In our weekly list of business people on the move, we highlight Palm Beach County professionals who are making a difference. These are people from across the spectrum of public and private endeavors, those working in charities, court houses, private practices and beyond. They are moving up within their industry, advancing their careers and standing out for their services within our community.
Here are this week’s professional standouts:
Guardians Credit Union, a full-service financial institution, is proud to announce that Michele S. Nichols has joined the organization as chief lending officer. Nichols brings over 25 years of executive lending experience across credit unions ranging from $345 million to $4.8 billion in assets, with extensive expertise in strategic planning, regulatory compliance, risk management, and product development. Organized it 1953, Guardians Credit Union is a full-service financial institution headquartered in West Palm Beach.
Katie Gilden, partner/COO at Fiske & Company, a CPA firm specializing in forensic accounting, business valuation, and litigation support, was recently selected as an honoree for South Florida Business & Wealth’s 2024 Apogee Awards. Gilden was recognized for her professional achievements and community involvement over the past year. She received the recognition at an awards ceremony in November at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale. Established in 1972, Fiske & Company is one of South Florida’s leading CPA firms, with offices in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties.
Connections Education Center of the Palm Beaches, a Title I nonprofit school dedicated to empowering students with autism, has announced the election of new officers to its board of directors. Michael Kridel of Delray Beach will serve as president/chair, Valerie Silverman of West Palm Beach as secretary and Anthony Greene of Palm Beach Gardens as treasurer. Kridel, a CPA with Michael Kridel LLC and financial forensic investigator, has served on the school’s board for seven years and brings over 30 years of expertise in public accounting. Silverman has been a member of the school’s board for four years and has helped shape development programs. Greene brings a wealth of experience in corporate finance and private equity-owned companies to the role of treasurer during his second year on the school’s board. Connections is a nonprofit educational center that delivers high-quality, specialized instruction to students with autism in Palm Beach County.
Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center has named Marko Serrano their chief financial officer. In this role, Serrano will oversee the hospital’s financial operations. Most recently, Serrano served as Delray Medical Center’s assistant chief financial officer and group assistant chief financial officer for the Palm Beach Health Network. Serrano has over 20 years of hospital finance and accounting experience. Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, part of the Palm Beach Health Network, the largest health care network in Palm Beach County, is a 199-bed acute care hospital.
Boca Helping Hands recently named Kathy Adkins, Eric Gebhard and Zach Pechter to the organization’s board of directors. A Boca Raton resident for 30 years, Adkins has been a member of the Junior League of Boca Raton for over 25 years. Gebhard served as group vice president of financial operations for JM Family Enterprises, Inc., after holding the roles of vice president, treasurer, and several others since 1997. Zach Pechter grew up in Boca Raton and is the founder and CEO of Proteris Compliance Solutions, which provides compliance services for the sale and financing of F&I products in the automotive, marine, and powersport industries. Boca Helping Hands is a community-based nonprofit that provides food, medical, and financial assistance to help individuals and families improve their quality of life and build financial stability.
The City of Lake Worth Beach has announced that commissioner Mimi May graduated from the Institute for Elected Municipal Officials II, a course from the Florida League of Cities’ Institute for Elected Municipal Officials, a premier educational program designed specifically for Florida’s elected municipal officials. The IEMO II course is the second level of training offered through the league’s IEMO program. Participation in this course is reserved for those municipal officials who have successfully graduated from the first-level IEMO course or have completed one or more terms in office.
If you are looking for more insight into the movers and shakers operating in the Palm Beaches, subscribe to our real estate newsletter, The Dirt, keep an eye out for stories and perspective from veteran reporters Kimberly Miller and Alexandra Clough. If you have an announcement for Business People on the Move, please send it to Pbbusiness@pbpost.com.
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Best businesses, professionals, business people in Palm Beach County
