Bill Duncan

Cheryl M. Hearn

Jeff Rosenblum

Debra A. Wiles

David E. Goodman Jr.

Bill Duncan has been appointed senior vice president of brand management for Homewood Suites by Hilton and the newly launched Home2 Suites by Hilton.

In his new role, Duncan is responsible for product development, marketing and growth of the two brands.

Previously, Duncan held the role of vice president of sales and marketing for 10 years for Homewood Suites. He also has served as vice president of hotel performance support. Duncan is a 27-year veteran of the hotel industry.

Cheryl M. Hearn has been named a shareholder at the law firm of Charles E. Carpenter, A Professional Corporation. Hearn joined the firm in 2000 and concentrates her practice in the areas of municipal finance and general corporate and business law matters.

David Pickler has been elected to serve as president of the Tennessee School Boards Association for 2009. Pickler will lead nearly 1,000 school board members across Tennessee over the next year. He has served as chairman of the Shelby County Schools Board of Education for the past 10 years.

Louis R. Pounders of Askew Nixon Ferguson Architects has been named 2009 chair of the American Institute of Architects National Committee on Design. Pounders, who received his master’s degree in architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, has been a member of the Committee on Design for more than 10 years and is the first chair from Tennessee.

Jeff Rosenblum of Rosenblum & Reisman Law Firm has been selected for the Super Lawyers list by Law & Politics for 2008. This is Rosenblum’s third consecutive year to be selected as a Mid-South Super Lawyer.

Vanessa M. Cross of the Law Offices of Vanessa Cross has been appointed to serve on the 2009 Bankruptcy Court Liaison Committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Tennessee.

Cross concentrates her practice in the areas of international business and trade law.

Debra A. Wiles and David E. Goodman Jr. have joined the law firm of Burch Porter & Johnson PLLC. Wiles practices in the areas of business transactions and mergers and acquisitions, as well as corporate governance, securities and real estate transactions. Goodman practices in the areas of municipal law, personal injury tort litigation, employment litigation and commercial litigation.

Crye-Leike Realtors has named the 10 recipients of its Diamond Circle of Excellence Award for 2009. They are Barbara Becker, Terry Boyd, Rick Deegler, Loura Edmondson, Jan Gordon, Debra Hood, Clare Maness, Terry Pera, Landra Pryor and LaQuita Rucker.

Maureen O’Connor has been named director of public policy for Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center. In her new position, O’Connor will oversee advocacy efforts and work with local, state and federal lawmakers on behalf of Le Bonheur. She previously served as vice president of marketing for Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers, as an executive vice president and station manger for WREG TV and as vice president of sales and marketing for WREG.

Karen Schultz has joined Verizon Wireless as the public relations manger for the Carolinas and Tennessee region. Schulz will manage media relations and employee communications throughout the area and oversee the company’s community efforts, including domestic violence awareness and prevention efforts such as Verizon’s Hopeline program.

The Memphis Area Association of Realtors has honored local Realtors at its annual awards ceremony. Keith Morris of Four M Land Co. has been named 2008 Realtor of the Year. Frances Anderson of Crye-Leike Realtors has been named 2008 Realtor-Associate of the Year. Mark Miesse of Mark B. Miesse & Associates has been named the 2008 Affiliate of the Year. Dick Leike of Crye-Leike received MAAR’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Presidential Awards were presented to Neil Hubbard of Prudential Collins-Maury, Regina Hubbard of Lester Hubbard Realtors, Elsie Ward of Crye-Leike, Pat Lichterman of Crye-Leike and Steve Brown of Crye-Leike.