Here's a look at promotions, hirings, movers and newsmakers in the Memphis area business scene:

Neel-Schaffer has promoted Robert Walker to chief operations officer, effective immediately. He assumes the position that was held for 13 years by Joey Hudnall, now the president and chief executive officer. Walker joined Neel-Schaffer in 1991 as an engineer intern and most recently was manager of the firm’s Central Region, which encompasses 17 Mississippi-based offices and a subsidiary firm, Maptech Inc.

Teresa Cooper recently accepted the position of assistant executive director at Shelby Residential and Vocational Services (SRVS), a nonprofit dedicated to providing services to people with disabilities. Previously she was the director of Reportable Events and Compliance at SRVS, where she has been employed for five years. Cooper has a broad experience in the intellectual and developmental disability and mental health fields including programming, quality assurance, policy development and business development. In her new role, she will review operations and improve operational performance and the quality of services provided.

Checkpoint Capital, a FinTech capital markets specialist firm supporting depository institutions, named John C. “Jack” Stimac Jr. as president and head of Financial Strategies in August. He is focusing on the expansion and implementation of the firm’s premier fixed-income price transparency model at community banks across the U.S. With an extensive background in financial services of nearly 20 years, he was most recently at Baird serving as director, Fixed Income Capital Markets in Memphis. His responsibilities have included advising depository institutions on product selection, curve positioning and cash flow management to best meet their obligations and maximize income. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Memphis. He holds FINRA Licenses Series 7, 63, 86.

JD Stambaugh joined Red Door Wealth Management as a wealth advisor bringing an extensive history of serving individuals and businesses within the technology, health care and hospitality sectors. He is an accredited Asset Management Specialist and carries Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida, Virginia, Utah and Idaho. Stambaugh earned a bachelor’s degree in business finance from the University of Memphis.

PRIZM Ensemble’s board of directors recently named fellow member Carina Nyberg Washington as its chair and added Elisha Johnson as the newest member of the board. Washington takes the place of the former chair, Abby Parrill-Baker, who recently stepped down to dedicate her time fully as executive vice president of Academic Affairs and provost at the University of Memphis. Washington co-founded PRIZM Ensemble in 2009 with her husband, Lecolion Washington. Johnson is the newest member of the PRIZM board. She recently earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Central Arkansas, where she was a scholar in the school’s Honors College. She was a student of PRIZM Ensemble, carrying with her into college a passion for cultivating representation in music education as early as prekindergarten. She’s currently a member of the National Association of Music Education.

Innovate Memphis, a nonprofit organization focused on delivering civic solutions, announced Jessica Lotz has been appointed as its new executive director. Lotz succeeds Justin Entzminger, who previously led the organization for six years. Lotz moves to Innovate Memphis from Memphis-Shelby County Schools as the Director of Research and Performance Management.

Four new employees are among the ranks of The Works Inc., a nonprofit that rebuilds, restores and renews Memphis neighborhoods through innovation, advocacy and collaboration.

• Mike Larrivee is the new director of Sustainable Initiatives. He will lead on environmental initiatives with a focus on brownfields and also will lead on a partnership with Urban Wood Economy and on the Urban Tree Farm initiative. Before joining The Works Inc., he founded The Compost Fairy and built operational infrastructure at Atlas Organics.

• Marshelle Owens is the new community support specialist and case manager. Her responsibilities are to provide the proper resources, referrals and guidance to enhance the lives of people served. Owens has an extensive history in the medical field and has worked in case management for more than 14 years.

• Marren Blakely is the new staff attorney — pending Tennessee Bar admission — and her role will focus on Neighborhood Preservation Act cases and assist with other community projects.

• Patricia Carnes is the new front office coordinator. Her duties will include greeting and directing guests, filtering and routing calls and providing overall administrative support. Carnes brings seven years of nonprofit and social services experience into the role.

Noteworthy

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis recently was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 hospital in the Memphis metro area and the No. 3 hospital in Tennessee. The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings, now in their 33rd year, are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions or for common elective procedures. It also was recognized with 12 High Performing ratings for congestive heart failure, colon cancer surgery, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), diabetes, heart attack, hip replacement, kidney failure, knee replacement, lung cancer surgery, pneumonia, stroke and uterine cancer surgery. For the 2022–2023 rankings and ratings, U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions. State and metro area rankings reflect the highest-performing hospitals in the area across multiple areas of care.

— Compiled by Daniel Ginsburg

Email information and photos in JPEG format, at least 1MB in size, for People in Business to cabiznews@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis business news: Promotions, hirings, achievers and company news