NEWSMAKERS

Accounting

William Sturges has been named partner in the West Los Angeles office of Moss Adams LLP, a Seattle-based accounting and consulting firm. Sturges was previously senior manager with the firm.

Architecture

The Santa Monica office of Gensler, a San Francisco-headquartered global architecture, design and planning firm, has promoted Irwin Miller, Eric Stultz and James Young to principals. Previously, Miller, Stultz and Young were design directors.

Banking & Finance

Elaine Halbert has been named vice president and manager for City National Bank’s Fairfax banking office. Herbert was previously vice president and manager for the bank’s Pershing Square branch in downtown Los Angeles.

Consulting

Shannon A. Kelley has joined the downtown Los Angeles office of Resources Global Professionals, an Irvine-based business consulting firm, as director of legal and regulatory practice. Kelley was previously associate general counsel for Move Inc., an online real estate network based in Westlake Village.

Huron Consulting Group, a Chicago-headquartered financial and operational consulting company, has promoted Matthew J. Lester to managing director in its downtown Los Angeles office. Lester was formerly director with the company.

Law

The Century City headquarters of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP has promoted Matthew Hinks to partner in the litigation department, Thomas Levy to counsel in the tax department and Seth Weissman to partner in the real estate department. Hinks and Levy were previously associates with the firm. Weissman was of counsel.

The downtown Los Angeles office of Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP, a Chicago-based law firm, has promoted Ronald D. Kurtz and Karen R. Palmersheim to partners. Kurtz and Palmersheim were previously associates with the firm.

Kevin J. Brody has been appointed shareholder of Hunt Ortmann Palffy Nieves Lubka Darling & Mah Inc., a Pasadena-based law firm. Brody was previously senior counsel with the firm.

Reed Smith, a Pittsburgh-based law firm, has promoted Stephane D. Nguyen to partner in its Century City office, and Amir Shlesinger to partner and Kenneth N. Smersfelt managing partner in its downtown Los Angeles office. Previously, Nguyen and Shlesinger were associates with the firm. Smersfelt was partner.

Shiraz Tangri has been appointed regional chair in the downtown Los Angeles office of Alston & Bird LLP, a law firm headquartered in Atlanta. Tangri is partner in the firm’s environmental and land development group.

Non-Profit

The Los Angeles Urban League, a non-profit organization addressing issues concerning African-Americans and other minorities in Los Angeles, has appointed Carl A. Ballton as chairman. Ballton is senior vice president of San Francisco-based Union Bank of California and the Union Bank Foundation.

Rand Corp., a Santa Monica-based non-profit research organization, has named Frank Carlucci trustee emeritus and appointed Carlos Slim to its board. Carlucci is chairman emeritus of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Slim is honorary life chairman of Mexican conglomerate Grupo Carso.

Production

Granada America, a Sherman Oaks-headquartered television production and distribution company, has promoted Colet Abedi to vice president of development, Robert Baltazar to director of development and current programming, Elvia Flores to manager of development and current programming, and Brian Zagorski to vice president of current programming. Abedi was previously director of development at Granada American. Baltazar was manager of development. Flores was executive assistant. Zagorski was executive director of development.

44 Blue Productions Inc., a reality television production company in studio City, has hired Lisa Knapp as head of development, and promoted David Hale to head of current programming, Monica Logan to development coordinator, Juanita Mitchell to controller and Stuart Zwagil to senior vice president. Knapp was previously a freelance producer. Hale was senior supervising producer with the company. Logan was executive assistant. Mitchell was accounting manager. Zwagil was vice president.

Public Relations

Rogers Group, a Century City-headquartered public relations and communications firm, has hired Keith Creighton as management supervisor and Carol Soudah as account supervisor. Previously, Creighton was vice president of consumer marketing practice in the Chicago office of Edelman, a public relations firm. Soudah was senior account manager at CarryOn Communication Inc., a Miracle Mile public relations and marketing company.

Real Estate

Susan Harris has been promoted to senior director in the West Los Angeles office of real estate firm Charles Dunn Co. Harris was previously director of the company’s retail services group.

Retail

American Apparel, a downtown Los Angeles-based apparel manufacturer and retailer, has appointed Adrian Kowalewski to executive vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, Kowalewski was the company’s director of corporate finance and development.

Transportation

Raymond Jack has been named operations manager of Los Angeles International Airport. Jack was previously airfield manager at the airport.

DONATIONS

The Capital Group Cos., a downtown Los Angeles-headquartered investment management company, has donated 2,500 blankets to the Salvation Army for Southern California shelters. The firm’s offices in downtown Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Irvine and Brea participated in the annual holiday drive.

Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles, a non-profit agency that provides mental health and social services, has received $10,000 from Wells Fargo. The donation will go to the organization’s community food and resource program.