FACES AND PLACES.

Elena Giacomin-Dennis and Joe Dennis of Santa Fe recently attended the Shaklee global conference in New Orleans.

Shaklee, a large natural nutrition company, holds its global conference annually to recognize members of the Shaklee family for their successes.

Giacomin-Dennis started her natural-health business 29 years ago. For more information, call 505-466-4677 or visit www.

shaklee.net/elenagd/vivix.

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Tony Sanchez of Santa Fe Cigar Co., at 510 Galisteo St. in Santa Fe was among the more than 5,000 tobacconists who attended the 76th annual convention of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association in Las Vegas, Nev.

To commemorate the event, nearly 70 participating manufacturers of handmade cigars contributed more than 360 cigar bands to create a set of limited-edition, collectible posters. Proceeds from the sale of these sets help to fund annual scholarships.

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U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici commended five New Mexico students who were awarded scholarships for the U.S. Department of State Critical Language program this summer.

Zachary Wienberg of Santa Fe; Tristan Bates of Ruidoso; Nicholas Bayless of Farmington; Olga Kovarzina of Albuquerque; and Hanna Morrow of Albuquerque all received scholarships through the National Security Language Initiative which is administered by the State Department.

The competitive scholarships required the New Mexico students to studya language abroad this summer. Wienberg studied in Morocco.

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Jenny Martinez of Santa Fe, who served as director of the Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging, will receive the Rep. Nick Salazar Award during the 30th annual New Mexico Conference on Aging in Albuquerque.

Martinez retired in February 2008. She began her career in the aging network as a senior van driver in Tucumcari and went on to run the Tucumcari program. Eventually she moved to Santa Fe, where her leadership skills and her commitment to serving the poorest and frail elderly led her to become the director of the Area Agency on Aging.

The award was first given to Rep. Nick Salazar by the state Agency on Aging at the 24th Conference on Aging in 2002. Since then, Salazar has selected an individual each year to receive the award, created in his honor, to recognize those who make a significant contribution to enrich the lives of senior citizens of New Mexico.

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Alfredo Vigil is the new president of the New Mexico Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He was inducted Aug. 8. by the National Board Chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Dr. Rick Kellerman.

Vigil is a native of New Mexico. He received his academic degree from The University of New Mexico. For the past 30 years he has worked in many rural clinics throughout New Mexico.

Kellerman also introduced vice president Mario Pacheco, M.D., of Santa Fe.

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