NEWSMAKERS
Accounting
Howard Weitzman has joined Moss Adams LLP, a public accountant firm, as a business assurance senior manager. Weitzman was previously a senior manager at Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles.
Architecture
GMPA Architects, which specializes in urban residential and commercial design, has appointed Deborah Briers as marketing director, Robert Wehrli as project architect, and Daryl Starzer as an associate. Briers was previously marketing director with AC Martin Partners, another architecture firm. Wehrli was with Killefer Flammang Architects. Starzer was with GMPA Architects.
Banking & Finance
B. Riley & Co. Inc., an equity and investment banking company, has appointed George Santana as senior analyst of small cap companies in the alternative energy sector in its Los Angeles headquarters. Santana was formerly a business consultant at Sixth Street Consulting.
Consulting
Rick Lizdenis has been promoted to growth leader in the Los Angeles office of Marsh, a risk specialist company. Lizdenis was formerly a sales professional in the Los Angeles and Newport Beach offices of the company.
Entertainment
Playboy Enterprises has appointed Gary Rosenson to senior vice president of affiliate sales and marketing. Rosenson was formerly senior vice president of cable sales and affiliate marketing for the entertainment and media company.
LATV, a bilingual music and entertainment network distributed digitally, has hired Bill Jenkins as vice president of advertising sales. Jenkins was most recently sales manager for Telefutura in Los Angeles.
Government
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has nominated Olga Garay as general manager of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Rafael Lopez as executive director of the Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families for Los Angeles. Garay was most recently an independent producer and performing arts consultant. Lopez was the interim executive director of the CCYF of Los Angeles since August 2006 and before that, the deputy director for the CCYF of San Francisco.
Human Resources
KornFerry International has promoted Gary D. Burnison to chief executive, effective July 1. Burnison is chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
Marketing
Hilary Glaholt has joined Trailer Park TV, the television marketing division of Trailer Park, as a producer. Glaholt was an in-house producer at Fox Broadcasting.
Non-Profit
Jody Frisch has been named director of public policy and government affairs of the Writers Guild of America West, a non-profit organization representing writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable and new media industries. Frisch was previously the vice president of public affairs at the National Foreign Trade Council.
Alzheimer’s Association, California Southland Chapter has hired Barbara Goen as vice president of communications and marketing and David Coscia as director of special events. The association also promoted Cheryl Bernstein Gurin to vice president of development. Goen was previously senior vice president for Rogers Group, a communications company. Coscia was most recently prize-segment producer for the television game show “Hollywood Squares.” Gurin was formerly the director of leadership giving for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Dan Witzling has been hired by Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles as director of communications. Witzling was most recently an account executive at Cerrell Associates Inc., a Los Angeles public affairs firm.
Public Relations
CarryOn Communications, a public relations and marketing company, has promoted JP Schuerman to managing director at its Los Angeles headquarters. Schuerman was formerly vice president and practice leader at the company.
Steven Caplan has joined GMMB, a strategic communications firm focused on public affairs, as a partner in its Los Angeles office. Caplan was previously at the Association of Independent Commercial Producers as executive vice president.
Real Estate
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, a hotel investment services firm, promoted Arthur Buser to president and John Strauss to executive vice president and hired Romy Bhojwani as senior vice president. Buser was formerly managing director with the firm. Strauss was senior vice president. Bhojwani was previously vice president of asset management at Hilton Hotels Corp. in Beverly Hills.
Thomas Cole has joined Highland Development Co., a developer of retail mixed-use projects and subsidiary of Marcus & Millichap Co., as a director of construction. Cole was most recently director of development at LNR Property Corp.
Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services has promoted Robert Pinto to vice president, brokerage services. Pinto was formerly director of marketing for the firm.
Chris Dillavou has joined Brookfield Properties, an owner, developer and manager of office buildings in downtown Los Angeles, as a leasing manager. Dillavou was formerly a leasing associate with Jones Lang LaSalle, another real estate management company.
Majestic Realty Co., a real estate development firm, has hired real estate attorney Reon Roski as in-house counsel. Roski previously was of counsel at Century City law firm Christensen Glaser Fink Jacobs Weil & Shapiro LLP.
Retail
Rachel Ashwell Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of furniture and sleepwear, has hired Nancy Green as chief executive, Michele Pascoe as chief financial officer, and Mary McKay-Grbich as vice president of stores at its Los Angeles headquarters. Green was formerly executive vice president and general merchandise manager in San Francisco at Williams Sonoma, Inc., a kitchenware retailer. Pascoe was most recently group chief financial officer at Warnaco Swimwear Group. McKay-Grbich was previously western regional manager for American Eagle Outfitters, a retail clothing chain.
Technology
Jory Tremblay has joined Fetch Technologies, an El Segundo Internet company, as vice president of business development. Tremblay was formerly a business solutions executive at ADP, a payroll and human resource management company.
Global Conference, a conference call company, has hired Alex B. Cory as chief executive. Cory was most recently chief executive at Neven Vision, a technology company.
Mitch Gates has been hired by Encore Hollywood, a visual effects company serving the entertainment industry, as CG Supervisor. Gates was previously senior technical director at Digital Dimension, a computer generated images producer for motion pictures.
Bill Humphrey has joined Technicolor, an entertainment visual effects producer, as executive vice president, sales, marketing and account management. Humphrey was formerly with IBM Business Consulting Services as a partner in the media and entertainment business.
Interthinx, a provider of fraud prevention tools for the mortgage industry, has hired Marina Marcarian as team lead investigator. Marcarian was most recently vice president of quality control with Mandalay Mortgage.
Westinghouse Digital, a manufacturer of LCD TVs, has hired John H. McAlpine as chief financial officer. McAlpine was most recently executive vice president, chief financial officer and director with Targus Group International Inc., a retail producer of computing cases and accessories.
KUDOS
Health Imaging & IT, a diagnostic imaging and radiology trade magazine, named Liberty Pacific Medical Imaging president and chief operating officer Steven R. Renard as one of the top 25 innovators in health care for 2007. Renard has more than 15 years of imaging experience and has served in his present capacity at the company since 2003. LPMI has centers in Long Beach, Encino and Castro Valley.
Conning Chu
