Community News - Manatee Movers and Shakers, 10/27/2011

Posted Thursday, June 18, 2015 12:00 am

WUSF Public Media’s Sheila Rue Receives Public Radio’s Most Prestigious Award for Program Directors

Sheila Rue is the recipient of the Don Otto Award, which honors public radio originals

WUSF Public Media announces program director Sheila Rue is the recipient of the Don Otto Award. Audience Research Analysis, Inc. (ARA) President Steve Olson presented Rue the award at the Public Radio Programming Conference on September 22, 2011, in Baltimore, MD. The award ”honors public radio originals whose talents, smarts and humor have helped move the system forward over the course of their public radio careers.“ It is given in recognition of the contributions to public radio made by Don Otto, who was a mentor to many public radio program directors and whose work led to the formation of Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD).

”It was an honor to present Sheila with this award. She was selected because of her immense impact on our field for the past several decades, not only as a program director, but as a consultant, mentor and teacher,“ said Olson. ”Her work has improved the sound of our stations and national programming, and has touched the lives of public radio listeners across the county. She is a valued mentor and friend to hundreds of her colleagues.“

Rue has more than 30 years of experience in the public radio industry. She is a longtime program director coach and instructor, and has been program director at WUSF Public Media since November 2008. Prior to joining the public media organization, she was owner and president of SR Sound Programming, a programming-based consulting and training business for public radio in Los Angeles. She also served as program director for KUSC-FM, where she developed and implemented a programming strategy designed to build an audience for classical music while creating avenues for promoting arts and cultural events in southern California.

Rue received a bachelor’s degree in both radio/television and English, and a master’s degree in communications/journalism from Murray State University in Murray, Ky. She has also received numerous awards, including the Public Radio Association of Development Officers (PRADO) Pioneer Award for outstanding encouragement of colleagues in the public radio systems and runner-up recognition by the Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD) Flo Awards for Best Station Sound and Best Announcer at WMRA-FM.

South Manatee Business Coalition Elects Board of Directors

Founding board members of the South Manatee Business Coalition approved their bylaws, established financial objectives, and elected their board of directors at their October 2011 board meeting.

The following individuals have been elected to lead the development of this dynamic new business organization in south Manatee County:

Chair of the Board: Gregg Anderson - Digital Image Business Solutions

Secretary and Advisory Committee Chair: Keith Banasiak- Waste Pro USA

Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair: Bob Fowinkle - Moore, Fowinkle, Schroer Agency

Social and Events Chair: Rachel Harrison- Manatee Convention Center

Membership Chair: Wm (Dean) Crowley – Mills/Gilbane

Education and Training Chair: Troy Knutson – TK5, LLC

Legal Council: Mark Dahle – Najmy Thompson.

According to Anderson, ”A major goal of the South Manatee Business Coalition is to help businesses help themselves by providing a positive business environment that unites member companies on a common objective of growing their business through increased customer demand and revenue. Business owners understand that financial viability of their company is directly related to new customers, sales leads, revenue and profit.“ Anderson continues, ”By utilizing our unique electronic media platform (search engine marketing, rankings, brand development, internet sales opportunities, etc), Member Companies are able to market and promote their products/services on a local, regional and national bases while generating hits and sales leads through local search and website traffic that serves new and existing customers“. For more information or to preregister for SMBC membership visit www.smbusinesscoalition.org.

Event Announcement: Anderson, representing the South Manatee Business Coalition, will participate in a panel discussion ”What’s new in South Manatee County“ on November 1, 2011 at the Bradenton Kiwanis Club, 1401 21^st Ave. West, Bradenton, FL 34205 along with Cheri Coryea, Manatee County Neighborhood Services, and District 4 Commissioner Robin DiSabatino. The luncheon program begins at 12 noon. Contact a Bradenton Kiwanis member or David Bishop [dbishop@ugartearchitecture.com] to attend as a guest.

NetWeave Social Networking Expanding Again with New Staff and New Senior Exec

Entering it’s third year in business, NetWeave Social Networking (the Manatee’s first social media agency) is expanding again.

The growing social media firm recently announced Pamela Harper’s promotion to Senior Vice President and COO. In her newly expanded role, Pamela will be responsible for day-to-day operations and marketing of the firm. Pamela started with the company as VP of Operations two years ago. She has a degree in hospitality Management and Business Administration from USF Sarasota-Manatee.

”Pamela has a dedication to keeping things humming along as seamlessly as possible in our organization,“ said CEO Kevin McNulty. ”We are proud to have her on our senior leadership team.“

The agency also announced a new member to the team. Diana Bogan joins the group as a Social Media Consultant who will primarily assist clients in managing their social media presence. ”Diana has a strong background in journalism and a Master’s in Publishing,“ said McNulty, ”We’re very excited to see what she can do for our clients and agency down the line.“

Retired Air Force Transportation Manager Carl Hunsinger named MCAT Manager

Carl Hunsinger, a 31-year Air Force veteran, has been hired as the next manager for Manatee County Area Transit.

Hunsinger retired from active duty in 2008 as the Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. His last active duty assignment, (2007-2008) was the senior enlisted advisor for nearly 30,000 enlisted Air Force troops in Kuwait and southern Iraq.

He was awarded two bronze stars during his military career, one of which was for outstanding performance in ground combat operations, 2004-2005. Superiors credited Hunsinger’s leadership ”for the safe passage of 505 combat convoy runs, which moved more than 957,000 freight tons of cargo and 800 passengers over 2.9 million miles throughout northern Iraq“ according to Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Other duty assignments included overseeing gun truck security, transporting cargo and personnel through hostile roadways in Iraq. He was also vehicle operations superintendent at Charleston Air Force Base and in Yokota (Japan) Air Base. He was also stationed twice at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces where he was first the vehicle fleet manager and later served as the chief functional manager for over 1,200 vehicle operators at nine bases located in four countries throughout the Pacific Rim.

Public Works Director Ron Schulhofer said Hunsinger was selected for this extensive transportation background and managerial skills. He added that Hunsinger’s background ”radiates positive leadership and a comment to the mission at hand.“

”The division was in need of new energy focused on customer service in a fiscally austere environment,“ Schulhofer said. ”That requires a fresh, unbiased approach with a great deal of commitment and energy. Carl’s boundless energy and strength of character were easily recognized during the interviews.

Hunsinger saw the opening in Manatee County and decided to apply since it was ”exactly what I trained to do,“ he said.

”The big thing in Manatee County will be taking care of riders which include residents and worldwide visitors we serve year after year,“ Hunsinger said. ”I want to make sure we do that as safely É and as efficiently as possible to take care of the transportation needs of our community.“

Hunsinger’s longterm goals for MCAT include instilling in the community a real need for mass transit by providing riders with more opportunities to park their vehicles and ride on-time buses.

”It really is going to be about promoting the capabilities of what area transportation can do for the public and our environment,“ Hunsinger said. ”We’re going to take care of business and we’re going to go about it in the right way.“

Help feed the hungry

Bradenton City Hall is a drop off location for the annual Mayors' Feed the Hungry Program that runs from Nov. 7-18.

Bring non-perishable food items to City Hall, 101 Old Main St., between 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. (City Hall is closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday.)

Food will be packaged and taken to local food pantries operated by Mayors’ Feed the Hungry volunteers.

The Mayors' Feed the Hungry Program is staffed entirely with volunteers. It started in 1987 in Sarasota and has grown over the years to include all the mayors and government leaders in Manatee and Sarasota counties. It is comprised of charitable groups, religious institutions, service agencies, and concerned citizens who desire to serve the community.

Visit www.mayorsfeedthehungry.org for more information.