Newsmakers/35/dp1st/mark2nd

Accounting

Richard Hoting was promoted to director of research in the tax department of Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corp. in Long Beach. He specializes in tax and estate planning services for partnerships and limited-liability companies. Also, James Cordova was promoted to senior manager in the tax department.

Paul Kuperstein was elected president of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a partner at Braverman, Codron & Co. in Beverly Hills.

Advertising & Marketing

Javier Preelooker has been named account manager for Spanish-speaking markets for Pittard Sullivan in Culver City. He will work to expand awareness of the company and its services within the Latino community, domestically and abroad. Preelooker was an account supervisor at Grey Advertising.

Cynthia Wornham has joined Ruder Finn Arts & Communications Counselors in Los Angeles as senior vice president. She will direct expanded West Coast operations. Wornham was formerly manager of public affairs for the J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty Center.

Apparel

Barry Aved was named president of Tarrant Apparel Group in Los Angeles. He will oversee day-to-day operations, managing integration of sourcing, financing, transportation and communications. Aved was previously president and chief executive of Lerner New York.

Lynne Koplin has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Apparel Ventures in Gardena. She will oversee design, merchandising, marketing and sales. Koplin was senior vice president of design and merchandising for Authentic Fitness Corp.

Banking & Finance

Carol Olson has joined Dabney Flanigan in Los Angeles as chief financial officer and chief compliance officer with the investment banking and brokerage firm. Olson was previously manager of clearing operations at Wilshire Associates Inc.

Steven Takei has been appointed senior vice president and regional manager in the commercial banking division of Sanwa Bank California in Los Angeles. He will oversee commercial branches and business banking centers in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and San Bernardino counties. Takei was previously senior vice president at Wachovia Bank in Atlanta.

Consulting

Andrew Patterson has been named a vice president at Mercer Management Consulting in Los Angeles. His work focuses on strategy, organizational effectiveness, and productivity improvement in the energy sector. Patterson had been a principal with Cresap.

Entertainment

Ann Johnson has joined Granada Entertainment USA in Los Angeles as vice president of creative affairs. She will head the series development department, which focuses on comedy, drama and light entertainment projects. Johnson was vice president of Michael Jacobs Productions.

Glen Morgan and Jim Wong have signed a multi-year deal with DreamWorks Television and NBC Studios. The partners will act as executive producers on the drama “The Others” and develop additional series. Morgan and Wong were co-executive producers of “The X-Files.”

Paul Young has joined Animals Are People Too in Los Angeles as director of creative affairs. He is responsible for developing animal-oriented material for the film production company. Young is founder of Literacy & Screenplay Consultants.

Health Care

Jeff Album was promoted to director of public affairs for Delta Dental of California in Cerritos. Album was formerly manager of public and legislative relations.

E. Lewis Reid was elected president and chief executive of the California Endowment in Woodland Hills. Reid has been acting chief executive for the past nine months. In the past, the attorney specialized in representing charitable organizations.

Law

Nelson Handy was named partner at Reish & Lufman in Los Angeles. He is an attorney and accountant who focuses on estate planning, probate and estate administration.

Jill Pietrini has become an equity partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in Los Angeles. She is an intellectual property attorney and heads up the trademark practice for the firm.

New Media

Greg Carpenter has been appointed chief technology officer of Digital Entertainment Network Inc. in Santa Monica. He will oversee technological components of the online network. Carpenter was most recently a developer of DOS and Windows imaging and graphic software for Microsoft.

Tom Sanchez has joined Propertyfirst.com Inc. in Alhambra as senior vice president and chief technology officer. He will be responsible for competitive and market analysis while guiding overall technical direction. Sanchez founded Real USA, a software company. Also, Wayne Warthen was appointed vice president of technology development and operations. He was most recently director of Internet infrastructure and business development at Experian Information Services.

Real Estate

Armando Aguirre has been promoted to senior vice president with Grubb & Ellis Co. in downtown Los Angeles. He specializes in investment sales, shopping center development and leasing, and Latino-targeted retail. He has been a broker with the company for six years. Also, Brian Hennessey was named a vice president in the Grubb & Ellis office services group in Sherman Oaks. His focus will include office sales and leasing in the San Fernando Valley. Hennessey was previously with Madison Partners in Los Angeles.

Fred Cordova was named director of Cushman Investment Services in Los Angeles. His focus on real estate development and transactions includes office, hospitality, industrial, residential, retail, dining and entertainment projects. Cordova was previously vice president of development for Homestead Village Inc.

James Flynn has been named president of the Carson Cos. in Rancho Dominguez. He will focus on industrial development and management. Flynn was formerly managing director of AEW Capital Management.

Dwight Hotchkiss was promoted to director in the downtown L.A. office of Cushman & Wakefield Inc. He is an industrial property specialist who has been with the firm for nine years.

Bleecker Seaman was named executive vice president and chief operating officer of Lowe Enterprises Investment Management Inc. in Los Angeles. He was most recently vice president and chief financial officer of Destination Hotels & Resorts.

Retail

Craig Levra was appointed chief executive of Sport Chalet Inc. in Los Angeles. Levra was previously president and chief operating officer. He will retain the title and duties of president.

William Macfarlane was appointed senior vice president and chief information officer for Smart & Final Inc. in Los Angeles. He will have overall corporate responsibility for technical applications and operations, including warehouse, store and food-service delivery functions. Macfarlane was previously a principal and national director of technology at Senn-Delaney.