Business movers and shakers

Automotive sales

Ron Wright has been promoted to Internet sales director at Brandon Honda. Wright currently was serving as manager in Brandon Honda's Internet sales department for the past two years. He was previously a used car sales manager at Lakeland Chrysler Dodge & Jeep and Internet director at Getto Toyota in Bradenton.

Accounting

Matt Nicholas has been a senior tax associate at CBIZ LLC, Clearwater. Nicholas earned his bachelor of science degree in accounting from Florida State University and earned his master of science degree in accounting from the University of Tampa. He previously worked in the tax department with Clifton Larsen Allen LLP in Tampa.

PDR Certified Public Accountants, Clearwater, welcomes Kaylee Fousek to the assurance team. Fousek is a recent graduate from Florida State University, where she earned her degree in accounting and finance and began the process for her CPA certification. She previously interned at PDR CPAs last summer, training in assurance and tax included: audit planning, 990 tax returns, 401(k) plan audits, individual tax preparation and bookkeeping. Also, Veronica Rodriguez, marketing specialist at PDR was recently honored as the Rookie of the Year for the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM). Rodriguez was recognized for excellence in the field, creativity, initiative and drive.

Advertising

Schifino Lee Advertising + Branding, Tampa, announces the hiring of Harra Little as media planner/buyer and Mitch Feickert has production designer. Before joining Schifino Lee, Little worked on projects for Visit Florida, The Dali Museum, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Reeves Import Motor Cars, and the University of South Florida. Before moving to the media side of the business, Harra was an account manager at House & Home magazine. Feickert has seven years experience with and pre-press campaigns. He has worked on projects for clients Kraft Foods, Coca Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Target, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson. Prior to his career in advertising, Feickert worked in the print industry as a consultant working hands-on in press production for clients such as Busch Gardens, Time-Life, and National Geographic.

Banking

Lisa Darretta has been named vice president and branch manager of the retail team at Synvous Bank's Palm Harbor branch. Darretta is responsible for serving retail clients in the north Pinellas/Palm Harbor market area. Darretta has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She was most recently affiliated with Cadence Bank, Palm Harbor, as branch manager.

Insurance

Amerigroup Florida, Tampa, announces the appointment of the following new medicaid health plan executives. Ashley Davis has been promoted to Amerigroup Florida medicaid contract director. In this role, Davis is responsible for the management of the health plan's Medicaid managed care contracts with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Davis joined Amerigroup Florida in 2013 as compliance officer and previously worked for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan in Florida. Candy M. Sicle has been name Amerigroup Florida's medicaid marketing director. In this role, Sicle leads the health plan's marketing staff, and is responsible for developing and implementing marketing programs. Sicle brings 23 years of experience as a health care executive and most recently served as a director of business development for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan in Florida. Elizabeth Cuevas-Esquivel has been named as an Amerigroup Florida medicaid provider network relations manager. Cuevas-Esquivel has more than 25 years of experience working in the health care industry. Prior to joining Amerigroup, she was a director of provider relations and contracting for Florida Healthcare Plus, and before that, she led network development and contracting efforts for Molina Health Care, Premier Health Care MSO, Cardiology Associates of Fort Lauderdale and WellCare Health Plans.

Legal

Stephanie L. Kane has joined the firm of Smolker, Bartlett, Loeb, Hinds & Sheppard PA, Tampa, as counsel and will be assigned to the firm's commercial real estate practice group. Kane focuses her practice on commercial real estate with an emphasis on real estate transactions and lending. She has considerable experience structuring and closing complex real estate transactions, including negotiating and drafting transaction documents. Kane earned her bachelor of science degree from Indiana University and her law degree, cum laude, from Stetson University.

Jacqueline Prats has been named an associate at Trenam Law, and will practice in the commercial litigation group. Prior to joining Trenam, Prats was a Federal Judicial intern at the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida and served as a Summer Associate at Trenam. She earned bachelor's of fine arts degree New York University and earned her juris doctorate from Stetson University College of Law.

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Real estate

Amanda Cooper has been named director-multifamily investment sales at Coplliers International Tampa Bay. Cooper has over 10 years of industry expertise, and prior to joining Colliers, Cooper worked for CBRE in Tampa and in Kansas City, and earlier in her career worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Financial Advisory Services division.

Cynthia Townsend has been promoted to project manager at Cushman & Wakefield, Tampa. Townsend joined the Florida Investor Services Project Management Group in 2012 as a project coordinator in Orlando before transferring to Cushman & Wakefield's Tampa office in 2014. Townsend will assist all of Cushman & Wakefield's service lines, frrom managing the planning and design process of branded retail environments to the oversight and management of office and industrial tenant improvement projects.

Recruitment

Lee Silverstein has joined Right Management, Florida/Caribbean as career management consultant and coach. He will be based at the human resources consulting firm's Tampa office. Silverstein brings more than 20 years of corporate leadership experience and most recently, he served as campus director of career services for Sanford-Brown College in Tampa. Previously, he founded and headed Tampa Bay Job Coach.com, training clients in building compelling resumes, networking, interviewing and effectively using LinkedIn and other social media platforms for successful career transition.