Advertising & Marketing
Steve Johnson has returned to Forsythe Marcelli Johnson in Venice as president. He will focus on expanding the company’s in-house studio, media planning and research capabilities. Johnson founded the company before his temporary retirement.
De Verges Jones has joined Empower MediaMarketing as senior vice president and general manager. He will run the Los Angeles office and focus on global brand building. Jones was previously a marketing director for Kal Kan Foods.
Kevin Kearin was named vice president of business development and production at Libera Design in Los Angeles. He will work with small- to large-cap companies in developing marketing communications tools. Kearin was previously in marketing communications for the architectural coatings industry.
Terrence Sullivan has been named chief financial officer for DavisElen in Los Angeles. He will manage financial affairs and is responsible for human resources, office services divisions and management information systems. Sullivan was formally chief financial officer for DMB & B.;
Mark Ward joins America Direct Mail.Com in Beverly Hills as vice president of the direct marketing unit. He will be responsible for expanding direct mail printing, mailing and database services. He was formerly vice president of sales for Direct Marketing Experts in Westlake Village.
Architecture
RTKL Associates Inc. has announced three new appointments in its Los Angeles office: Xiaoguang Liu and Reginald Yee have been named associate vice presidents of architecture. Amy Phillips was named associate vice president and director of business development.
Banking & Finance
Santa Monica-based First Federal Bank of California has announced three new executive appointments: Kathy Smith was promoted to vice president and assistant controller. She was previously assistant vice president/assistant controller and general & loan accounting supervisor. Marc Belfortti was named vice president and credit review manager. He was previously with First Bank of Beverly Hills. Ralph Lux was named vice president of general services. He previously handled real estate outsourcing for the city of Santa Clarita.
Bettye Wilkes has been promoted to first vice president and manager of Washington Mutual’s community lending and investments department in Los Angeles. Wilkes was most recently community investment manager.
Entertainment
Philip Simmons was promoted to development director for AvalonBay Communities Inc. in Encino. He will focus on expanding new development operations in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Simmons was previously senior development manager.
Barry Smith was promoted to director of business development at Novocom in Los Angeles. He will oversee all sales and marketing efforts for London and Singapore. Smith was previously director of marketing and promotion. Also, Angela Gaspar has been named manager of business development. She will be responsible for domestic marketing and development. Gaspar was previously head of sales and development at Caliban Filmworks.
Leslie Sorrentino has returned to 525 Studios in Santa Monica as a producer. His focus is on commercial and music-video post production. Sorrentino was previously executive producer at Post Logic.
Environment
EIP Associates in Los Angeles has announced three new additions: Rhett Beavers is a senior planner, landscape architect and historical landscape preservationist. Steven Gerhardt is a senior planner with experience in federal planning, and environmental and analytical documents. Constanza Pallini is a planner for the firm.
Government
Richard Bruckner has been named director of housing and development for the city of Pasadena. He will be involved in ongoing projects such as central city revitalization, Pasadena Blue Line light rail development, and enterprise zone expansion. Bruckner has been the deputy executive director of the city of Anaheim’s community development department for the past year.
Health Care
Lorie Ballendine has been named vice president of medical and network management at Health Net in Woodland Hills. She will oversee medical and provider network management for the Southern California region. Ballendine was most recently director of national delivery system management at United Healthcare.
Lance Keene was named vice president of development for Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. He will focus on enhancing philanthropic support for health care programs in downtown Los Angeles. Keene was most recently a consultant with Kelleher & Associates.
Cheryl Moore was appointed vice president of organizational development and training for human resources at WellPoint Health Networks Inc. in Thousand Oaks. She will be responsible for development and implementation of human resources goals. Moore was previously a vice president for Nestle USA Inc. in Glendale. Also, Leon Figliuolo was named vice president of telecommunications, with responsibility for overseeing the design, installation and maintenance for all telecommunications. Figliuolo was previously senior vice president of telecommunications at MBNA in Wilmington, Del.
Insurance
Jim Otto was promoted to resident partner for Kroll, Rubin & Fiorella LLP in Los Angeles. He will focus on first- and third-party insurance coverage, bad-faith insurance litigation, professional liability, reinsurance and environmental law. Otto was senior partner at Cummins & White LLP.
Law
Karin Peterka has joined Buchalter, Nemer, Fields & Younger in Los Angeles as of counsel in the intellectual property group. Peterka specializes in patent, trademark and copyright prosecution and litigation. Peterka was previously with Sheldon & Mack.
Museums
Ann Muscat was appointed to the new post of executive vice president of strategic initiatives for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Muscat was previously deputy director and senior vice president of programs for the California Science Center.
New Media
Chris Yewdall has been appointed president and CEO of Dynamic Digital Depth Inc.’s DDD USA Inc. in Santa Monica. He will oversee technologies in North American entertainment and multimedia markets. Yewdall has been vice president of sales and marketing since 1998.
Personnel
Charles Newman has joined Blackshaw, Olmstead, Lynch & Koenig in Los Angeles as managing principal, focusing on senior-level and general management executive searches. He was most recently senior vice president of human resources at Airport Group International.
James Quandt has been named chief operating officer of Korn/Ferry International’s subsidiary Futurestep in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for increasing global reach and building key alliances for the Internet-based recruiting service. Quandt was previously president, chief executive and vice chairman of the board for National Telephone & Communications Inc.
David Taylor has been appointed branch manager of Management Solutions Inc. in Torrance. He will be in charge of day-to-day operations and will be responsible for all sales and marketing targets. Taylor was previously involved in managing and marketing for Pacificare Health Systems.
Real Estate
Martin Porter was named leasing manager for TrizecHahn in downtown Los Angeles. He will oversee leasing for Seventh Market Place. Porter’s background is in retail property leasing, and leasing and managing regional shopping malls.
Kevin Shannon has joined Grubb & Ellis Co. in Los Angeles as a senior vice president with the investment services group. His focus will be office, industrial and retail investment. Shannon was previously managing director with Seeley Co.’s investment division.
Retail
Monique Korelishn has joined the Big Picture Idea Gallery in Brentwood as vice president. She will oversee management of operations, marketing and revenue development. Korelishn was formerly associate publisher and sales manager at the Brentwood Media Group.
Sports
Tom Frost has been promoted to senior vice president of American Golf’s Southwest region in Santa Monica. He will oversee acquisitions and golf operations throughout Southern California and Phoenix. Frost was vice president for the Southern California region.
