Accounting
Wesley Barrow has joined the L.A. office of Grant Thornton LLP as a partner in the company’s tax practice. Barrow was formerly partner-in-charge of the San Diego tax practice.
Architecture
The West Covina office of Little, a national architecture and design firm, has named three senior associates: Winnie Bautista and Randy Olaes, senior designers; and Holly Sloane, project accountant. Two were named associates: Darin Eng and Joji Marquez, senior designers.
Banking & Finance
Live Oak Capital LLC has appointed Jerry Clebanoff senior partner in its Westlake office. Clebanoff was formerly senior vice president of U.S. Trust Co.
Manuel Salcido has joined First Bank in its Chatsworth branch as vice president. Salcido was formerly client business manager for Bank of America.
Jack Borsting has been re-elected lead governor of the board of governors of the American Stock Exchange. Borsting is a dean emeritus of the USC Marshall School of Business.
Consulting
Laura Kaufman has joined the Southern California branch of Environmental Science Associates, a consulting firm specializing in land use and resource planning, as an office director and senior member of the firm’s community development group. Kaufman was previously vice president and director of environmental services for Envicom in Agoura Hills.
Government
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made the following appointments: Elaine Suranie of Los Angeles has been appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women. She is a critical care respiratory therapist for Glendale Memorial Hospital. Albert Abkarian of Glendale and Susan Melvin of Long Beach have been appointed to the Osteopathic Medical Board. Abkarian is a senior partner at the law firm Albert Abkarian & Associates and Melvin is residency director for Memorial Family Medicine.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has made the following appointments: Helene S. Lohr was appointed to the Los Angeles County Commission on Insurance; and Gary L. Barr was appointed to the Commission on Judicial Procedures. Lohr is an insurance agent for Farmers Insurance and operates her own agency in Manhattan Beach. Barr is a principal at the Encino law firm Alpert & Barr APLC.
Health Care
Kenneth P. Trevett has joined the board of the Southern California Biomedical Council, a trade association for the regional life science industry. Trevett is president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
Internet
Kyra E. Reppen has been named senior vice president and general manager of NeoPets, an Internet youth community. Reppen was previously vice president and general manager of NickJr.com
Law
Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP has promoted Dan Berman to managing partner. Berman was previously a senior partner with the firm.
Management
The California Association of Community Managers has given Rigo Macias of Century Towers Homeowners Association in Century City and Barbara Schwartz of Glen Towers Owners Association in Los Angeles the designation of Certified Community Association Manager. The designation is awarded to those who fulfill a curriculum and work experience requirement in the field of community association management.
Real Estate
NAI Capital an Encino-based brokerage, has hired Lee Black as its new executive vice president. Black was formerly the managing principal of Newmark Knight Frank’s Southern California region.
The Highland Development Co. has hired David Rose as site acquisitions director. Rose was previously a development partner for Arizona Partners LLC in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Technology
Mark Kimball and Rick Sayre have joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Science and Technology Council. Kimball is the director of digital production for the Walt Disney Co. Sayre is the supervising technical director for Pixar Animation Studios.
Working Mother magazine included Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, an international law firm with a Los Angeles office, in its list of 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Companies. The magazine selected businesses based on flexibility, leave time for new parents, child care, elder care and the number of women occupying top jobs.
The Maple Counseling Center will honor the following couples for their philanthropy at the 2006 Crystal Ball on Oct. 25: Wendy and Dr. Asher Kelman will receive the Crystal Award for Community Spirit for the time and resources they have committed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LACMA, MOCA, The Colburn School of Performing Arts, the Beverly Hills Education Foundation, Friends of the Beverly Hills Library and LA Shanti. Asher Kelman is a radiation oncologist and Wendy Kelman was formerly a psychiatric social worker and volunteer. Linell and Robert Shapiro will receive the Crystal Award for Enlightenment for the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Awareness. The Shapiros started the foundation after their son Brent died from a combination of alcohol and drug overdose last year. The foundation specializes in support and communication related to alcohol and drug abuse. Robert Shapiro is a partner at the law firm Christensen Glaser Fink Jacobs Weil & Shapiro LLP.
Tu Dinero, a finance magazine geared toward U.S. Hispanics, has won the & #324; Leadership Award from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Tu Dinero received the award for its work toward bringing financial literacy to the Latino community.
The Los Angeles Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women will honor the following women at its Women at the Top event on Oct. 12: Martha Welborne, managing director of the Grand Avenue Committee; Clare De Briere, vice president and chief operations officer of the Ratkovich Co.; and Kathleen Briscoe, executive vice president of Lowe Enterprises. All three are being recognized for their excellence within the field.
Stephen Bollenbach, co-chairman and chief executive of Hilton Hotels Corp., will receive the Southern California Minority Business Development Council’s 2006 Leadership Award at the council’s leadership awards dinners on Oct. 13 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The council chose Bollenbach because of Hilton Hotel’s commitment to community and diversity as well as its leadership within the hospitality industry.
Escrow on the Laguna Beach home of Roger C. Holden, an investor and former member of the board of trustees for Pitzer College, closed at $15 million, which made it the largest gift in the college’s history. The property was sold as a single-lot tear-down. Holden had bequeathed the house to Pitzer when he died in 1968 but his widow Sylvia Holden Robb lived there until her death earlier this year. Holden had also established the Sylvia Sticha Holden Scholarship Fund, and the funds to build the residential facility, Holden Hall.
Vons/Pavilions stores in Southern California raised $452,000 in five weeks for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The 309 Southern Californian stores exceeded their division’s goal by 27 percent. The money will go to muscular dystrophy research and education as well as community and medical services.
