People in News
Compiled by Samantha Lee
ARCHITECTURE
Guy R. Duerwald has been promoted to associate at Lee & Sakahara Architects AIA Inc. in Irvine. As associate, he will oversee the firm’s industrial and commercial projects. Duerwald has been with the Lee & Sakahara for the past two years.
CONSTRUCTION
Jennifer Velis has been promoted to office manager for Granite Homes, Irvine. Velis will work with all levels of the Granite Homes team, including human resource, documentation and working environment. Additionally, the company has hired Charlotte Kovacik to assist with its escrow and marketing activities.
The Home Builders Council announced its incoming executive officers. Neil Morrison, Tetra Tech Inc., president; Fred Graylee, Hunsaker & Associates, past president; Elizabeth Shanahan, FC Construction Inc., first vice president/secretary; Marji Knitter, The Moote Group, second vice president and treasurer; Shannon Joachimstaler, executive director; John Sands, Brookfield Homes, member at large and Elsa Trujillo, The Gas Company, member at large.
ENTERTAINMENT
Bandai America Inc., Cypress, has appointed Michael Riley vice president of sales and marketing. Riley will oversee new property acquisitions and develop relationships with entertainment companies.
FOUNDATIONS
Laguna Beach resident Donald L. Bendetti has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation, Yorba Linda. Bendetti oversaw construction of building from 1989-90 and has served as foundation vice chairman and secretary since 1997.
GOVERNMENT
Assemblyman Lou Correa (69th District, Santa Ana) has been elected to serve on the state assembly’s Banking and Finance Committee. The committee’s primary jurisdictions are all legislation impacting financial institutions, property finance and corporate securities law. Correa also serves on the Appropriations, Education, Jobs, Economic Development, and Local Government committees.
HEALTHCARE
Lake Forest-based I-Flow Corp. has named Kevin Farrell, Michael Schuster and Jim Thompson regional sales vice presidents. Farrell previously was vice president of sales, North America at Goleta-based Computer Motion Inc. Schuster joins the company from Tyco Healthcare Group, where he was regional director of integrated delivery networks. Thompson formerly was national sales manager at King Systems Corp., a manufacturer of medical disposables.
LAW
William S. O’Hare, an attorney and administration partner at the law offices of Snell & Wilmer, Irvine, has been appointed president of the Orange County Bar Foundation. O’Hare, a Laguna Beach resident, heads the law office’s commercial litigation practice group.
Jeffrey B. Kirzner has been admitted as partner to the Irvine office of Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue. Kirzner is a member of the litigation group and general litigation practice and joined the firm in 1994.
MANAGEMENT
The Merit Cos., Mission Viejo, has promoted Karyn Saab to facilities director. Saab will work in the company’s regional office and will deal with corporate expansion and will be responsible for locating, leasing and furnishing new and existing facilities. She has been with Merit since 1990 and previously was corporate facilities manager.
MARKETING
Scott Zafran has been hired by Irvine-based BDS Marketing as account director. Zafran will work on the Thomson Multimedia account and be responsible for strategic direction and managing account team performance.
PUBLISHING
Rajesh Gupta, professor of information and computer science at the University of California, Irvine, has been appointed the editor-in-chief of the journal IEEE Design & Test of Computers. Gupta previously served as the magazine’s associate editor-in-chief.
REAL ESTATE
Robert Griffith, a senior investment broker in the Financial Services Group of Cushman & Wakefield’s Orange County office, has been promoted to executive director.
RESTAURANT
Loret Carbone has been appointed chief people officer for Newport Beach’s Ruby’s Diner. Carbone joins the company after serving as president of Chicago’s Flat Top Grill. She will work in human resource management and employee relations, including the development of diversity and employee retention programs, the implementation of compensation and bonus plans, and communications.
TECHNOLOGY
Santa Ana-based Starbase Corp. has appointed Jim Harrer president and chief operating officer. Previously he was president and chief executive of Web Associates Inc., an Internet professional services company. Harrer also will retain his position on the company’s board of directors.
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