Rebecca Johnston
• The Women’s Council of Washtenaw County celebrated the achievements of several women leaders at the 26th ATHENA Celebration of Women in Leadership Dinner May 21 at the Ann Arbor City Club. Rebecca Johnston of Ann Arbor Insurance Centre was selected to receive the 2013 ATHENA Leadership Award for her professional achievement, exemplary community service and contributions in helping other women reach their full potential. Also honored were four other women nominated for the ATHENA Leadership Award: Monique Deschaine of Al Dente Pasta Co.; Eleni Kelakos of the Eleni Group; Isabelle Schultz of Schultz Motors; and Laurita Thomas of the University of Michigan. Additionally, the ATHENAPowerLink Program recognized Lori Shepard of Simply Scrumptious Catering for her achievement as the 2012 participant in this business mentoring program. Dentist Sujata Bhatka was announced as the participant selected for the 2013 ATHENAPowerLink Program.
• Ann Arbor-based exercise equipment manufacturer NuStep Inc. will again participate in ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition," which premiered May 28 on the network. The show's dedicated exercise area includes a NuStep T5XR Recumbent Cross Trainer, designed to offer safe, low impact, but also highly effective total body exercise for virtually all users, including larger, heavier users, up to 600 pounds.
• The University of Michigan Health System and St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor will collaborate to open a medical care unit specializing in geriatric care. The new UM-SJMAA Acute Care for Elders unit is housed on the tenth floor of St. Joe's East Tower and will provide elder care by a team of health care providers led by a UMHS medical director.
• With the recent departure of Steven Weindorf, Katherine Grant, who has served as director of operations and customer service since July 2011, has been appointed by the Community Alliance board of directors as the interim CEO for the organization, effective May 22.
• Ann Arbor-based architectural firm Hobbs + Black Associates Inc. was recently named the recipient of the IIDA Michigan Interior Design Excellence Award for the Oakwood Heritage Bone and Joint Institute for best interior design in the healthcare category. This award recognizes Hobbs+Black’s interior design team for their exceptional work designing the orthopedic surgery based expansion and addition to Oakwood Heritage Hospital in Taylor.
• The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research has awarded more than $250,000 in fellowships to 54 graduate students and researchers in its ongoing effort to support young scholars and innovative social science research. The Philip Converse and Warren Miller Fellowship in American Political Behavior was given to Elizabeth Mann and John Jackson, a team affiliated with the Department of Political Science and ISR's Center for Political Studies. The Elizabeth Douvan Junior Scholars Award in Life Course Development was awarded to Johnny Berona, a doctoral candidate in psychology. The Robert Kahn Fellowship for the Scientific Study of Social Issues was given to Kristen Elmore, a joint doctoral candidate in social work and psychology, and the Daniel Katz Dissertation Fellowship in Psychology was awarded to George C. Smith, a doctoral candidate in the psychology. The George Katona Economic Behavior Research Award was given to Peter Hudomiet and Nitya Pandalai Nayar, both doctoral candidates in the Department of Economics. The Kenneth Organski Scholars Award was presented to Timm Betz and Andrew Kerner, a team affiliated with the Department of Political Science and the Center for Political Studies. The Population Studies Center Alumni Graduate Student Support Fund gave awards to two doctoral candidates in sociology: Nelson Saldana and Sarah Seelye. The Roy Pierce Scholars Fund supported research by two teams of researchers affiliated with the Department of Political Science and Center for Political Studies. The first team is Srinivas Parinandi and Jenna Bednar, while the second is Andrew Feher and Rocio Titiunik. The Marshall Weinberg Population, Development, and Climate Change Fellowship was awarded to Ellen Compernolle, a doctoral candidate in sociology, and Sara Meerow, a doctoral candidate in natural resources and environment.
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