NEWSMAKERS
Auction
Gooding & Co., a Santa Monica-based auction house, has hired Garth Hammers and Andrew Reilly as auction specialists. Hammers was previously a western region sales representative for automaker Saab. Reilly was an automotive specialist for Bonham & Butterfields, an international auction house.
Banking & Finance
Kenneth Der has joined the new Chino Hills branch of Comerica Bank as assistant vice president and banking center manager. Previously, Der was president of Buddha Inc., a supermarket in Los Angeles.
Kinecta Federal Credit Union has named Karen Christensen senior vice president and chief financial officer; Kevin Faulkner senior vice president of operations; Jorge Ramos vice president of portfolio management, lending analytics and operations; and Mark Steiman chief human resources officer in its Manhattan Beach office. Christensen was previously chief financial officer of Ameriquest Mortgage. Faulkner was senior director of consumer finance technology at bank holding company HSBC. Ramos was senior vice president of ResMae Mortgage Corp. in Brea. Steiman was first vice president and banking channel manager at Washington Mutual in Irvine.
Consulting
Resolution Economics, a labor economics and statistical consulting firm, has named Philip Rowley president in its Los Angeles office. Rowley was previously senior managing director of global expert services firm LECG.
Education
Alice Petrossian has been appointed chief academic officer of Pasadena Unified School District. Petrossian previously served as assistant superintendent of educational services for Glendale Unified School District.
Richard K. Green has been named director and chairman of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. Green was previously director of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Engineering
Paul Reep has been named senior technical adviser of OriginOil Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that converts algae into petroleum. Reep is a member of the licensing team at the Stevens Institute for Innovation at USC.
Entertainment
Warner Home Video has promoted Jeffrey Baker to executive vice president and general manager of theatrical catalog, Jeff Brown to executive vice president and general manager of nontheatrical franchise, and Mike Saksa to executive vice president and general manager of new release. Previously, Baker served as senior vice president of U.S. sales with the company. Brown was head of the company’s nontheatrical franchise business unit. Saksa was vice president of U.S. marketing.
Law
Emily M. Nelson has been named associate at Rutter Hobbs & Davidoff Inc., a Los Angeles-based law firm. Nelson was most recently an associate at Katten Muchin & Rosenman LLP.
Russ August & Kabat, a Los Angeles-based law firm, has appointed Stephen Lobbin partner and Nathan Meyer associate in the intellectual property office of its West Los Angeles office. Previously, Lobbin was senior counsel at Foley & Lardner LLP, a Milwaukee-based national firm. Meyer was an associate with Kaye Scholer LLP, an international law firm.
Tom Muller has joined the Los Angeles office of Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP, a national law and consulting firm. Previously, Muller was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP.
Reed Smith LLP has appointed Allen Z. Sussman partner in the corporate and securities group in its Los Angeles office. Sussman was previously a partner in the Los Angeles office of Morrison & Foerster LLP.
Production
Peter Lee has been appointed chief technology officer and chief strategy officer of the Los Angeles office of Channel M, a digital video company. Lee was previously vice president of business development for new technology at Walt Disney Co.
The Los Angeles office of Zoic Studios, a digital producer of commercials, has hired Paul Ghezzo as 3-D supervisor. Ghezzo was previously a computer graphics supervisor at Sway Studio in Culver City.
Real Estate
Candace Kentopian has joined the Los Feliz office of Coldwell Banker as sales associate. Kentopian was previously marketing director in the investment services group for Charles Dunn Co. in Century City.
Technology
Nick Mehta has been named chief executive of LiveOffice, a Torrance-based technology company. Mehta was previously vice president and general manager at a division of Symantec Corp.
Image Metrics, a Santa Monica-based company developing performance-driven computer-generated facial animation in video games and film, has appointed Dave Rolston to its board. Rolston is chairman and chief executive of Forterra Systems, a company that develops virtual training and collaboration sites.
Donations
Warner Bros. has donated $500,000 to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. The money will be used to fund the medical center’s under-construction Hycy and Howard Hill Neuroscience Institute, which will focus on care and treatment for neurologically impaired patients.
Yoo Mi Chin
