Find out about the new “voice of the IceRays,” who will be leading this year’s Conquer the Coast, as well as who has been named a top insurance agent in Corpus Christi, all right here in the News Briefs.
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LOCAL INSURANCE AGENT NAMED TO TOP COUNCIL
Corpus Christi Farmers Insurance agent Stephanie Waterman was recently named to the national insurer’s Presidents Council. Membership in the council is the company’s most elite honor, bestowed on the top 1 percent of agents and district managers.
“Stephanie has clearly demonstrated that she is among the best agents in the country,” said Carl Hackling, head of distribution for Farmers Insurance. “We sincerely appreciate all that she does for our customers and our organization.”
Waterman has more than 28 years’ experience in the insurance business, 16-plus with Farmers Insurance.
“It truly is an honor to be named to Presidents Council,” she said. “I look forward to sharing my experience and knowledge with the Farmers leadership and working with my fellow agents across the country to provide the organization with our insights.”
Members of the council are leaders in their communities and mentors to other agents. Selection is based on criteria, including excellence in providing best-in-class service, consistent top-ranked business performance, and commitment to furthering goals and ideals of the Farmers organization.
DEL MAR TEACHER HONORED
Dr. Judi Phillips recently received the highest honor bestowed on faculty by Del Mar College: the 2018 Dr. Aileen Creighton Award for Teaching Excellence. Phillips is a professor and chairperson of the Kinesiology Department.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected for this award,” Phillips said after accepting this year’s honor. “I know I made the right choice in choosing to teach people how to have a better quality of life though swimming and being more active.”
The award, which was established in 2002, was named for the late Dean Emeritus of Arts and Sciences. Creighton taught for 41 years at Del Mar.
NEW VOICE OF THE ICERAYS
The voice of Rob Sanderson will soon ring across the rink of the IceRays, Corpus Christi’s professional hockey team, when the team opens its new season on home ice Sept. 28.
“We are extremely fortunate to be adding Rob to our team,” IceRays General Manager Michael Wood said. “He is a gifted broadcaster who has also shown himself to be an excellent representative with local media members. I am looking forward to his telling of the IceRay’s story, both during games and via our website and social media.
Sanderson will handle play-by-play duties for all home and away games, which can be heard on Sportsradio Corpus Christi on KSIX-AM/FM, HockeyTV, and Mislr. He will also manage the team’s digital presence, including media requests, graphic design, and video.
A native of Rochester, New York, he spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Steel. He has American Hockey League play-by-play experience, filing in for both the Rochester Americans and the Utica Comets.
PORT LAUNCHES NEW DEPARTMENT
A newly formed planning department at the Port of Corpus Christi named Jeffrey Pollack its first director. He was previously executive director of the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization of the Coastal Bend. He brings expertise in land-use and multi-modal transportation planning as well as in managing urban and industrial growth in coastal zones.
The department will be responsible for strategic planning, land-use master planning, coastal planning, transportation planning, federal and state grant pursuits, development of sustainable growth policy, and GIS functions.
Joining Pollack are Leslie Ruta as strategic planner and grants developer and Tara Perry as strategic planner and financial analyst.
“I’m thrilled to be here at the Port of Corpus Christ,” Pollack said. “The port is absolutely booming, and the executive leadership is committed to a strategic approach to growth that will optimize the opportunities at hand, not just for the port but for the broader community as well.”
CALALLEN GRAD SERVES ON BALLISTIC MISSILE SUB
Petty Officer 2nd Class Rafael Perez currently serves in the U.S. Navy aboard one of the world’s most advanced ballistic missile submarines, the USS Pennsylvania, designed to deter a global nuclear war. A 2008 graduate of Calallen High School in Corpus Christi, Perez is based at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington, just outside of Seattle. He is responsible for financial management, inventory management, and getting supplies to the boat.
“From a logistics specialist point of view, I enjoy the networking I get to do with my job and meeting people,” Perez said. “I’m also the ship’s barber.”
The Navy’s ballistic missile submarines, or boomers, are undetectable launch platforms for intercontinental missiles. They are designed for stealth, extended patrols, and the precise delivery of missiles.
PORTLAND RESIDENT AWARDED BY NAVY
The Chief of Naval Air Training Staff Civilian of the Quarter Award was recently awarded to Portland resident William “Stu” Nagel.
Nagel is a decorated Navy veteran who has received numerous awards and accolades as a government service employee. He was selected for this most recent honor for his various personal and professional contributions to the naval aviation training enterprise.
Nagel’s in-depth knowledge of the Training and Administration Manual and his technical prowess were instrumental in the complete rewrite of the Training Airwing Manual. He is a major inspector for the recurring Training and Standardization Inspections of the Training Airwings.
