Ford

Liggett

Hauversburk

» Carolyn Ford, of Quincy, has been elected chairwoman for 2006 and 2007 of the Florida Black Chamber of Commerce. Ford is executive director of the North Florida Educational Development Corp., a non-profit, community-based organization dealing with area causes of poverty, working especially in Gadsden and Gulf counties...

» Sharon Liggett is the new president and CEO of the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. A DeLand native, she recently worked in Washington as a congressional staffer and spent several years in the Tallahassee area working primarily for non-profit organizations. She has a master of administration degree from Florida State University...

» Panama City attorney Mike Hauversburk has become Bay County's fourth judge, appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush after the Legislature created the new county judgeship to handle a growing caseload...

» Richard Smoak has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy as federal district court judge for Northern District of Florida, replacing retired U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson. A Bay County attorney since 1973, Smoak is the first resident federal judge for Panama City.