Richard Hoffman, Crystal Drive, has been promoted to vice president of health, safety, environmental and quality at U.S. Well Services. Hoffman, who has been with U.S. Well Services since 2014, has 25 years of experience in the health and safety field, the last 16 in the energy industry. He is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, the National Safety Council and was on the planning board for the 2016 OSHA Oil and Gas Safety Conference.

Mary Harwick has been honored by the Foundation of HOPE with the inaugural Mary Harwick Volunteer of HOPE Award. The Foundation is an interfaith nonprofit that offers pre- and post-release care for Allegheny County Jail inmates. Harwick has been a volunteer at the jail since 1988. She first volunteered for Women’s Christian Renewal and was one of the founders of Lydia’s Place, working to help incarcerated women and their families. She served as president of the board of Lydia’s Place and over the years did Bible Study, taught aerobics, parenting and anger management as well as serving as chairman of the Chaplain’s Jail Project Committee. Harwick was a 2003 recipient of the Jefferson Award for public service.

Seton-La Salle High School senior Elizabeth Farnan has been named a Commended Student in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Commended students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 competition.

Designer Daniel Pipitone, Adeline Avenue, won a prize in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ “A Bill You Can Understand” design and innovation challenge. The challenge was conceived to draw national attention to a common complaint with the health care system, that medical billing is a source of confusion for patients and families. Pipitone’s design, for Los Angeles based RadNet, was praised for its use of color to make it easy for patients to locate and read specific information and also for a clear presentation of payment due, payment options and insurance details and for plain language explanations that put charges in context.

Former Woodridge resident Robert Moore, now of Providence Point, has received the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from Penn State. To top it off, the award, called the Robert W. Moore Lifetime Achievement Award, will be named for him in perpetuity.

The award was created to recognize those who have made a significant contribution to the university’s Smeal College of Business over a prolonged period of time. Award winners are role models for students who will follow in their footsteps.

Moore, who received his bachelor’s degree in commerce and finance from Penn State in 1948, is the retired president and CEO of Financial Executives International, an organization for senior corporate financial executives.

Austin Avenue resident Lisa Freeman has received the Pittsburgh Style Week Style Award for best fashion blogger. Freeman has extensive experience in the fashion industry as a model and a retail sales manager with companies including Chanel Cosmetics, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bridal Beginnings. She blogs for AXS.com and examiner.com.

NEW FACES Shannon Venditti is mtl’s new art director. Venditti comes to mtl from FTI Consulting, a global business consulting firm, where she headed the strategic communications division. She also has worked as production manager and art director for Aspen Magazine in Colorado. Venditti, who has a master’s degree in media arts and technology from Duquesne University, will replace Helen Worsing, who is retiring this month after 22 years with mtl.

Amy Bonner is mtl’s newest  advertising accounting executive, joining Jean Peterson and Krista Troy Foster. Bonner, of Audubon Avenue, has a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Penn State, and has worked in marketing for McDonald’s, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Bucca di Beppo. She also has worked as an account executive with IdeaMill and Brunner Advertising.