Advertising & P.R.

Joseph Lynch was named chief securities officer at Blagman Media International in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for financial matters relating to securities issues. Lynch was most recently an independent multimedia and direct response advertising consultant.

Schnabel Eyes Hotel Growth as Chair of Visitors Bureau

If Rockwell Schnabel has learned anything from his years as a public- and private-sector manager, it’s to not get bogged down in minor administrative details.

He’s applying that rule to his latest role as 2000-2001 chairman of the board of the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, a private nonprofit business association that promotes Los Angeles as a travel and convention destination.

“I’m trying to hone in and get something accomplished without getting too involved,” said Schnabel.

His first order of business for the LACVB is to expand hotel and convention facilities downtown.

Schnabel says the bureau will be working with the Los Angeles Arena Land Co. to further its proposed entertainment and sports district project, which includes plans for a major hotel adjacent to the convention center. While the plan hasn’t yet been approved, Schnabel says the LACVB “clearly” needs to support the effort.

“In order to accommodate the larger conventions, there is a need for expansion and a need for the hotel,” he said. The expansion will help Los Angeles compete with cities like Chicago and Orlando, which have three times as much convention space as L.A., Schnabel says.

Schnabel is also working with an outside consulting firm on an internal restructuring plan to bring the 90-year-old tourist bureau into the next century. The bureau currently has about 80 employees in offices in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., England and Japan.

He has already begun fund-raising for his other pet project, the establishment of a local tourism scholarship foundation to help inner-city students get involved with the industry. Schnabel co-founded and continues to act as a managing director of Trident Capital, a local private equity investment firm. He previously served as acting secretary of commerce and undersecretary of commerce for travel and tourism under then-President George Bush.

Jennifer Smith

Ron Pomerantz was appointed executive vice president of strategy at Taffetdesign, a Santa Monica-based design agency that specializes in branding, marketing, and promoting television networks and programs. He will oversee strategic planning. Pomerantz was formerly vice president and creative director with TV Guide Networks in Los Angeles.

George A. Ross was appointed vice president at Cerrell Associates in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for expanding consulting for the energy industry and for state government projects. Ross was most recently manager of state and local government relations for Atlantic Richfield Co.

Architecture

Kenneth Lewis was promoted to president of AC Martin Partners in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for providing strategic direction on technological innovation, recruitment and marketing, and will manage the firm’s operations. Lewis was previously director of design.

Banking & Finance

J.W. Thomas Ashby was appointed vice president of human resources administration at Imperial Bank. He will be responsible for recruiting management-level officers. Ashby was previously vice president and manager of employment for the Los Angeles region at Union Bank of California.

Timothy J. Fahringer was appointed managing director at Kerlin Capital Group in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for mergers, acquisitions and recapitalizations. Fahringer was formerly managing director of the global financial strategies group at KPMG.

Debby Hart was promoted to senior vice president and manager of the deposit and customer service network at Pacific Century Bank in Los Angeles. She will oversee network and commercial customer operations for the bank’s 28 branches in California and Arizona and will be responsible for cash management, electronic banking and wire services. Hart was most recently a service and production manager with the bank.

Education

Daniel A. Mazmanian was appointed the first dean of the School of Policy, Planning and Development at USC. He will oversee all aspects of the program, which was created by merging the School of Public Administration with the School of Urban Planning and Development. Mazmanian was formerly dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.

Energy

Terry G. Dallas was named chief financial officer at Unocal Corp. in El Segundo. He will oversee financial matters and serve as a member of the company’s management committee. Dallas was most recently senior vice president and treasurer with Atlantic Richfield Co.

Engineering

David V. Shuter was promoted to vice president at Gannett Fleming, an engineering and construction management firm in Los Angeles. He will manage the Los Angeles regional office and will be responsible for project management and area business development. Shuter was most recently a senior project manager.

Entertainment

Bob Boden was appointed senior vice president of production and development at Dick Clark Productions in Burbank. He will be responsible for creating television program development strategies and will also perform assorted production duties. Boden is currently executive producer of “Greed” and previously served as supervising producer of “Family Feud.”

Chris Dobbs was promoted to executive vice president of production at Polestar Entertainment Group in Los Angeles. He will oversee theatrical and television production, post production and marketing. Dobbs was previously a producer for the company.

Lori Shackel was promoted to senior vice president of marketing and creative services at Universal Worldwide Television in Universal City. She will manage all marketing activities relating to first-run television shows and will oversee all online activities. Shackel was previously vice president of marketing and creative services.

Marrsha Sill was named vice president of music licensing at Megatrax Production Music, a North Hollywood-based supplier of original music for film, television, advertising and multimedia. She will oversee all music licensing and contracts. Sill was most recently an account executive with Associated Production Music.

High Tech

William Collins was appointed executive vice president at iRise, an El Segundo-based firm that provides software tools and services for Java-based Internet applications. He will be responsible for sales and marketing. Collins was most recently a senior vice president at International Rectifier Corp. Also, Michael B. Watts was named chief financial officer. He will oversee financial matters and guide the company’s growth. Watts was previously associate partner at the Yucaipa Cos.

Law

William Mark Levinson was named partner at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps in Los Angeles. He specializes in cases involving corporate trusts, municipal securities and affordable housing. Levinson was previously a partner with Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly.

Media

David Boylan was named vice president and general manager of Fox’s KTTV Channel 11 and Regional Sports Net West in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for all business and administrative matters at the station, and will oversee local advertising sales, marketing efforts and program scheduling for Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports Net 2. Boylan was previously vice president and general manager of television station WTVT in Tampa, Fla.

Gene Pritchard was appointed group publisher of HP Professional and Enterprise Linux magazines at 101communications in Chatsworth. He will be responsible for relaunching Enterprise Linux from a quarterly to a monthly publication, as well as strengthening the marketplace position of HP Professional. Pritchard was formerly group publisher of Advanstar Communications.

John Zappe was appointed vice president of new media at the Los Angeles Newspaper Group in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for developing a comprehensive Web site linking all nine of the group’s papers. Zappe was most recently the new media director for Belo Interactive at the Riverside Press Enterprise.

New Media

Anthony F. Branda was named vice president of data operations at PropertyFirst.com, an Alhambra-based online marketplace for the commercial real estate industry. He will be responsible for data mining, data gathering and direct response marketing. Branda was formerly senior vice president and director of marketing at Partners First. Also, Dan Bercu was appointed vice president of retail and strategic development. He will be responsible for PropertyFirst’s retail branding and retail industry alliances and clients. Bercu was formerly with Epsteen and Associates.

H. Jake Mendelsohn was named chief information officer at US Search.com, an Internet-based information verification service based in Los Angeles. He will be overseeing systems operations, technology strategies and business process design for the firm’s business and consumer divisions. Mendelsohn was previously chief information officer for PetSmart.

Real Estate

Steve Reinstein was named senior vice president of development at Regent Properties in Beverly Hills. He will act as project manager for the Hollywood Marketplace project at Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street, and will oversee pre-development activities for the firm’s new projects. Reinstein was previously a consultant to the company.

Schnabel Eyes Hotel Growth as Chair of Visitors Bureau