Image Dynamics

New positions* Crown Books, the Landover-based national book store chain, appointed Steve Stevens as executive vice president and general merchandise manager.* William M. Mercer Inc., benefits and human resources consultants, has added Steven P. Seltz to its mid-Atlantic compensation consulting practice group.* Maryland Associates for Dyslexic Adults & Youth has chosen Nadine Weinstein executive director.Advertising and PR* Richardson, Myers & Donofrio has selected Lee St. James senior vice president and associate creative director.

New positions* Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind has selected Dale T. Otto as the new executive director for the 94-year-old service agency for the sight-impaired.* Suburban Maryland Technology Council announced that DyanBrasington has been chosen as president.* Omni Inner Harbor Hotel has appointed Theresa Brown and Toni Fischer as catering sales managers.* Saval Foods named Bob Berndt to coordinate the expansion of the Dorsey-headquartered company from a deli foods line to a full-line food services distributor.

Support meetings focus on home-based workersThe Home-Based Workers' Network has started a series of monthly "team support" meetings to help people who work at home.The meetings will be held at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at 201 E. Main St. in Westminster; at 9:30 a.m. the second Monday of each month at 4011 York Road, No. 1, in Millers, Carroll County, the headquarters of the network; and at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at 817 Cedarcroft Road in Baltimore.The HBWN, started in 1993, is also creating a registry of home-based workers, categorizing them by type of business or service provided.

New positions* Baltimore International Culinary College announced that Cynthia Bishop joined the BICC communications department as a publications specialist.* University of Baltimore appointed Carol Vellucci director of career services/cooperative education and David Rees as director of development.* Phillips Business Information Inc. announced that Mary E. Crowley was named managing editor of its Enterprise Network and Multimedia Newsletter groups.* The Guilford Group, Baltimore-based workers compensation management consulting firm appointed the following associates: Sheldon A. Altschuler, worker's compensation management; Thomas Kurowski, sales; Denise Thompson, Intecomp Network and Lesli R. Proctor, marketing and communications.

* Paul Jordan Photographers moved to 24 W. Pennsylvania Ave. in Towson from 14 Shealey Ave. in Towson. The studio is owned by Linda Rosenthal and Donna Shriver.* Jupiter National Inc., a publicly held venture capital firm in Chevy Chase, acquired the assets of the Custom Fabrics Division of WestPoint Pepperell, a textiles maker with plants in Alabama, Georgia and Iowa.* COMSYS Technical Services Inc., a Rockville-based placement company for computer professionals, opened an office in Englewood, Colo.

Snags may delay MNC annual meetingWarning to MNC Financial Inc. shareholders: When you write down the date of the annual meeting, keep an eraser handy.Delays in preparing the combined proxy statement for the meeting and the proposed sale to North Carolina-based NationsBank Corp. could delay the event from its tentative date of June 3, possibly until June 17.MNC spokesman Daniel Finney says the delay was due to an exchange of comments about the proxy between MNC and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Image Dynamics wins for B&D promotionImage Dynamics has received a first place in the "Special Events and Observances" category in the 1995 "Best in Maryland" awards sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America.The Baltimore-based advertising and public relations agency won for a program created for Black & Decker's "Vac N'Mulch" blower and vacuum. The agency also garnered a regional Creativity in Public Relations Award for work done for Continental Airlines.Classic Communications, a Baltimore-based advertising, public relations and marketing firm, has won first prize in the 1995 "Best in Maryland" awards sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America.

Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital's promotion of its centennial celebration was named best in the show at the Maryland Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America awards banquet last week. The entry also won in the special events and observances category.Other categories and winners were:* Community relations -- "Senior Housepitality" by Gray Kirk/VanSant* Institutional programs -- "Hardee's Tree-Mendous Program" by John H. Snyder Assoc. Inc.* Public service -- "Discover Maps! Explore America!"

The chairman of the Anne Arundel County Council and media spokesmen for the state comptroller and the Baltimore district office of the Internal Revenue Service plan to moonlight teaching business executives how to deal with the media.County Council Chairman David G. Boschert, IRS spokesman Domenic LaPonzina and comptroller spokesman Marvin Bond have been hired by Image Dynamics Inc., an advertising and public relations agency, to teach sessions costing at least $4,000, said Phyllis Brotman, president of the Baltimore agency.

Shandwick Baltimore, the city office of the international public relations firm, won best of show and seven other awards in the annual Best in Maryland Awards presented by the Public Relations Society of America's Maryland chapter.Shandwick took the top prize in the awards, presented last night, for a campaign for the Maryland Food Committee.Other winners, by category:Community relations: Shandwick, with St. Joseph Medical Center, Reading, Pa.Institutional programs: Green Spring Health Services Inc.Special events and observances: (tie)