Q. What makes you qualified to serve as mayor?

My experiences (professional and personal) and my education (formal and informal) make me qualified to serve as mayor of Hardeeville. Being retired, I can spend the time to serve the people and attend workshops and conferences to keep abreast of my role in our form of city government. I have maintained a transparent government. As mayor, I have proven to be a successful champion of economic development and job creation, an advocate for taxpayers and business owners, a proponent of preserving the charm and history of Hardeeville, and advocate for Hardeeville in Washington, D.C., and Columbia, a supporter of our schools and families, and an ambassador for Hardeeville.

Q. What are the top three issues facing Hardeeville?

The top three issues facing Hardeeville are taxes, growth and economic development, and entrepreneurship and employment.

Q. What is your management style?

Team management with shared participation is my management style.

Q. How do you define the region?

The region includes any city, county or state within a 75-mile radius of Hardeeville.

Q. Where do you see Hardeeville in five years?

My vision includes 20,00025,000 residents, up from the current 4,000 with many new businesses, updated parks and recreational facilities, library and other physical infrastructure (transportation network), industrial composition (workforce development), and casino/hotel resort.

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Bostick supports harbor deepening; foresees population growth, new facilities

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY - News), a leading Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service, today announced that it has appointed John Boris as senior vice president and chief marketing officer and that Peter Elarde has been named senior vice president, new business initiatives. Boris and Elarde will report to Shutterfly's president and chief executive officer, Jeffrey Housenbold. Their appointments are part of a broader evolution of the companys organizational structure that reflects its multi-brand strategy. In January, Shutterfly named Karl Wiley, Greg Hintz and Cindy Wang as general managers of Shutterfly, Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas, respectively, to lead strategy for those operating units.

"I am thrilled to welcome John to the Shutterfly Team, said Jeffrey Housenbold, Shutterflys president and chief executive officer. John brings proven leadership experience at marquee brands like Lonely Planet, Zagat, and 1-800-FLOWERS.com. His track record of deepening consumer engagement and brand loyalty will ensure thatour customers will continue to be able to share, extend and cherish their everyday memories across the Shutterfly family of brands."

As Shutterflys chief marketing officer, Boris is responsible for all facets of the companys marketing efforts, including customer acquisition and retention, business development, brand marketing, creative services and corporate communications.

Boris brings more than 15 years of business, marketing and strategy planning experience toShutterfly. He has held leadership roles atZagat Survey,1-800-FLOWERS.com andFresh Direct. Most recently, he was executive vice president and managing director of Lonely Planet Americas, where he oversaw all aspects of the companys business in the Americas including retail sales, B2B, marketing and public relations, business development, online, mobile, logistics and back-office. Boris earned a Bachelor of Arts fromMiddlebury College and an MBA from theStern School of Business atNew York University.

In his new role as senior vice president, new business initiatives, Peter Elarde is responsible for evaluating, incubating, and developing new growth initiatives for the company, including the new Treat greeting card business.

Elarde, who joined Shutterfly in 2001, has held several roles at the company. Before serving as chief marketing officer he was vice president of the services business and vice president of product marketing. As chief marketing officer, Elarde helped expand Shutterflys online marketing, direct mail, and social media channels and extend its leadership in personal publishing with the introduction of simple path and custom path Photo Books. He also managed the successful integration of Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas marketing activities to create a multi-brand marketing organization.

About Shutterfly

Founded in 1999, Shutterfly, Inc. is an Internet-based social expression and personal publishing company and operates Shutterfly.com, Tiny Prints.com, Weddingpaperdivas.com and Treat.com. Shutterfly provides high quality products and world class services that make it easy, convenient and fun for consumers to preserve their digital photos in a creative and thoughtful manner. Shutterfly's flagship product is its award-winning photo book line, which helps consumers celebrate memories and tell their stories in professionally bound coffee table books. Shutterfly was recently named one of the top 25 Best Midsized Companies to Work For by the Great Place to Work Institute. More information about Shutterfly (NASDAQ:SFLY - News) is available at http://www.shutterfly.com.

Photos/MultimediaGallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50249061&lang=en

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Shutterfly Expands Management Team for Future Innovation and Growth

Tineka Smith Published 19 April 2012

Research shows that 57% of IT middle managers do not have sufficient time for learning and development in order to do their jobs properly

Photo Credit: Marco Bellucci

The top three obstacles that respondents reported were constraining their development were lack of time, job pressures and financial constraints, according to Ashridge Business School.

