In our weekly list of business people on the move, we highlight Palm Beach County professionals who are making a difference. These are people from across the spectrum of public and private endeavors, those working in charities, court houses, private practices and beyond. They are moving up within their industry, advancing their careers and standing out for their services within our community.
Here are this week’s professional standouts:
Preservation Foundation announces two hires
The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach recently announced the addition of two team members. Tommy Sullivan joined the foundation in January as advancement manager, working closely with that team to support fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and stewardship. Sullivan most recently served on the development team at the Norton Museum of Art. Melissa Paduani joined the foundation in February as youth education manager, overseeing cornerstone programs including Heritage Education and the Little Red Schoolhouse Living History Program. In addition to guiding existing youth initiatives, Paduani will play a key role in developing new educational programming in anticipation of the opening of Phipps Ocean Park. Her work will ensure that the park’s restored landscapes and historic resources are fully activated as immersive learning environments. The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach advocates, educates, and invests in the community to protect the architectural, botanical, and cultural heritage of Palm Beach.
Kast Construction names chief financial officer
Kast Construction, one of Florida’s largest privately held construction management firms, has appointed Brendan King as chief financial officer as it continues to expand across the state. King will oversee financial strategy, accounting operations, financial planning and analysis, capital management and risk oversight across Kast’s West Palm Beach, Miami and Tampa offices. King brings more than a decade of experience in construction-specific accounting and financial leadership. With offices in West Palm Beach, Miami and Tampa, Kast Construction is consistently ranked by Fortune magazine as one of the “Best Places to Work” in construction.
Alina Residences Boca Raton general manager receives award
German Cabieses, general manager at Alina Residences Boca Raton, has been honored with the 2025 President’s Award from FirstService Residential, a distinction personally selected by the region’s president to recognize outstanding leadership and operational excellence across the company’s South Region portfolio. Cabieses has overseen operations at Alina during a major period of growth for the luxury residential community, guiding the property through the opening phases of Alina 210 and Alina 220, the project’s second and final phase as residents continue moving in.
Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach adds two board members
Loggerhead Marinelife Center recently welcomed Jennifer Field and Tijana Hitchon (no picture) to its board of directors. Field is environmental director at NextEra Energy Resources where she has developed environmental projects focused on endangered species, jurisdictional wetlands, and more. Hitchon was born in Yugoslavia, and immigrated to the United States during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. She has a doctoral degree in Arts & Letters from Drew University and currently volunteers at Loggerhead Marinelife Center as a hospital interpreter and serves as a volunteer advisory committee representative. Loggerhead Marinelife Center, located in Juno Beach, is a sea turtle research, rehabilitation, education, and conservation center.
Gastroenterologist returns to Wellington after decade in Okeechobee
Vikram Tarugu, M.D., a board-certified and fellowship-trained gastroenterologist, spent three years serving the Wellington community before leaving in 2013 to open a practice in Okeechobee where there was no local gastroenterologist. He has returned to the area and has established Wellington Digestive Institute.
Florida Atlantic University professor, wife donate $1.5 million to school
Florida Atlantic University recently received a $1.5 million estate gift from Leif Carlsson, Ph.D., and Seija Carlsson to provide scholarships and programmatic support for students studying ocean and mechanical engineering and biology. Through this gift, the Carlssons will support students who share their passion for the fields they pursued. “This university has been very good for both of us,” Leif Carlsson said. “FAU is very vibrant with a great diversity of students, and it has been inspiring to work with them.” Leif Carlsson is the J.M. Rubin Foundation Professor in the Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering within the College of Engineering and Computer Science and has been a professor at FAU since 1987. Seija Carlsson is an alumna who graduated from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science with a degree in biology.
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Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County professionals on the move for the week of April 6
Reporting by Eddie Ritz, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
