practicing medical oncologist, he trained at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital. He leads a 20-person cancer research laboratory.
Sharpless has 12 patents that form the core intellectual property for two Research Triangle start-up companies he co-founded.
He also established and co-leads two major UNC Lineberger initiatives: the Mouse Phase 1 unit, which tests therapies in preclinical models of cancer, and UNCSeq, which coordinates a faculty team using massively parallel sequencing technology for the benefit of individual patients with cancer.
Classic hires Triangle division president
MORRISVILLE -- Classic Graphics, a privately owned commercial-printing company, has appointed James O’Rourke as the Triangle Division President to spearhead growth for the company.
O’Rourke previously served as general manager of the Digital/Screen Division of the National Print Group in Chattanooga, Tenn. He had a special emphasis on retail and changed the culture to “Exceed Customer Expectations.”
The initiative helped translate into a 15 percent revenue growth rate in 2011 and 2012 with net income of over 20 percent in sales, according to a news release.
Marketing society chapter announces board
DURHAM – The Society for Marketing Professional Services’ Research Triangle Chapter has announced the members of its 2013-2014 Board of Directors.
The board includes Tracy Russell-Beck, president; Kim Fowler, vice president/president-elect; Meg Odom, past president, co-chair of programming; Justine Jenkins, director of programming; and Danielle Davis, director of outreach.
It also includes Liza Mead, director of membership; Kelly Gelinne, director of communications; Pat Perkins, secretary; Glenda Owens Bastress, treasurer; Kellie Ford, director at-large, and Amy Quarfot, director at-large.
The society is a community of marketing and business development professionals working to secure profitable business relationships for their architecture, engineering, and construction companies. The Research Triangle chapter of has been active since 1997.
Dilweg Companies names asset enhancement vp
DURHAM – The Durham-based commercial real estate investment company The Dilweg Companies has announced that Jeffrey Witek has joined the company as executive vice president of asset enhancement.
In the newly created position, Witek will oversee commercial property management, leasing and asset enhancement for The Dilweg Company’s office portfolio. He brings 20 years of experience in commercial real estate to the position.
Prior to joining The Dilweg Companies, Witek served as executive vice president of portfolio management at Allegiance Reality Corp. in Charlotte. While at Allegiance Realty, Witek transitioned six million square feet of new properties. He has also directed over 600 transactions involving 2.8 million square feet of property.