Areas of training that were said to be needed were leadership, influencing and people management.

The report, Exploring Learning Experiences of Middle Managers in the UK, surveyed 569 IT middle managers. The research showed that middle managers have to drive their own career development but their working environments do not give them the time to focus on extra training and development they need.

"There is an attitude to the personal development of middle managers from business which is lacking commitment," said Hamish Scott, programme director of Ashridge Business School. "If middle managers are working in organisations that say they support their learning and development, yet only half of them are given time to learn, there is a real business issue here. Middle managers are an important part of any organisation, acting as a crucial filter between day-to-day operational demands and the board's strategy, and overlooking this critical function is short-sighted."

Middle management is said to be the least focused upon when it comes to employers investing time in their development and training.

"All too often the focus is on senior leaders and future leaders when it comes to development," said Scott. "The research showed that middle managers value formal learning as it provides personal insight as well as building confidence and developing skills such as people management, academic, technical and business skills, but in reality these needs are not being met."

Formal learning is often being overlooked with many respondents saying they have to learn as they go on their job.

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Are middle managers in the IT sector being left behind?

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) will expand an income generation program in La Guajira in northeastern Colombia thanks to new funding from the Chevron Corporation, the Foundation announced during a ceremony in Cartagena, Colombia, in conjunction with the Summit of Americas.

PADF and Chevron have had a long and successful partnership in mobilizing aid following natural disasters, developing disaster preparedness plans, and implementing social responsibility projects in Colombia and other Latin American and the Caribbean countries. This new donation further expands our joint efforts to provide sustainable development solutions to the regions disadvantaged communities, said John Sanbrailo, PADF Executive Director.

As a result of this contribution, PADF expects to reach many more vulnerable families in the Riohacha and Manaure municipalities in La Guajira Department through a project that supports entrepreneurship and improves family incomes. This effort is contributing to a larger national project spearheaded by the Colombian government between 2010 and 2014, of which at least 10,700 families living in 22 cities will benefit through PADF.

Colombian project participants will receive training and technical assistance to help strengthen personal, administrative and business skills, develop income generation enterprises, as well as improve their marketing opportunities. Activities will also focus on business development skills that contribute to leadership and entrepreneurship of beneficiaries.

In conjunction with the Summit of the Americas, PADF made the announcement during an April 13 ceremony held in the city of Cartagena in which the Foundation recognized Chevrons many contributions over the years, citing the companys longstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility that has contributed to improve the lives of thousands of Colombian families.

Chevrons corporate social responsibility priorities have benefited vulnerable people across Colombia, among them displaced and indigenous populations, through projects for income generation, improving health and education, and strengthening community organizations, added Sanbrailo.

Receiving the PADF award was Ali Moshiri, President of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company, with participation by other senior Chevron officials including David Bantz, Chevron Country Manager in Colombia. In addition to the PADF Executive Director, John Sanbrailo, the Foundation was represented by its Vice President Frank Kanayet, a leading Colombian business executive, and the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Vice Chairman of the Foundation, Ambassador Albert Ramdin.

Over the last decade, PADF has implemented over $1 million in projects to assist displaced and indigenous people in La Guajira that received contributions from Chevron and other donors. In addition, PADF has implemented almost $1.5 million in donations provided by Chevron throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean. The latter partnership has resulted in successful completion of over 30 disaster relief and recovery projects benefiting tens of thousands of victims, especially through the distribution of Emergency Shelter Packages to affected communities in the region. Chevron also contributed to developing PADFs Disaster Management Emergency Response Program (DMERP), a corporate-based disaster preparedness program, and worked with the Foundation to support the companys Energy for Learning projects in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

As Colombias largest producer of natural gas, Chevrons partnership with the Colombian people has deep roots, especially in La Guajira Department where in 1972 the company discovered gas, drilling the first well in 1975. In addition to supporting local development through PADF, Chevron has also improved education and access to new technologies, promoted cultural development, invested in economic development to strengthen communities, and provided improved access to clean water to residents, among them many Wayuu indigenous communities.

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PADF and Chevron’s Expanding Partnership in Colombia to Support Income Generation Initiative in La Guajira

Montessori Childrens House of Kyiv is one of the few private schools in Kyiv that functions in accordance with the classic Montessori Method. The Montessori way to educational success (advertisement) 2 days ago at 10:10According to the Montessorians, the alternative school method that focuses on the childs comprehensive personal development rather then knowledge and obedience provides better results in bringing up children that are open minded, self confident, responsible and ready for todays social environment. The Montessori children are well trained in reading, logic and math, they treat others with respect and dignity, think positively and know how to achieve goals in their life.

