MILESTONES

LAWYERS
Graduate with honors
Melanie J. Williamson has received her law degree from Capitol University Law School, Columbus. She was awarded magna cum laude honors and was a two-year associate editor of the school's Law Review.
After studying for the Ohio Bar exam, she plans to practice law in the Columbus area. Melanie is the daughter of Dave and Nancy Williamson of Austintown.
DOCTORS
Osteopathic medicine
Nichole Giannios, a Boardman High School graduate, has earned her osteopathic medicine degree from the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Giannios will begin an obstetric-gynecology residency at University Hospitals, Cleveland. She received a bachelor's degree from John Carroll University.
She is the daughter of Gus Giannios of Poland and Lisa Ballas of South Carolina.
HONORS
Agency awards
Two members of the Burdman Group have received honors.
Tom Arens won the 2005 Mahoning County Mental Health Advocacy Award, and for the first time in Burdman Group's 35-year history, the mental health board selected a Burdman director, Nancy Flinn, as the Mahoning County Agency Director of the Year.
Arens was honored for being one of the area's most well known and knowledgeable individuals in the field of mental health. He has been with Burdman for 29 years. During his first 10 years, he was a direct service provider and the last 19 years he was a program director.
Flinn served as the Burdman Group's interim executive director from July 2003 through March 2005. She has worked at Burdman for the past 23 years.
During her time as interim executive director, Flinn continued to carry out her duties as human resources director, always finding practical solutions to problems, while focusing her talents on successfully launching two new fund-raising events to benefit Sojourner House, the agency's domestic violence program.
Burdman Group helps people solve problems in the areas of domestic violence, lack of employment or mental illness. It is funded through the county mental health board, Trumbull Lifelines and the Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way. The agency's administrative offices are at 284 Broadway Ave., Youngstown.
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