New hires and promotions

Halley Parson of Duncansville has been promoted to general manager at Pinnacle 7 Professional Services, Altoona.

Parson, a 2006 graduate of Hollidaysburg Area High School joined Pinnacle in August 2020, has helped the company expand into new territories and aided in the development of its growing team. She currently resides in Duncansville with her husband and two children.

Michael Yeager of Altoona was recently promoted to operations manager at Pinnacle 7 Professional Services, Altoona.

Yeager, originally from Philadelphia, but a Blair County resident for 16 years, brings a wide range of experience to the Pinnacle team.

Jordan Andrews joined Pinnacle 7 Professional Services, Altoona, in April as the administrative assistant, but has recently been promoted to assistant manager.

Andrews is originally from DuBois but moved to Blair County after graduating from Penn State University in 2012.

Donald E. Rhodes III has been hired by First National Bank as senior vice president and sales manager of small business banking.

Rhodes, based in Hollidaysburg, is responsible for developing and executing strategies to build FNB’s relationships with small businesses in FNB’s Central Mountain Region, which spans Indiana, Somerset, Cambria, Bedford, Blair, Huntingdon, Centre, Mifflin, Juniata, Clinton, Lycoming, Union, Snyder and Northumberland counties.

Awards and honors

Wayne Hippo, a managing partner of PS Solutions, was included in the 2022 Wilmington Biz 100 Power Players List in the “Innovator” Category.

The Wilmington Biz 100 is an annual initiative to recognize the top 100 Power Players, Influencers, Innovators, connectors and rising stars impacting Southeastern North Carolina’s business landscape.

Founded in 2008, PS Solutions is a software development firm headquartered in Altoona with offices in Pittsburgh, Wilmington, N.C. and Dallas, Texas.

Lisa Ritchey, director of Nurse-Family Partnership at UPMC Home Healthcare of Central PA, has been named winner of the Tenacious Caregiver Award for Administrator by Nurse-Family Partnership, a national program serving first-time moms and their children affected by economic inequality.

Ritchey has dedicated more than 20 years of service to Nurse-Family Partnership during her 40-year nursing career. Ritchey has been a steadfast advocate for NFP in her community and beyond – from using her voice to push for new funding streams, to leading her team’s participation in several pilots with the National Service Office to innovate and improve the collective impact.

Dr. Alan Kivitz, founder and president of the Altoona Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center and the Altoona Center for Clinical Research was recognized as one of the 2022 Masters of the American College of Rheumatology at their annual meeting in October.

This recognition is one of the highest honors that the ACR bestows on its distinguished members as the designation of Master is conferred on ACR members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through scholarly achievement and/or service to their patients, students, and the rheumatology profession.

Course completions and certifications

Chantal Sisko an environmental scientist at P. Joseph Lehman Inc., Consulting Engineers, is now a certified asbestos inspector in Pennsylvania.

Sisko recently completed the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s specialized training for the handling of asbestos-containing materials. As a licensed expert, she’ll be responsible for evaluating and assessing the potential presence, quantity and location of hazardous asbestos-containing materials in a building or on a construction site.