The good evidence of the above is the numerous famous people influenced by Montessori, among others these are Sergey Brin and Larry Page (co-founders of Google.com), Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon.com), Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia), Julia Child (author of famous cookbooks), Sean P. Diddy (singer), Prince William and Prince Harry (English royal family) and Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Nobel Prize winner for Literature).

Today there are as many as 20,000 Montessori schools all over the world and the popularity is rising. Ukraine is not the exception gradually the method is becoming popular among progressive parents and numerous kindergartens and education centers are implementing certain elements of Montessori.

Centrally located, Montessori Childrens House of Kyiv is one of the few private schools in Kyiv that functions in accordance with the classic Montessori Method. It is an international school aimed to serve the clients in accordance with best international practice and global standards of education so that children form international families relocating to Kyiv could experience the familiar approach. The school staff speaks Ukrainian and English. Since approximately 40 percent of our families are overseas from various parts of the world, the environment in the classroom is multicultural and diverse teaching children tolerance and empathy towards the others.

The Montessori Children's House of Kyiv.

Children of different ages share the common classes. According to Maria Montessori, this helps to encourage collaboration learning by example and leadership. The younger observe, learn and get inspired from the older classmates while older act as positive peer models for their junior classmates, assuming positions of responsibility that further strengthen their own capabilities and self-esteem.

The classroom in the Montessori Childrens House of Kyiv is a deliberately prepared educational environment that comprise of authentic Montessori Materials. Maria Montessori believed that the hand was the direct link to the mind. Therefore, the materials are all designed to be manipulative. When learning sounds using the method, a child traces the letter shape with the fingers used for writing as he or she make the sound out loud. To learn what a pyramid is, she holds it in both of her hands, and feels it with her eyes closed. To learn what a square is, she feels the edges of it, instead of merely looking at a two-dimensional shape printed on a piece of paper. When counting, she counts actual objects to feel quantities, instead of trying to touch dots on a page.

The materials are all designed to be "self-correcting." That means it is usually obvious to the child, upon completing the activity, whether it was done correctly. For example, counting activities contain only the exact number of counters required to correctly perform them. If pieces are left over or appear to be missing, the child knows he needs to go back and recount the whole exercise to find his mistake. This allows the child to learn without constant adult intervention.

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The Montessori way to educational success (advertisement)

Here is a guest post from Andy Chan, vice president of the Wake Forest University Office of Personal and Career Development, and Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Reynolds Professor of Computational Biophysics and dean of Wake Forest College. From April 11-13, they will co-host Rethinking Success: From the Liberal Arts to Careers in the 21st Century, a national conference to examine issues related to the relevance and value of the liberal arts education to the workforce today.

Wake Forest Vice President for Career Development Andy Chan talks with students in the universitys Reynolda Hall. (WFU/KEN BENNETT)Seniors graduating this May started their college careers shrouded by the dark cloud of economic insecurity. In September 2008, they were eager freshmen adjusting to campus life when the subprime mortgage crisis forced Lehman Brothers to file for bankruptcy. Four years later, many college students, recent graduates and their families remain paralyzed with fear and pessimism by the dismal prospects for turning a diploma into a paycheck. Although the economy may be recovering, the world of work has fundamentally changed.

Innovative technology, higher productivity, international outsourcing and our self-service economy have replaced thousands of entry-level jobs that were once ready-made for college graduates, and are now gone forever. In addition, the competition for jobs is fierce as employers raise their sights in recruiting new talent.

The March 2012 Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey of chief financial officers projects increased hiring which will bring the national unemployment rate below 8 percent by the end of the year. However, nearly half of the employers actively trying to fill vacant positions are struggling to find qualified applicants. Extremely selective recruiters have their choice of attractive candidates ranging from ambitious college grads to experienced Gen-X professionals to humbled baby boomers desperately needing work. The old get a good college education and youll be successful adage isnt nearly enough today and it may not be enough for job-seeking college grads in the 21st Century.

Politicians have fueled the fear and pessimism by questioning the value of college and especially the liberal education both in terms of cost and content, trumpeting the need for a technically skilled workforce as a solution to our floundering economy. Ironically, China, Singapore, South Korea and other Asian countries are adopting the opposite position by investing in the creation of high school and university curriculum to provide a liberal education in hopes of developing nimble, adaptable and creative thinkers. Concerned that their traditional system only produces stellar test takers, but few innovators and inventors, they are moving towards the educational model that America seems ready to leave behind.

