TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Sept. 25, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Hancock Bank, one of the country's top-performing financial institutions, has tapped four local business and civic leaders as new Hancock Bank of Florida directors, according to an announcement today by Marty Stubblefield, Hancock's Florida market president.
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Chairman and managing shareholder of Bryant Miller Olive law firm Randy Hanna, Esq.; Chief Executive Officer of Moore Consulting Group Karen Moore, APR, CPRC; Florida Health Care Association President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Phelan, CAE; and President of Pittman Law Group, P.L., Sean Pittman, Esq., have joined the Hancock Bank of Florida Board of Directors to help guide the company's continued growth throughout North Florida.
"For 108 years, the Hancock Bank board of directors has consisted of distinguished local individuals recognized as influential catalysts for Gulf South business and community development. We are extremely honored that all of these accomplished professionals have chosen to help Hancock facilitate commerce and opportunity across our Florida region," said Stubblefield.
Founded in 1899, Hancock Bank operates more than 150 banking and financial services offices in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, South Mississippi, and south central Louisiana and offers 24-hour banking with 130-plus ATMs and online banking at www.hancockbank.com.
About the New Directors
Randy Hanna's firm, Bryant Miller and Olive, operates offices throughout Florida and in Washington, D.C. The University of Florida alumnus graduated from Florida State University College of Law and holds a master of business administration degree from Emory University's Goizueta Business School. Currently chairman of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, he has been instrumental in developing new business recruitment and retention partnerships among governments and businesses in north Florida. An active participant in civic and community affairs, Hanna is a past member of the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees, former chair of the State Board of Community Colleges, and past chair of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. He also served previously as general counsel to U.S. Senator Bob Graham.
Karen Moore, an acknowledged national leader in media relations, public relations, and public affairs, founded Moore Consulting Group in 1992. The PR, marketing, and advertising firm has offices in Tallahassee, Orlando, and Miami, with an affiliate office in Washington, D.C. Under Moore's direction, the firm has earned more than 350 state and national awards and is a two-time winner of the Grand Golden Image Award -- the "Oscar" of the PR profession. She serves on numerous civic, business, and educational boards, including the Florida Council of Economic Education, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Tallahassee Community College (TCC) Board of Trustees and TCC Foundation, and Florida House. She is past chair of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Tallahassee, and the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The University of Central Florida alumna is one of only 100-plus individuals who hold both Accredited Public Relations Professional (APR) and Certified Public Relations Counselor (CPRC) designations and recently presented at the White House Summit on Women Entrepreneurs in the 21st Century.
Well-respected throughout the Florida non-profit arena, Bill Phelan, president and CEO of the Florida Healthcare Association for the past 25 years, co-chairs the Florida Hurricane Crisis Coalition researching potential solutions to the state's insurance crisis. He is a past president of the American Society of Health Care Association Executives, serves on the Florida Society of Association Executives (FSAE) Board of Trustees, and chairs FSAE's Executive Series to educate association executives. FSAE and the Tallahassee Society of Association Executives both honored Phelan as Executive of the Year. An area civic leader for many years, he is also past president of the United Way of Big Bend. Phelan is a former executive assistant to Governor Reuben Askew and former director of the Division of Licensing who remains very active in government relations as well as legislative and regulatory matters in Florida and Washington, D.C. Phelan received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida State University.
Featured by the Tallahassee Democrat as a significant political insider, Sean Pittman graduated from Florida State University as student body president. The president of Pittman Law Group, P.L., he earned a juris doctor degree from the Florida State law school and served as law clerk to House Speaker Rudy Wallace and Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, past chair of the Public Service Commission. Attorney Pittman is a recognized legal expert in the legislative process and held a seat on the Miami Herald Legislative Ranking Committee that annually ranks Florida House and Senate members' performance. Appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Florida Board of Regents, Pittman has been heavily involved in state government as chief lobbyist for the Florida Student Association and a member of Florida State, University of Central Florida, and Florida Gulf Coast University presidential search committees. He was an attorney and assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and staff attorney to the Florida House of Representatives under House Speaker John Thrasher. In 2006 Governor-Elect Charlie Crist named Pittman to the gubernatorial transition team.
More About Hancock Bank
Hancock Bank -- one of the nation's strongest, safest financial institutions -- ranks fourth among the country's top-performing banks, according to U.S. Banker magazine, and is the only financial services company headquartered in the Gulf South to rate among the top 20 percent of America's top performing banks. Bank subsidiaries include Hancock Investment Services, Inc., Hancock Insurance Agency and its divisions of Ross King Walker and J. Everette Eaves, and Harrison Finance Company. Additional corporate information is available at www.hancockbank.com.
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