— Natural Biodiversity, a nonprofit organization that aims to curtail invasive species and restore native plants, has announced the election of three new board members.

The following individuals were elected by the organization’s membership during its annual meeting on Oct. 12. 

They will serve three-year terms through January 2015.

Ruth Kucera is a native of Johnstown who has a lifelong interest in the outdoors. She is a graduate of the Pitt School of Nursing and holds a master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Kucera is a member of the Greater Johnstown Garden Club and sits on the conservation committee, specifically dealing with native plant issues, including advocacy and rescue.

Aaron Steinly is principal at West Hempfield Middle School in Westmoreland County.

He holds a master’s degree from IUP and is enrolled in Pitt’s administrative and policy studies doctoral program.

He collaborated with FOX 8/ABC 23 television studio to write and produce “The Green Minute,” a weekly television segment that involves environmental “how to go green” topics.

David Petrosky has served as a landscape designer, architect and illustrator for the civil and environmental division of L. Robert Kimball and Associates since 1989.

In 1994, Petrosky received a copyright for a landscape program, EZ-Plant. Recently, he was hired by Penn State to teach landscape design.

Financial adviser lauded for service

Lawrence T. Giannone, a financial adviser with Raymond James Financial Services Inc., Johnstown, recently was named a member of the 2012 executive council.

The honor is presented to financial advisers who have demonstrated an extremely high level of commitment to clients through personal service and professional integrity.

Giannone joined Raymond James in 2010. He has more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. Giannone specializes in asset management and retirement planning.

Local lawyer presents lecture

Richland Township lawyer Kurt R. Nilson recently spoke at a continuing legal education lecture titled “The Future of Estate Administration” that was organized by The Lackner Group Inc. of Pittsburgh and held at the California University of Pennsylvania.  

During his presentation before 70 lawyers and paralegals, Nilson demonstrated the online will service he created in 2006.

He also demonstrated the use of his intestacy calculators, which automatically determine the legal distribution of any intestate estate according to the intestate laws of 50 U.S. jurisdictions.

Nilson was cited in “The Wall Street Journal’s Complete Estate Planning Guidebook,” published on Sept. 6.

Truck driver earns safety recognition

Paul F. Durica of Johns­town, a driver with Werner Enterprises, has achieved a professional milestone of safely driving 1 million miles.

Johnson has been driving for Werner since May 2002 and is a solo driver and trainer with the company.

Werner employs more than 1,000 drivers who have 1 million safe driving miles, including more than 100 who have reached the 2 million mark and several with 3 million and 4 million miles. New members of the Million Mile Club receive a watch and decals for the side of their tractor identifying them as members.

Durica credits his impeccable professional driving record to paying attention to every detail.

For information about Werner, visit the company’s website at www.werner.com.

Doctor elected to Institute of Medicine

Dr. Frederick W. Alt of Johnstown is among 65 new members of the Institute of Medicine.

Alt is a 1967 graduate of Ferndale Area High School. He is an investigator with Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Charles A. Janeway professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital, Boston. He also is scientific director at the Immune Disease Institute of Harvard Medical School, Boston

Election to the institute is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Driving school announces staff news

Brant’s School of Driving, Johnstown, recently announced news about its staff.

Stephanie McCarthy recently was named a certified driving instructor.

McCarthy, also a certified occupational therapist assistant, started with the driving school in July. She will be responsible for completing comprehensive evaluations for people with disabilities.

She is trained on various types of adaptive equipment and will cover the central and western part of Pennsylvania.

Adam Holtz recently was hired as a driving instructor.

Holtz is a 2010 graduate of IUP and is a Pennsylvania certified driving instructor.

He will be responsible for behind-the-wheel instruction for students with and without disabilities. He also will prepare students for the state driver’s exam and take students for the exam.

Daniel Ressler passed the CDRS examination to become only the 16th person in Pennsylvania with this certification.  

This is the only national and internationally recognized certification for someone “who plans, develops, coordinates and implements driver rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities.”

He took the examination while attending the 35th annual Conference of the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists in Jacksonville, Fla.

Ressler becomes the third Brant’s Driving School employee to pass the CDRS exam.

He is now certified to complete comprehensive driving evaluations, vehicle consultations and write adaptive equipment prescriptions.

Brant’s Driving School employs nine people.

Kidney facility hires renal dietitian

Nicole Gumpf is the newest renal dietitian at The Kidney Center, 88 Osborne St.

Hired in August, she previously was a clinical dietitian at Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, Ala.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hill University in May 2009 and is pursuing a master’s degree from the University of Alabama.

Gumpf will offer nutrition counseling for various patients.

She will also provide nutrition assessments and education for Prodigy Dialysis patients in Johnstown, Somerset, Ebensburg and Meyersdale.

FirstEnergy exec gains promotion

Dolores J. Lowery has been named vice president of corporate affairs and community involvement for FirstEnergy Corp. and president of the FirstEnergy Foundation.

Since 2007, Lowery has served as director of external affairs for Penelec, a FirstEnergy utility serving more than 580,000 customers within a 17,600-square-mile area of western and central Pennsylvania. She began her career with Penelec in 1982 as an energy management representative in Lewistown.

After holding a series of management positions in customer service and marketing and sales, she was named regional director of customer service in 2001. In 2005, she was promoted to FirstEnergy’s manager of compliance and customer choice, where she helped manage relationships with public utilities commissions in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Lowery graduated from IUP with a bachelor’s degree in consumer services.

She is president of the American Heart Association in Erie; a board member of the American Red Cross in Erie; a member of the Erie County United Way capital campaign; and a member of the Blair County Executive Roundtable.

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