The following is a list of achievements by businesses and individuals in the Ann Arbor area:

• Dr. Huda Akil, co-director of the University of Michigan's Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and Gardner C. Quarton Distinguished Professor of Neurosciences in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Akil's research is aimed at understanding mechanisms of our emotions, including the brain biology of pain, stress, substance abuse and depression. She will be inducted into the academy next April during the organization's 149th annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Akil, elected along with 71 others, brings the number of U-M faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences to 25. The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furthering science and technology and to their use for the general welfare.

• At a ceremony May 4, the Small Business Council of America presented Senator Debbie Stabenow with the Small Business Council of America's 2011 Congressional Award. SBCA is honoring Senator Stabenow with the award for her long time advocacy for small businesses. SBCA members said the award is based upon Senator Stabenow's outstanding leadership and efforts on behalf of small businesses in the United States.

• The Detroit International Bridge Co. has retained Ann Arbor-based Quinn Evans Architects to design the restoration of the windows and roof at the Michigan Central Depot in Detroit. QEA specializes in the restoration of historic buildings and has extensive experience in adapting obsolete buildings for new uses. The restoration of the windows and the replacement of the roof will be designed to meet both national standards for historic preservation and all current standards. Elisabeth Knibbe, a principal at Quinn Evans Architects, will lead the design project.

• The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation recently welcomed two business and community leaders and a new Youth Council representative to its board of trustees. Michelle Crumm is co-founder and former chief business officer of Adaptive Materials Inc. Kevin Thompson is a senior manager at IBM’s Brand Systems group, where he is working on the next phase of IBM’s Smarter Planet strategy. Nick Shannon will serve as the Youth Council Trustee to AAACF’s board of trustees for one year with full voting privileges. He will be a senior at Pioneer High School next fall.

• Marygrace Liparoto of RE/MAX Platinum Ann Arbor has earned the Certified Distressed Property Expert designation, having completed extensive training in foreclosure avoidance and short sales.

• McNaughton & Gunn was recently recognized for outstanding achievement in environmental stewardship by Quebec-based Cascades Fine Papers, a manufacturer of paper products using recycled fibers. Cascades recognized McNaughton & Gunn for "making an extraordinary environmental impact in their daily operations" through use of 100 percent recycled paper. McNaughton & Gunn is a book manufacturing company located in Saline.

• Don Manfredi joined Coherix as vice president of the firm's automotive operations in the Americas. Coherix, headquartered in Ann Arbor, is a global supplier of high-speed, high-definition 3D machine vision systems designed to manage precision manufacturing processes in the automotive and semiconductor industries.

• This Father's Day, June 19, NSK and the VFW Foundation (Veterans of Foreign Wars) are presenting a unique online contest with Michigan International Speedway. Military fathers and their friends and family can visit www.MISpeedway.com/militaryfathers to share their stories of dedication and commitment to their country, and 50 grand prize winners will each receive a Salute to Military Fathers ticket package to the June 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at MIS. The contest will conclude June 1. NSK Corp., based in Ann Arbor, partnered with MIS to launch the Military Friends and Family program in 2007 to show their appreciation to military families. MIS is also accepting photos of military fathers and their families. E-mail your photos to militaryfathers@mispeedway.com. NSK is a manufacturer of motion and control products, Operating in the Americas, NSK Corp. is a member of the NSK Ltd. group and is headquartered in Ann Arbor.

• Kapnik Insurance Group and Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America, a national workers compensation insurance company, recently partnered to present checks totaling $6,500 to two different Ann Arbor-area organizations - Ele’s Place and Bob Ufer Foundation. Ele’s Place is a healing center for grieving children, supporting families in the Lansing and Ann Arbor regions and beyond. The Bob Ufer Foundation's mission is to raise funds to support youth activities and scholarships in the Ann Arbor community.

• Con-way Freight, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., has been recognized as 2010 Carrier of the Year by ENACT LLC, a transportation technology and third-party logistics provider serving North America. ENACT presented the company with the award at Con-way Freight headquarters in Ann Arbor on April 7. Con-way Freight is one of more than 3,000 trucking companies in ENACT's transportation network. As a preferred carrier for ENACT in 2010, the company achieved superior ratings in the four measurement criteria used to determine top performance: on-time service, customer support, claims ratio and missed pickups. Con-way Freight is the first LTL carrier to receive the Carrier of the Year distinction from ENACT.

• Linda Lewis-White, a professor in teacher education in the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University, was selected as an outstanding advising award winner by the National Academic Advising Association. The award is presented to professionals who have demonstrated outstanding academic advising of students or exceptional administration of academic advising. Lewis-White won in the Faculty Academic Advising category, which includes scholars whose primary responsibility is teaching but spend a portion of their time advising students. She will be honored at the association's annual conference this fall, in Denver.

• A painting by Pioneer High School freshman Maggie Lemak will be one of the 12 cover designs for the 2012 dotmine day planners. Maggie's "Happy Day" painting caught the eye of dotmine founder Sarah Nicoli during the Ann Arbor Kids Art Fair last summer. Ann Arbor'-based dotmine is celebrating its 10th year of sales this summer.

• Saline-based Latitude Learning LLC recently won a Brandon Hall bronze award for technology excellence in the Best Advance in Learning Management Technology for External Training category. The Brandon Hall Learning Technology Awards program showcases innovations in the products in the marketplace for creating and managing learning, talent and performance.

• Employees of Allegra of Saline recently received the International Gold, Silver and Top Ten International Sales Performer awards from the Allegra Network franchise system. The awards are presented annually and are based on sales volume and providing an outstanding level of client service. Kelly Parkinson,who has been with Allegra for 19 years, received the International Gold Milestone and Top Ten International Sales Performer awards. Jane Dillard, Michael LaBeau and Wes Siegrist received the International Silver Milestone awards. Dillard, a resident of Ann Arbor, has been with Allegra for 21 years. LaBeau, a resident of Manchester, joined Allegra 16 years ago. Siegrist, a resident of Jackson, has been connected with Allegra for six years. Allegra of Saline provides marketing services for area businesses including printing, mailing services, fulfillment, promotional products and graphic design.

• The Michigan State Medical Society Foundation recently awarded a Kevin A. Kelly Leadership Fund scholarship to Dr. Ryan M. Collar, chief resident in Head and Neck Surgery at University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. The scholarship serves to support promising Michigan medical students, residents and young physicians in attending leadership training and conferences. Dr. Collar will receive up to $1,000 in expense coverage to attend an MSMS or AMA leadership conference of his choosing.

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