Employers are seeking candidates who have the critical, creative thinking and interpersonal skills that result from a liberal education, plus the technical skills required for the job and finally, the hunger and passion to do and learn whats required to be an outstanding and productive contributor for the firm. According to former Procter & Gamble chairman A.G. Lafley, The formula for businesses trying to compete in todays economy is simple: hire employees with the mental agility, leadership and passion to navigate constant change in other words, hire those who are liberally educated. Sound advice when you consider the CEOs of Dell, JP Morgan Chase, Walt Disney Company, IBM, and FedEx were liberally educated.

Here are a few recommendations for liberal arts colleges to more deeply realize and communicate the value of the liberal education for the world of work today:

Develop partnerships that bridge the career development office with the faculty and academic advisors. Students demand to know how their choice of major will affect their career options. By sharing these data and student examples with the faculty and academic advisors, the career development office becomes more vital to students and to the faculty. With the endorsement and influence of the faculty, students utilize the complete range of resources offered by the career development office starting from their first year on campus.

Provide opportunities for faculty to understand the needs of employers. When professors understand why employers hire certain students, they can articulate how the academic material can be applied variety of work settings and help students recognize and better market this knowledge and skills. They can also more effectively mentor students and provide career advice and connections.

Make internships and/or research projects an integral part of the student experience. Make sure the student demonstrates the drive to stick with a research problem for longer than a semester. A survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities found that 84 percent of executives at private sector and non-profit organizations expressed a desire for students to complete a significant project before graduation to demonstrate their depth of knowledge and a passion for a particular areas, as well as their acquisition of broad analytical, problem solving and communication skills.

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Six tips for liberal arts colleges to produce employable grads

MEMBERS of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are unhappy about options for their personal development provided by the organisation, a survey conducted by a University of the West Indies (UWI) academic has revealed.

The concern was a recurring feature of the survey, which gauged the perceptions of 869 police officers towards the constabulary's strategic reform and modernisation process.

There are just over 8,000 members of the JCF.

The survey was conducted last year by Dr Kadamawe Knife, lecturer in strategic management and planning at the UWI. Its findings were launched at a press conference at the Police Officers' Club on Hope Road in St Andrew, Friday.

"Things that relate to personal development within the force, those are the things that persons have concern about, as well as things that relate to fiscal management," said Dr Knife, presenting the findings of the survey which was paid for by the United States Agency for International Development.

"Fairness surrounding promotion, the disciplinary process, transfer, grievances, all of those things we find relating to persons' perception of how they will move forward if they see the JCF as their long-term profession. These are the things that persons have a problem with," continued Dr Knife, citing the allocation of resources as the other major concern raised by respondents.

"These we need to work on some more," he said, outlining that 34.8 per cent of responders deemed the Human Resource Practices and Employee Performance Management as good, 18 per cent said it was bad, while 47.2 per cent said it was nuetral. Dr Knife said the fact that so many persons were indifferent to it is, in itself, cause for concern.

The study was the second of a series reviewing the accomplishments of the constabulary strategic review programme launched by the Ministry of National Security in 2007.

Among the other variables looked at were organisational climate, leadership, management and supervision, communication, organisational culture, fiscal management, operating procedures and practices, strategic planning, and vehicle, equipment, technology, and facilities.

The areas of organisation climate/culture, communication and equipment were also areas of much concern, Dr Knife said.

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Unfair promotions, questionable spending irk cops, study shows

MONTREAL, March 31, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group (www.desjardins.com), shared her goals for the coming years at the Desjardins Group Annual General Meeting held today at the Palais des congrs de Montral.

These goals stem from four major priorities: cooperation, Desjardins members and clients, personal development, and growth at Desjardins Group.

Starting her second term as president of the cooperative financial group, Ms. Leroux chose to address Desjardins' members and clients directly via a live webcast. As she stated, one of her main goals for the coming years is to enhance and improve the quality of their relationship with Desjardins.

Cooperation

Cooperation is a key commitment of Ms. Leroux's second term. "At Desjardins we believe in cooperation. It is in our DNA. It is our past and our future. I want to make sure that we always stay connected and committed to you as a cooperative enterprise. That money remains at the service of human development".

