Advertising

Elizabeth Gaudio has joined DDB Needham Los Angeles as director of human resources. Most recently she was partner and director of human resources at Poppe Tyson Advertising.

Jim Kealy has joined 3 Ring Circus as creative director and will oversee a design and branding team. Kealy was formerly creative director at Pittard Sullivan.

Christine La Valle has been named vice president of strategy and planning at Pittard Sullivan. She will be responsible for evaluating the integrated marketing and communications needs of the firm’s clientele. Most recently, La Valle owned and operated La Valle & Associates.

Mercedes Tondre has been named senior vice president of account services at Palisades Media Group. Prior to joining, she was vice president and account supervisor at Carat/International Communications Group. In addition, the firm has added three staff members to its Santa Monica office. Jennifer Breckell has joined as senior media planner, Carla Stenta has joined as national television buyer and Craig Hirschman has joined as senior media buyer.

Todd Slayton has been named senior vice president and chief financial officer at Promax & BDA. He will be primarily responsible for strategic planning, finance and administration pertaining to both associations. Prior to joining, Slayton served as chief financial officer for Zanart Entertainment Inc.

Architecture

O. Kent Smith has joined DesignARC Architects as Los Angeles project manager and senior design associate. Most recently, he served as director of design for the Jarvis Group Architects.

Steve PonTell has joined the Santa Monica office of Gensler. In addition to his duties at the firm, PonTell will continue as president of the La Jolla Institute.

Russell B. Spencer has joined Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall as associate vice president and manager of the advanced technology division. He will be responsible for applying the firm’s advanced technologies to new, emerging business applications and product lines as well as expanding the firm’s services. Previously Spencer worked as program manager at Nukem Nuclear Technologies Corp.

Banking & Finance

Daniel M. Williams has been appointed director of lender operations at First American Title Co. of Los Angeles. He will be responsible for servicing commercial and high-volume refinance accounts of national and regional lenders. Williams will be based in the firm’s Glendale headquarters and will handle accounts throughout Los Angeles County.

Consulting

Don Sagolla and Dave Chase have joined William M. Mercer Inc. as principals. Both will provide advice to employers on compensation strategy and program design, change management and strategic business planning. Sagolla was most recently Western regional practice leader for the firm’s performance and compensation management consulting practice. Chase was a principal with KPMG’s compensation practice prior to joining.

Entertainment

Marilyn Franck has been named senior vice president of strategic insights for the Universal Studios Recreation Group. She will be responsible for developing and leading the implementation of a wide range of market research projects worldwide and the management of the USRG database. Prior to Universal, Franck spent 17 years with the Seagram and Tropicana organizations.

Danielle Greene has been promoted to director of comedy development for UPN, and Brad Sterling has been promoted to director of current programming. Greene most recently worked at Fox Broadcasting as current programming supervisor. Sterling will handle current programming responsibilities on “Star Trek: Voyager” and the upcoming animated comedy, “Dilbert.” Prior to joining, he was a member of the prime-time television department at DreamWorks SKG. In addition, Lonnie Moore has been named manager of current programming. He will handle current programming assignments on “7 Days,” “Love Boat: The Next Wave” and “Malcolm & Eddie.”

Erik Lomis has been promoted to executive vice president and general sales manager of MGM Distribution Co. He will be responsible for the sales and distribution of MGM, United Artists, and Goldwyn Films theatrical product, and will oversee all strategy development and implementation within the company’s five division branches. Prior to joining, Lomis spent five years with United Artists Theatre Corp.

Environmental Engineering

Robert E. Logan III has joined the Los Angeles office of Haley & Aldrich as vice president and office manager. He will focus on environmental program management and remediation services. Logan is co-founder of the San Diego County Site Assessment and Mitigation Technical Work Groups.

Health Care

Nels Johnson has been appointed vice president of strategic sales for Merck-Medco Managed Care. He will be based in Thousand Oaks and will be responsible for development of strategic market segments, including managed care and physician sponsored organizations and the sale of pharmacy benefits management programs and health management services. Formerly, Johnson was vice president of sales and marketing for CareAmerica Health Plans in Woodland Hills.

Alan W. Sterling has been named vice president of network services for U.S. Care Inc. He will be responsible for forging new partnerships between U.S. CareResources and long-term care providers throughout the country. Sterling was a founding member of the management team that created Health Net.

High Tech

Fabio Gomez has been named director of the California Manufacturing Technology Center’s Burbank regional center. He will direct the operations of the Burbank center, which serves the area’s smaller manufacturers. Prior to joining, Gomez was facilities engineering supervisor for HR Textron in Valencia.

Media

Bill Jenkins has been appointed general sales manager for KBLA-AM 1580 in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for the station’s local sales efforts. Most recently, Jenkins served as vice president and general sales manager of KCRA-TV Channel 62.

Personnel

Michelle Fletcher has been appointed vice president of client relations at Lee Hecht Harrison’s Woodland Hills office. Also, Herman Cenci has been appointed as senior consultant. He will be working closely with senior executives in the office’s executive coaching, outplacement and career management programs. Most recently, Cenci served as president and CEO of H.R. Cenci Laboratories/Cenci Powder Products.

Public Relations

Lisa Baca-Sigala has joined Durazo Communications Inc. as vice president. She will be responsible for the statewide Latino outreach of GTE California’s universal access advisory partnership and the California Public Utilities Commission’s electric service provider deregulation campaign. Baca-Sigala was previously with the California Latino Legislative Caucus.

Real Estate

John Barganski has joined PacTen Partners as vice president of marketing. He will lead the firm’s marketing and leasing efforts. Previously, Barganski managed the agency leasing group at Cushman & Wakefield of California Inc.

Retail

Dawn Moore has been appointed West Coast sales director for the House of Harry Winston. She will be based in the firm’s Beverly Hills salon. Most recently, Moore was managing director of Pavillon Cristofle in Beverly Hills.