Nancy Brown, Mark Baker, Rusty Golden and Johnny Weatherford have been named senior managers of Jackson Thornton Certified Public Accountants and Consultants.

As a CPA, Brown primarily works with small businesses and individuals on tax issues. Brown earned her bachelor's degree in business administration/accounting from Auburn University Montgomery.

Baker has worked for Jackson Thornton for nine years. For the past five years he has worked in the firm's health-care industry group providing audit and consulting services to 17 long-term care facilities in Alabama along with tax planning and operational consulting services to physicians. Baker earned his master's degree in accounting from the University of Alabama.

Golden's practice includes tax, audit and consulting for businesses, not-for-profit entities and financial institutions. He also serves on Jackson Thornton's managers group advisory team. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Auburn University Montgomery.

Weatherford has worked for Jackson Thornton for nine years. He has served on the managers group advisory team and the paperless implementation team. He currently serves on the newsletter committee. Weatherford earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in business administration from Troy University.

State budget officer gets award

Carolyn Middleton, state budget officer for Alabama, has been honored by the National Association of State Budget Officers for "outstanding contributions and service to public budgeting and management in state government," the organization said.

At its meeting in Lexington, Ky., the group presented Middleton with the George A. Bell Award.

"It's really a feather in the cap for state government in Alabama," Scott Pattison, the association's executive director, said in a statement.

Middleton, who holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Auburn University Montgomery, has worked in the state budget office since 1977 and was promoted to her current position in the spring.

LWT managers certified

LWT Communications business development manager Cindy Scott has completed the final year of a three-year professional development program for certification as a tourism marketing professional. LWT Communications partner David Allred completed the second year of the three-year program.

Scott and Allred were among 225 tourism professionals who became students for a week at the Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College earlier this month. The program teaches tourism marketing each summer at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Ga.

Brandt Write Realty Inc. honored

Century 21 Brandt Wright Realty Inc. was presented Century 21's Pacesetter Gold Award for outstanding sales achievement and performance for January through June 2006.

Special awards went to Margaret Ingalls, Daniel Hughes and Ricky Littrell.

AMEA hires chief operating officer

Fred D. Clark Jr. was hired by the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority (AMEA) board of directors as the municipal power provider's chief operating officer. He will begin work in October.

Clark will assume the duties of president and CEO upon the June 2007 retirement of longtime AMEA President and CEO Robert W. Claussen. Claussen, who is the only person to serve in that position since AMEA's inception in 1981, informed the board earlier this year of his plans to retire.

In 1999, Clark became the first executive director of Electric Cities of Alabama, which is the statewide association for municipally owned electric utilities. Clark's responsibilities included state and federal governmental affairs as well as the development of other association services.

Clark is a native of Elba and is married to Blake Guthrie Clark of Enterprise. They have a daughter and a son.
-- Montgomery Advertiser