Jeff Struck, manager of the state’s safe drinking water program at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, has been named president of the national Association of State Drinking Water Administrators for 2004. The group represents states that implement the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Mr. Stuck’s duties include overseeing programs related to the state’s drinking water. Mr. Stuck also helped develop the state’s arsenic master that will help smaller communities deal with the more stringent federal standard for arsenic in drinking water that will go into effect in January 2006.

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Frank Rivera has been elected to the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Mr. Rivera recently completed his term as board chairman of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is president and CEO of ATL Inc., a consulting engineering firm in Phoenix.

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John van Hengel, 80, founder of the food banking movement, received a Congressional Commendation Oct. 31 at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix. St. Mary’s Food Bank was founded by Mr. van Hengel in 1967. Since that time, the food bank has provided enough food to make up 265.8 million meals. U.S. Senator John McCain nominated Mr. van Hengel for the commendation. The honor was recorded in the Congressional Record on March 13.

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David Howell, vice president of Government Relations for Wells Fargo Bank Arizona, has been named chairman of the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy. Mr. Howell has served on the Arizona chapter of the Conservancy’s board for four years. He will chair a board of 25 other members from around the state. The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit group that preserves plants and animals. The Arizona chapter owns and manages nature preserves in the state and has helped to protect more than 1 million acres of habitat. Its Web site is www.nature.org/arizona

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Kelsea Vescova, formerly tourism development manager with the Arizona Office of Tourism, has been named director of marketing for the Challenger Space Center in Peoria. The Challenger center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and serves as a space and science museum. It is at 21179 N. 83rd Ave. Its Web site is www.azchallenger .org

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A Valley Forward publication, “Redeveloping Brownfields — A How To Handbook,” has received an honorable mention in the Arizona Planning Association’s 2003 State Planning Awards in the public education category. The 34-page booklet, released April 22 on Earth Day, explains how the private and public sector can take undeveloped tracts of land and turn them into usable parcels. The booklet originally was mailed to all Valley Forward members and was distributed to city planning departments and neighborhood service groups, as well as trade organizations and conferences. Valley Forward Association is a nonprofit group that promotes cooperative efforts to improve the environment and quality of life in the Valley. Its Web site is www.valleyforward.org. The Arizona Planning Association, a chapter of the American Planning Association, is a group interested in planning for Arizona’s future. The membership includes practitioners, elected and appointed officials, attorneys, academicians and students. The award was given during the group’s annual conference in Glendale Oct. 15-17.

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Sandy Abalos, managing partner at Abalos & Associates, P.C., has been named to the National Advisory Council for the Assistance League. Ms. Abalos will assist in the implementation of new finance software. Headquartered in Burbank, Calif., with 105 chapters nationally, the Assistance League is a nonprofit organization serving the emotional and physical needs of children and adults.