Banking
BankUnited, in a sign of continued focus on providing SBA loans to eligible small businesses, announced it has added Geeta Singh and Heather Herdegen Ward to its Small Business Finance (SBF) unit, a direct SBA Preferred Lender actively financing small businesses nationwide. Singh brings more than 20 years of industry experience to her new position, having served most recently as a credit analyst for Wells Fargo’s Florida business banking group in West Palm Beach. Herdegen Ward was an SBA business development officer and served in that capacity for five years before joining BankUnited, most recently at Midwest Regional Bank in West Palm Beach. Both will be based in West Palm Beach.
Legal
Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group has added three new members to its leadership team. Florida mediators and shareholders A. Michelle Jernigan, Robert A. Cole and Charles A. Mancuso will become equity principals, joining the six other principals already on the firm’s panel. A nationally leading mediation specialty firm with 11 offices in Florida and Alabama, including one in West Palm Beach, Upchurch Watson White & Max is known for facilitating reasonable agreements to resolve complex issues.
Volunteering
Bobbi Prager has been installed as the new president of the Hadassah Florida Atlantic Region, home to 55 chapters and more than 24,000 members in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties. most recently served as organizational vice president. This follows a distinguished volunteer career for Hadassah in the Greater Washington, D.C., and Delaware areas, and the Northern Seaboard region. The Hadassah Florida Atlantic Region is part of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which is a leader in medical research and development evolving out of its hospitals in Israel.
Real Estate
PEBB Enterprises, a full-service private real estate investment company, has added JoAnn Kowalkowski as a tenant coordinator. Kowalkowski is based in PEBB’s Boca Raton office. Kowalkowski is responsible for coordinating all tenant construction activity on current projects. This includes supporting and assisting tenants with construction drawings, permitting, utility connections and signage to ensure each business opens on time. With more than 30 years of experience, Kowalkowski brings significant expertise in retail, office and industrial properties.
Education
Oxbridge Academy has announced that Scott Benarde has joined the independent 9-12 college preparatory school in West Palm Beach as its assistant director of communications. Before joining Oxbridge, Benarde was director of communications for the Norton Museum of Art for nine years, and also served as the communications manager for the Jewish Community Center of the Greater Palm Beaches. Benarde’s career in the communications field started as a professional journalist, including as pop music columnist for The Palm Beach Post and Sun-Sentinel.
