PEOPLE
Compiled by Kristyn von Rotz
ARCHITECTURE
EwingCole hired Lanie Geldert as director of business development for the West Coast. She will work out of the company’s Irvine office.
ELECTRONICS
Cypress-based Universal Electronics Inc. named Bernard J. Pitz senior vice president, chief financial officer. Former chief financial officer Mark Belzowski will remain with Universal for a transition period through the end of January. He will then become a consultant to the company on an as-needed basis. Pitz previously worked for Corning, N.Y.-based Corning Inc. as vice president of finance for the company’s worldwide frequency control operations.
FINANCE
William L. White joined Costa Mesa-based RSM EquiCo as executive vice president, client services. Prior to joining RSM EquiCo, he was executive vice president for the middle market mergers and acquisitions unit of Citigroup Inc.’s Smith Barney. White is a certified public accountant. William C. Morris also joined RSM as executive vice president, client services. William Jefferson Black joined the company as senior vice president, market research and analysis. Prior to joining RSM EquiCo, Black was managing director of Competitive Insights.
RSM McGladrey named Marisa Alvarado tax managing director. She will work in the Irvine office and be responsible for the wealth management team for all Southern California offices. Alvarado joined the company in 2000.
Santa Ana-based Safeco Financial Institution Solutions, part of Seattle-based Safeco Corp., appointed Dave Gramke to the newly created position of vice president, director of operations. He will oversee daily operations at the facilities in Tustin and Latham, N.Y. Gramke has been with the company since 1990 and most recently served the company as regional director for Safeco’s Seattle service center.
Eric S. Mulya was promoted to senior vice president and chief credit officer at Newport Beach-based CommerceWest Bank.
HEALTHCARE
Fort Worth, Texas-based Healthpoint Ltd., part of DFB Pharmaceuticals Inc., named Irvine’s Anne Keith Southwest division manager. She will oversee the Southern California area, Arizona and New Mexico. She previously served as a division manager for French drug maker Sanofi-Synthelabo.
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian elected Jake Easton III and Ginny Ueberroth to the board for a three-year term. Easton is the managing director of the Easton Group. Ueberroth serves as chairperson of the Ueberroth Family Foundation.
INSURANCE
Carolina Venus Cerda joined Yates & Associates Insurance Services in Santa Ana as underwriter in the commercial auto division.
LAW
Los Angeles-based Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP named Rene Raithel a partner in the tax department of the Costa Mesa office.
Michael Petersen was named partner for the Foothill Ranch office Marshack Shulman Hodges & Bastian LLP. He will specialize in corporate mergers and acquisitions, commercial real estate transactions and business finance. Before joining the firm, Petersen held the position of general counsel at Newport Federal Financial. He also spent 20 years at Irvine-based Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc.
NONPROFIT
Ryan’s Reach appointed Bill Lowrey to the board. Ryan’s Reach seeks to aid people with brain injuries and their families by providing financial help and promotional support to Tustin-based High Hopes Neurological Recovery Group Inc. Lowrey is a general partner with Auto Advisory Services in Tustin.
Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County selected Richard O. Mungo, a pediatric dentist with a private practice in Huntington Beach, to serve as a dentist for Healthy Smiles’ new children’s dental clinic. The dental clinic is temporarily in Santa Ana and is set to open a permanent clinic in Garden Grove in 2004. Healthy Smiles is a community-based program that was launched to address the growing need for pediatric dental care in Orange County.
REAL ESTATE
Irvine-based Standard Pacific Corp. promoted Leslie Polley to marketing manager for Orange County. Polley has been with Standard Pacific since 1994. Stephanie Ayres was promoted to the new position of corporate research and communications manager. She previously worked as the company’s marketing manager for Orange County.
Irvine-based Crown Realty & Development hired Jon MacDonald as executive vice president and general counsel. MacDonald joins Crown Realty & Development from Los Angeles-based Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, where he served in the Orange County and Los Angeles offices in the real estate division.
