The Linn County Early Childhood Iowa announces board changes

NEW HIRES

Benefit Solutions hired Jim Peters (see photo) as manager of development in Eastern Iowa. Peters previously was with Willis Inc.

The Linn County Fair Association hired Justin Roberts (see photo) of Cedar Rapids, formerly of rural Fayette, as event manager for the Linn County Fair.

Desiree Kilburg (see photo) has joined Shuttleworth & Ingersoll in Cedar Rapids as a litigation attorney.

Millhiser Smith Agency, Cedar Rapids, has hired Traci Lyons (see photo) as commercial lines account specialist and Shala Smith (see photo) as personal lines account manager.

Hills Bank and Trust, Coralville, hired Angela Hagedorn (see photo) as real estate loan officer at its Cedar Rapids branch, 3610 Williams Blvd. SW.

Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, has hired Doug Brock (see photo) as vice president for finance and business operations. Brock was previously vice president of finance for Genova Technologies, Cedar Rapids

Geonetric in Cedar Rapids has hired Tedd Kipper (see photo) as a client adviser.

Financial adviser Kyle Bormann, formerly with the Cedar Rapids office of Mutual of Omaha, has joined Lawing Financial, Cedar Rapids.

Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids, has hired Dr. Ryan Hollenbeck (see photo) and Dr. Amandeep Dhaliwal (see photo) to its team of health care providers at Mercy Cardiology Clinic in Cedar Rapids.

NRG Media, Cedar Rapids, hired Erica Dreyer as director of integrated media. Dreyer previously worked with Maverick Media and Mid-West Family Broadcasting, both in Rockford, Ill.

PROMOTIONS

ACT, Iowa City, promoted Janet Godwin (see photo) from chief of staff and chief accountability officer to chief operating officer.

The Anamosa State Penitentiary promoted James Jackson (see photo) from correctional officer to correctional food service coordinator.

Andrea Ault (see photo), previously a physician relations specialist for Mercy Medical Center, was appointed Planetree coordinator at the hospital.

The board of directors of Dupaco Community Credit Union, Dubuque, promoted Nick Cannavo (see photo) to operations assistant at the company's Cedar Rapids First Avenue branch location. Cannavo formerly was a teller and member service representative.

BOARD MEMBERS

Christopher Loftus (see photo), an attorney with Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman in Cedar Rapids, was appointed to the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids and East Central Iowa.

The Linn County Early Childhood Iowa board announces the following changes to its board of directors for 2014-2015: Carol O'Donnell, Linn-Mar Community School District, chairman; Barbara Chadwick, Linn County Public Health, chair-elect; Jennifer Harp, Bohr, Dahm, Grief and Associates PC, treasurer; and Donna Spellman, community volunteer, secretary.

CERTIFICATION

Andy Olesen (see photo), battalion chief with the Cedar Rapids Fire Department, earned designation as chief fire officer. Olesen is one of only 12 to earn the designation in Iowa.

KUDOS

The Jones County Democrats inducted former Sen. Beverly Hannon and longtime county chairman Grace Zimmerman into its Hall of Fame.

The Marion Fire Department received the Life Safety Achievement Award for fire prevention accomplishments in 2013 by the National Association of State Fire Marshals Fire Research and Education Foundation in partnership with Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Co.

CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

'Creating a World That Works Better, One Professional at a Time,” a regional professional development conference, will be Oct. 23-24 at Mount Mercy University's Graduate Center in Cedar Rapids. The conference is hosted by the Hawkeye Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. To register, visit www.hawkeyeastd.org/2014conference. For more information, contact Marcie Van Note at mlvannote@mchsi.com or (319) 270-2004.

ActionCOACH Heartland, a Corridor-based leadership and coaching organization in Cedar Rapids, will host L2: Cedar Rapids Learn-Lead, a conference that will be simulcast at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Friday, Oct. 10. The event, from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will feature three speakers, including John Maxwell, and an optional VIP luncheon and workshop. Tickets are available online at www.L2cedarrapids.com. For more information, contact David Drewelow at (319) 389-9999 or go online at http://www.daviddrewelow.actioncoach.com/.

FORUMS AND WORKSHOPS

The Employee Resource Group Consortium will host the third annual diversity forum, 'Cracking the Code of the Creative Corridor,” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 8 at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids. To register, go to www.ergciowa.org.

NETWORKING

A Small Business Breakfast Roundtable, sponsored by SCORE of East Central Iowa, will meet from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Thursday at Scott's Family Restaurant, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. To register, contact Dianne Martin at (319) 431-4574 or crworkshops@scorevolunteer.org.

The Women's Investment Network, a stock investment club exclusively for women, is accepting new members. The group meets from 5:30 to 7 p.m. the third Monday of every month near downtown Cedar Rapids. For more information, contact Julie Cole at (319) 310-8128 or Fern Fackler at (319) 393-4510.