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PEOPLE




Compiled by Christina Hur

ACCOUNTING

Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corp. named Vernon Moore as partner and

Ed Fazio as senior manager. Moore is in the audit and assurance department and will be based in the Irvine and Long Beach offices. Fazio is in the tax and accounting services department at the Irvine office.

ARCHITECTURE

Jeff Gill, principal at the Irvine office of MCG Architecture, was promoted to vice president. Gill also was elected as 2008 president for the American Institute of Architects California Council. He currently serves as vice president of regulation and practice, and will act as first vice

president for the group this year.

The Newport Beach office of MBH Architects added Maryam Pfeiffer as senior designer to the design studio. Prior to joining, Pfeiffer was as a senior project architect at Royal Caribbean International.

Studio SA in Santa Ana hired Mary Grbic as director of interior design. Grbic has 15 years of experience in corporate interiors, tenant improvement and strategic facilities planning.

ASSOCIATIONS

Danielle Bates joins the Orange County Business Council as director of communications. Bates most recently was at the Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission, where she developed and managed communications strategies.

EDUCATION

Timothy Hansen was named director of admissions for the Art Institute of California, Orange County, in Santa Ana. Hansen worked within the Art Institute system of schools for seven years, most recently as second director of admissions for the Art Institute of Seattle.

The Anaheim office of New Horizons

Computer Learning Center hired Adam Goodman as operations manager. He

previously was director of information technology operations at LaunchPad Communications.

University of California, Irvine, appointed H. Kumar Wickramasinghe as professor of electrical engineering and computer science as well as the Henry Samueli endowed chair. Prior to joining, Wickramasinghe was a nanoscience and technology researcher at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose.

EMPLOYMENT

Debra Hutton joined San Clemente-based Strategic Staffing Inc. as director of sales. Hutton has 19 years of experience in the employment industry.

HEALTHCARE

Cogent Healthcare Inc. in Irvine promoted Russell Holman to chief operating officer. Holman previously was senior vice president and national medical director for the company. Cogent provides hospitalists,doctors who solely work in hospitals,and supporting services such as data management.

The Orange County Health Care Agency named Samuel Stratton as medical director for Orange County Emergency Medical Services. Prior to joining, Stratton was medical director for the Redondo Beach Fire Department.

LAW

Newport Beach-based Newmeyer & Dillion LLP added three associates: John Bowerbank, Daniel Ryan and Laura Shpiro. Bowerbank practices in business, insurance, real estate and construction litigation. Ryan focuses on construction litigation and insurance law. Shpiro practices in business litigation, labor and employment law, real estate disputes and construction litigation.

Jay Gandhi was appointed partner at the Costa Mesa office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP. Gandhi specializes in complex business litigation.

NONPROFIT

Audrey Carter was appointed chief operating officer of New Directions for Women, a drug and alcohol recovery center for women in Costa Mesa. Prior to joining, Carter was program director of Seabrook House in New Jersey.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center elected Sandra Cavanaugh to its board. Cavanaugh is president of Washington Mutual Financial Services Inc.

REAL ESTATE

Gene Mergelmeyer was promoted to executive vice president at the Orange office of Assurant Specialty Property, which provides creditor-placed homeowners insurance and outsourcing services to the mortgage industry. Mergelmeyer formerly was president and business leader for the company’s lending solutions business. Assurant Specialty is a unit of Assurant Inc.

First American Corp. in Santa Ana promoted Thomas Schlesinger to senior vice president, director of national settlement services operations, and hired Sandra Bell as vice president and chief marketing officer. Schlesinger also is vice president of First American Title Insurance Co.

The Shopoff Group, a private real estate investment company in Irvine, added Larry Roberts as project manager and Brian Cassingham as corporate real estate

broker.

TECHNOLOGY

Brea-based C.T.E. Systems Inc., a provider of time and work force management software, named Eric Lund as executive director of sales. Lund has 14 years experience in the time/attendance and payroll fields.

Stephen Rizzone was appointed as chief executive of SyncVoice Communications in Costa Mesa. Rizzone has more than 35 years of executive management experience in the industry.

Information in People is supplied by businesses. Submit items to features@ocbj.com or Orange County Business Journal, Attention: People, 2600 Michelson Drive, Ste. 170, Irvine, CA 92612. Include the name and phone number of someone to contact. Photos are encouraged but cannot be returned.

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