People

BANKING

Veteran Knoxville banker Phil Gardial has joined Pinnacle Financial Partners as a senior vice president and special assts officer.

Gardial most recently served as a senior vice president and manager of the assets division for First Security Group in Knoxville. Has had also served as a management partner for SMG Fairfax and as a senior vice president and manager of the special assets division of First American National Bank.

Gardial holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking from the University of Arkansas. He is based at Pinnacle’s Fountain City office.

HEALTH CARE

Summit Medical Group physician R. Wesley “Wes” Dean, M.D., has been appointed the 2010 president-elect of the Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians (TAFP).

Announcements of Dean’s appointment were features in the winter 2009 edition of TAFP’s magazine, Tennessee Family Physician, and in the January 2010 edition of Tennessee Medicine magazine.

Dean’s practice, Emory Family Practice, which was founded by Dean and Dr. Ron Barton, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Dean formerly served as board chairman for Summit Medical Group and is certified by the American Board of Family Practice. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Tennessee-Memphis.

Alexian Village of Tennessee has announced that Dennis Burtnett has been named administrator of Alexian Village Health and Rehabilitation Center. Burtnett has over 18 years of experience as an administrator of skilled facilities. Fourteen of those years were spent with Adventist Care Centers, including 10 years as administrator of one of their facilities in Portland, Tenn.

Cory M. Darling has joined the administrative team of Parkridge Medical Center as associate administrator for the hospital. Darling is participating in HCA’s Chief Operating Office Development Program, and comes to the Parkridge system from a position as associate administrator at Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green, Ky.

Darling has worked in health care since 2007. His previous experience includes working with Healthcare Performance Partners, LLC on lean implementations. Prior to joining the health care field, Darling worked in the entertainment industry in Nashville. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree from Belmont University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and an Advocate with the Owen Healthcare MBA Alumni Advocate Program.

Tammy Hamman, R.N., the ICU clinical leader at Mercy Medical Center West, has received a Patriotic Employer Award for her support of a Mercy associate who has been deployed to Iraq with the 278th Regimental Combat Team.

The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented the award to Hamman for her contributions to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force.

David DiFranco, R.N., a member of the 278th RCT, nominated Hamman for the award.

Internist Nathan Eric Schrock, M.D., has joined the staff of East Tennessee Medical Group in Alcoa, Tenn. He is board certified in both medical oncology and internal medicine.

Schrock completed his hematology/oncology fellowship and his residency in internal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss. He also received his medical degree at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Millsaps College, both in Jackson.

Schrock has worked locally for the past seven years as an oncologist with Tennessee Cancer Specialists, traveling weekly to several East Tennessee cities and most recently to Alcoa and Maryville. Before moving to Tennessee, Schrock was a medical officer with Mississippi State Hospital Whitfield in Whitfield, Miss. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. A Maryville resident, Schrock is active in Blount County’s Habitat for Humanity and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

POLITICS

Rick Kernea of Hixson, Tenn., has announced his candidacy for the 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kernea is a graduate of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and is finishing his master’s degree in homeland security through American Military University. He is a former U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter pilot and instructor, and a veteran of Operation Noble Eagle. Kernea has received many awards throughout his military career, including selection as a military Distinguished Graduate and Flight Commander.

REAL ESTATE

Karen Woods Ramsey has joined Crye-Leike REALTORS as an agent. She is licensed in Tennessee and works with buyers and sellers primarily in Hamilton, Catoosa, Sequatchie, Walker, Dade, Bradley and Rhea counties. Ramsey is a member of the Chattanooga Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors.

She specializes in all types of residential real estate sales with an emphasis on farm and land, condominiums, town homes, investment properties, first-time homebuyers, relocation and new home construction.

Ramsey is an active member of Woodland Park Baptist Church, involved with child evangelism, Hope Unlimited and Community Outreach.

Stacey Groover has joined Crye-Leike REALTORS in its Hixson branch office. She is a licensed affiliate broker in Tennessee, assisting buyers and sellers in and around Hamilton, Sequatchie and Bradley counties. She specializes in all types of real estate property sales with a special focus on residential single-family homes.

Groover is a member of the Chattanooga Association of Realtors, Tennessee Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors. She attends Dallas Bay Baptist church and is active in local 5K runs for various charities.

Crye-Leike has announced that Rachael Henderson has obtained her broker’s license. She is also a licensed realtor in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, assisting buyers and sellers in the Chattanooga and north Georgia areas, as well as Dekalb County, Alabama. She specializes in all types of residential real estate sales with a focus on investment properties, first time buyers, relocation and foreclosure/REO properties.

Henderson is an Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Accredited Home Staging Professional (AHS), Realtor Internet Professional (e-PRO), member of the Georgia, Tennessee and National Associations of Realtors. She is a Crye-Leike Relocation Star and has a 100 percent customer satisfaction survey rating.

TECHNOLOGY

Chattanooga-based Terenine Technology Solutions has announced the appointment of Nick Bosco as business development manager. Heather Daniel has been promoted to sales support administrator.

Previously, Bosco was a commercial account manager for EPB Fiber Optics, responsible for growth and retention of existing mid-market base clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Easton, Penn. Bosco is a multi-year recipient of President’s Club Sales Achievement recognition.

As business development manager, he will network, prospect and build relationships throughout client organizations. He will be responsible for the Chattanooga area, as well as surrounding municipalities.

Daniel is a graduate of Tennessee Temple University. As sales support administrator, she will assist the sales team in scheduling and processing internal requests, respond to customer inquiries and direct to appropriate sales team members, coordinate and execute mass marketing programs and assist the vice president of sales and marketing.

UTILTIES

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has named Daniel Traynor as vice president and chief information officer, responsible for TVA’s information resource technologies and operations.

Traynor comes to TVA from Southern Company Services, a subsidiary of Southern Company of Atlanta, where he was director of infrastructure services. Traynor will report directly to Tom Kilgore, president and chief executive officer.

TVA vice president Jacinda Woodward has been serving as acting chief information officer since last fall.

While at Southern Company Services, Traynor was responsible for the utility company’s computer operations and telecommunications activities, including execution of a strategic plan and a “Green IT” program that helped conserve 4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

Traynor also has experience at Southern Company subsidiaries Georgia Power and Alabama Power.

He will be based at TVA’s Chattanooga Office Complex.