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Submitted by Wendy Wallace Johnson
Frank Hernandez.
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Submitted by Wendy Wallace Johnson
Dr. Martin Heslin.
Leadership Vestavia Hills will honor outstanding local citizens at the 29th annual Community Leadership Award Banquet on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Vestavia Hills Country Club. This year's honorees are Frank Hernandez and Dr. Marty Heslin.
Frank Hernandez, vice president at Regions Bank, will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his longtime dedication to Vestavia Hills. An active parent to his two children, Hernandez has served in a variety of leadership roles in Vestavia Hills City Schools Parent Teacher Organizations, including vice president of communications for Liberty Park Elementary and Liberty Park Middle schools. Over the past three years, he revamped the concession stand fundraiser for the Band Boosters Association at the high school, which increased sales, service and partnerships with local businesses in a significant way. He also currently serves as president of the board for the Vestavia Hills Soccer Club. In 2015, he was honored as volunteer of the year by the Alabama Soccer Association for his work with VHSC. He and his wife Olga live in Vestavia Hills and have a son and a daughter.
Dr. Martin "Marty" Heslin, associate director for clinical programs at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center will be honored with the 2019 Distinguished Citizen Award. At UAB, Heslin is a professor and executive vice chair of the Department of Surgery, chief of the medical staff at UAB Hospital, and senior scientist at the UAB CCC. There, Heslin specializes in the research and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers and soft-tissue sarcomas. He is the director of the Multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Oncology Clinic, where he provides care to patients with liver, pancreas, colorectal, esophageal and gastric cancer as part of a multidisciplinary process. Heslin created and continues to co-manage a large human tissue bank to support innovative research in the Department of Surgery. He has been named to the Newsweek Top Cancer Doctors list and is a reviewer of four professional journals, author or co-author on over 80 publications and 9 book chapters. He also works with the Robert E. Reed Foundation to support research in GI cancers. He and his wife Amy live in Vestavia Hills and have three sons.
Please visit leadershipvestaviahills.com/ for more information regarding tickets and sponsorships.
Submitted by Wendy Wallace Johnson
