»life AGENDA education policy analyst and lead efforts by Florida TaxWatch to ensure Floridians receive the best value from their nearly $20 billion annual investment in education. ▪ Dan McCarthy is the new executive director of the TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice, where he will lead efforts to improve the Florida criminal and juvenile justice systems. ▪ Jim Cummings recently joined J. Kokolakis Contracting, Inc. as director of preconstruction, and further expands Kokolakis’ expertise in the Tallahassee region. Cummings has nearly 20 years of construction management expertise, almost half of it gained in the Tallahassee region. He has been a key member of many construction management and design/build teams that produced very successful projects for clients such as Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College, Florida Departments of Health, Management Services, Juvenile Justice and Corrections; as well as several local churches, county governments and school boards. ▪ Ken Armstrong is the new president and CEO of the Florida Trucking Association, a major industry trade group in Tallahassee. Armstrong succeeds Mary Lou Rajchel, who left the position after seven years as the chief advocate for the state’s trucking industry. Armstrong will bring extensive nonprofit experience to the FTA, including over a decade at the United Way of the Big Bend.
Armstrong
▪ Tallahassee native Kristin (Cornwell) L’Esperance, ASLA, has been welcomed as a full-time staff member at Wood+Partners Inc. as a project planner at the regional planning and landscape architecture firm. She is a recent graduate of the University of Florida and received a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and a minor in environmental horticulture. ▪ David Orozco has been named the new MBA program director at Florida State University’s College of Business.
NAI TALCOR knows the College Retail Market!
▪ Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. recently announced a series of promotions and staff additions. The firm promoted Julian Dozier to senior manager of assurance services, Stacey Kolka to senior manager of tax services and Brian Walgamott to manager of tax services. Kavisha McCranie has been promoted to senior, tax services department. Meagan Camp has been promoted to senior, assurance services department. The firm also congratulates second-year tax staff member Ashley Sharpe on passing the CPA exam. Jen Schmidt is now a tax services senior and Lane Williams is now an assurance services department senior.
PHOTOS COURTESY PICTURED INDIVIDUALS
Hansen
▪ Ballard Partners, a Tallahassee-based government affairs firm, has added Christopher Hansen to its Tallahassee team as a new partner. Hansen previously served as a governmental consultant for Gray Robinson P.A., where he was a member of the lobbying team, and before that held a similar position at Huey, Guilday, Tucker, Schwartz & Williams P.A.
TENANTS INCLUDE:
Urban Outfitters Madison Social Atomic Coffee Brooklyn Water Bagel Recess and others!
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▪ Nick Grosso has joined Genesis, a Florida engineering, planning and design firm, as a project manager in Tallahassee in the company’s Florida transportation engineering practice. Grosso was formerly project manager in the Northwest Florida transportation group at Atkins in Tallahassee where he managed a variety of transportation and roadway projects for the Florida Department of Transportation, the City of Tallahassee, Leon County and other clients. ▪ The Dean Mead law firm has opened a new office in Tallahassee, located at 215 S. Monroe St. With offices already in Orlando, Fort Pierce, Viera and Gainesville, the Tallahassee location expands the firm’s footprint to five offices and more than 50 attorneys positioned throughout Florida. The 1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200A www.talcor.com TALLAHASSEEMAGAZINE.COM May–June 2014
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