John Parsons

Steve Pacheco

Bruce Harber

G.Douglas Edwards

Maggie Zuendel

Kevin Woods

Kevin Woods

William Evans, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital director and CEO, has been elected as chair-elect of the Pharmaceutical Sciences section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Evans has been with St. Jude for 30 years, focusing on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics
and pharmacogenomics of anticancer agents in children. He has won three National Institutes of Health MERIT Awards from the National Cancer Institute. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2002.

Evans also holds the St. Jude Endowed Chair at the University of Tennessee Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine.

Craig Leake, assistant professor of film at the University of Memphis, has won two Mid-South Emmys for his documentary about teachers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "The Chemo Ate my Homework" won awards in the best documentary/topical and best director/non-news categories.

Kevin Woods has joined the staff at Counterpart Communication Design as a designer. Previously, Woods was an intern with Counterpart while completing his bachelor's degree in graphic design. He is a member of the Memphis chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Also, Maggie Zuendel has joined Counterpart Communication Design as production manager. Previously, Zuendel worked as production manager at Signature Marketing Solutions since 2004. She also has served as an executive assistant at O'Connor Kenny Partners and an executive aide at Highland Capital Management.

The University of Memphis Alumni Association will honor several alumni at its Distinguished Alumni Awards gala Friday. G. Douglas Edwards, Cathy Ross and William Sanderson will be honored as Distinguished Alumni; Larry Papasan will be recognized as a Distinguished Friend of the University; Johanna Edwards will be named Outstanding Young Alumna; and Bruce Harber will receive the J. Millard Smith Illustrious Service to the Association Award.

Jason Needham has been promoted to vice president at Allen & Hoshall Inc. Needham has been with the company since 1991, most recently serving as project manager and senior mechanical engineer. Needham is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc. and the U.S. Green Building Council. He is one of Allen & Hoshall's 11 Leadership in Energy and Design (LEED) accredited professionals.

Steve Pacheco, managing director of advertising at FedEx, is the Memphis Advertising Federation's 2008 Silver Medal Award recipient. The Silver Medal Award nominees are judged on their creativity and contribution to their company as well as to the general advancement of advertising.

Dr. Preston H. Dorsett has joined Innova, a recently launched entrepreneurial business accelerator, as an executive in residence. He will help evaluate companies seeking Innova's assistance and provide publicizing advice for companies. Dorsett is an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Innova is a subsidiary of the Memphis Bioworks Foundation.

Dr. Suzanne Baker, associate member in the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Department of Developmental Neurobiology, has received the 2007 International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association International Award for Excellence in pediatric brain tumor research. The award includes a two-year, $75,000 grant. Baker has been with St. Jude since 1995.

Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. has promoted three members of its management team. Al Campbell, treasurer and director of financial planning, Tom Grimes, director of property management, and Drew Taylor, director of asset management, all have been designated executive vice presidents for the company.

Harrah's Entertainment Mid-South Region has hired several new personnel. Marc Oppenheimeris the new regional vice president of marketing over Harrah's Mid-South Region; Scott Evans has been named regional vice president of human resources; Matt Perkins is the new regional vice president of direct marketing; Pete Getzler has been appointed the regional director of casino credit; and John Parsons has been named regional director of casino marketing.