With respect to cooperation, Ms. Leroux mentioned the creation in 2011 of a program promoting financial and cooperative education. This program has led to the creation of a number of projects at Desjardins. She also announced that $10 million will be invested in a project to revitalize school and student caisses. Since their creation, these caisses have contributed to the financial and cooperative education of thousands of young people in schools across Quebec. These caisses will be able to further their mission for the next generation through their involvement in the update of school material.

Several other initiatives will be set up, such as the new budgeting tool designed to help members control their spending and achieve their financial goals. In addition, Desjardins will be launching an awareness campaign in the fall for those ages 45 to 65 to help them create a financial plan in preparation for retirement.

Members and clients

In 2011, Desjardins consulted with its members and clients to clearly identify their needs. According to the President, it was certainly worth the effort: "We realized that we must go that extra mile to meet your needs and expectations. We are going to make this a part of our service standards, by making sure it's incorporated into our best customer service practices. The quality of our relationship with you must be what distinguishes us from our competitors."

A number of initiatives have already been set up, such as new ways to better serve the members, new services to simplify their lives and changes made to certain methods of operation. Every effort is being made to ensure that Desjardins members and clients enjoy an enriching experience with their cooperative.

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Monique F. Leroux presents the priorities for her second term as President of Desjardins Group

OTTAWA The federal government said Friday it will press companies to remove voluntarily a bacteria killer from some personal-care products after identifying triclosan as toxic to the environment.

And pending the results of "voluntary action," to include looking for a substitute ingredient, the government's newly published draft risk assessment says "risk management measures" may be proposed.

Consumer advocates welcomed Friday's development but said a ban should be the end game if toiletry manufacturers don't move on their own to remove triclosan from toothpastes, mouthwashes, body washes and anti-bacterial soaps.

If the federal government pursues a ban, it can expect a challenge from some key industry players such as Colgate-Palmolive, which argued Friday that Canada's draft assessment supports the continued use of triclosan in its gingivitis-fighting Colgate Total.

Health Canada has been probing the effects of triclosan on the body's endocrine system and whether the antibacterial agent contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance. Environment Canada has been studying the effect of the widely used chemical on the environment.

The government's draft risk assessment, published Friday, says current levels of triclosan in products such as some toothpastes, shampoo and soap do not pose a risk to human health and Canadians can continue to safely use these products.

Triclosan, however, can cause harm to the environment, the draft assessment says. When these personal-care items are rinsed and washed down the drain, the amount of triclosan released into the environment through wastewater treatment plants can affect plants and animals in lakes, streams and rivers, it says.

Adverse effects includes reduction in growth, reproduction and survival. Triclosan may also interfere with the action of thyroid hormones in amphibians.

The formal proposal to list the chemical as toxic to the environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act is now subject to consultations before the government publishes a final risk assessment and risk-management strategy, expected in the fall of 2013.

"We're looking primarily at this point developing voluntary controls with industry, but the alternatives are varied and those will be discussed as we move forward on the assessment and risk management," Robert Chenier, the director of the ecological assessment division at Environment Canada, said in an interview.

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Feds seek voluntary removal of toxin from personal-care products

by Austin Baird / Associated Press Associated Press

Rep. Alan Dick, R-Stony River, said students are getting a skewed idea of resource development, often from teachers who don't hail from Alaska and aren't familiar with the state's constitution. He said constituents district have complained that students are being taught exclusively that development is bad without learning of economic benefits and the other side of the story.

His bill, HB352, requires that curriculum conveying constitutional principles of resource use, development and conservation be developed "without regard to personal opinion."

"I want to empower citizens of Alaska so that if they feel there are things being taught in their districts that violate the constitution, they can go to their school boards," Dick said.

Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, and a committee member, said during a hearing Friday that the bill would put a burden on school districts. He said the wording of the bill makes it so districts might be required to purchase books that don't exist, and that supplementary curriculum materials might be a better solution than limiting the types of books districts can buy.

"I'm worried about unintended consequences and whether this will be applied to individual school boards and districts and how it would affect them," Seaton said. "We need to hear from them."

An opportunity for public testimony was provided Friday, but no one from the public testified.

Betsy Beardsley, environmental justice program director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said in an interview that she wants to know more about the bill before it passes.

Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited, said the legislation "isn't necessarily bad as long as the pro-development themes that teachers will be required to espouse are balanced with information about how important clean water is to Alaska's world-class fisheries."

Most House committees face a tentative deadline next week to stop hearing House bills and to focus on Senate bills.

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Bill requires conservation, development curriculum in Alaska schools