Curt Carie

Michelle Blount

Kristen Bland

A. James Reed

My Harrison

My Harrison has been named the 2006 PRSA Communicator of the Year by the Memphis chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She is a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in charge of the Memphis field office. Since her arrival in Memphis two years ago, she has supervised a number of high-profile federal investigations, including "Operation Tennessee Waltz," "Operation Tarnished Blue" and "Operation Main Street Sweeper."

Daphne Thomas has been elected president of the Memphis chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She is the first black woman to lead the local organization since its inception in 1952. Thomas is the public relations manager for the office of Mayor Willie W. Herenton. She also produces and is the host of the city's public affairs television show "Talkback Memphis," which airs monthly on Comcast cable channel 30. In other chapter news, Bob Phillips is president-elect; Chris Stanley has been elected vice president of membership; Lori Guy has been elected treasurer, Ayoka Pond has been elected secretary; Dr. Rick Fischer and Dr. Dan Lattimore of the University of Memphis College of Communications and Fine Arts have been named national assembly delegates for 2007; Anthony Hicks has been named alternate delegate; and Amy Markham Thomas, Heather Gavin and Rod Starns have been named directors-at-large.

A. James Reed has joined the law firm of Glankler Brown PLLC as an associate. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Union University in 2003 and a law degree from the University of Memphis' Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2006. He also was the recipient of the 2004 Legal Methods Best Oral Advocate Award.

John Apperson has joined Centennial Partners LLC as vice president of investments.

Benjamin J. Buffington has joined Executive Financial Services Inc. as chief marketing officer. In his new role, Buffington will be responsible for continued growth and development of the company's strategic consulting group, which focuses on providing comprehensive planning and exit strategies for closely held companies. Buffington previously was vice president of the Downtown Private Wealth Management Group for SunTrust Banks Inc.

Kristen Bland has been named corporate director of public policy and advocacy at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. She began her career at Methodist two years ago as a government relations project analyst.

Michelle Blount has been named first vice president in the commercial division at 1st Trust Bank.

Elaine Cohen has been named to the 2007 American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) National Committee for Professional Practice Policy. Cohen is the corporate director of case management at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.

Frank Michael Bursi has joined Apperson, Crump & Maxwell PLC as an associate attorney. He will focus his practice in the areas of collections and bankruptcy. Bursi received a law degree in 1975 from the University of Memphis law school.

Gene Cohen and Curt Carie have joined MBI as account managers.

LaShunta Thomas has joined Signature Marketing Solutions as a customer service representative. She previously was a WellCare representative for Sitel Corp. Thomas currently is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in management information systems from the University of Memphis.

Michael Frick has been named market president for Memphis and surrounding communities at Bank of America. He succeeds Gerald Wade, who has left to pursue other interests. Frick joined the bank in 1980. He also is the treasurer and a board member for the city of Memphis and Shelby County Redevelopment Agency and serves as a member of the Medical District Advisory Board.

Bobby Buzard has been named president of Gates Lumber Co. Ginny Buzard Nabors has been named executive vice president. And George Buzard, who has served the family-owned business as president since 1985, will now serve as CEO.

The following Memphis attorneys have been selected to participate in the Tennessee Bar Association's 2007 Leadership Law program: Amy Ferguson, Glankler Brown PLLC; Beverly Gates, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC; Darryl Gresham, Allen, Summers, Simpson, Lillie & Gresham PLLC; Justin Ross, FedEx; David Smith, Thomas & Betts Corp.; Emily Taube, Adams and Reese LLP; and Daniel Van Horn, Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada PLLC.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has been ranked No. 9 among the top 10 labor and employment litigation firms in the country by Employment Law 360, a national news source for employment law and human resource professionals. Firms included on the list were ranked based on the number of new cases in which each firm was involved, whether representing plaintiffs or defendants.