People
ARCHITECTURE
Ronald D. Krater, dir-ector of planning for Newport Beach-based JBZ Architecture + Planning, has been named a principal of the firm. Krater joined JBZ in January 2001. He previously was a senior associate with the Irvine office of EDAW. An urban planner, Krater has experience in master planning, community design, recreational planning, landscape design, site planning, urban design and design guidelines for masterplanned communities
Industrial and office designers GAA Architects of Irvine have promoted senior designer Stephen Przybylowski, project manager Roger Hurtado and director of administration Sherry McGrew to associates at the firm.
BANKING
Eric S. Mulya has been promoted to vice president of the credit department of Newport Beach-based CommerceWest Bank. Mulya’s appointment is part of the bank’s efforts to streamline its credit operations.
Newport Beach-based Downey Savings an-nounced that Gary F. Torrell has been named general counsel, executive vice president and corporate secretary. Torrell previously served at City National Bank. Downey Savings also named advertising executive Bob Davis senior vice president and marketing director. Davis worked for several major San Francisco ad agencies.
BUSINESS SERVICES
Laguna Hills-based software company Blytheco Inc. has appointed Mike Kelly sales manager. Kelly, a resident of Newport Beach, previously served as business development manager for Spinnaker Financial Resources and Robert Half Management Resources.
CONSTRUCTION
Jeff DeFeo of PinnacleOne Inc. in Irvine has been appointed to direct the firm’s dispute avoidance and resolution service as well as its national seminar service. DeFeo will focus on public clients and be responsible to further support areas of claims avoidance, dispute resolution, scheduling, program management, contract administration and training.
ENVIRONMENT
Donna McCormick has joined Jones & Stokes Associates Inc. as associate principal and senior environmental planner in the firm’s Irvine office. She will manage environmental analyses, with a concentration on highway and transit projects. She will be lead analyst for visual impact assessment and teach regulatory courses. Mc-Cormick previously worked as an environmental planner for Parsons Brinckerhoff. Jones & Stokes is an environmental consulting firm with offices throughout the West.
LAW
Aliso Viejo resident Bruce Canter, a partner with Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP’s Orange County office, has been elected to co-chair the firm’s intellectual property practice with E. Patrick Ellisen, an intellectual property litigator in the firm’s Silicon Valley office.
Costa Mesa law firm Rutan & Tucker LLP has created a new land use and natural resources group, and named partner Kathy Jenson to lead it. The new group is composed of some 30 attorneys from the firm’s public law and real estate departments, and is intended to meld the sections’ expertise.
MARKETING
Christine Carpenter, formerly the senior director of marketing at the Block at Orange and Ontario Mills, has been promoted by the Mills Corp. to senior director of marketing for the western region. She will be stationed at the Block at Orange.
NONPROFIT
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Orange County Affiliate elected Laguna Niguel resident Kathy Pearson to chair the 11th Annual Race for the Cure, with Santa Ana resident Ginny Espenship elected co-chair. This is Pearson’s first year on the Komen Foundation board but she has been involved with Komen for six previous races. Espenship has been involved with the Komen Foundation for seven years. This year’s Race for the Cure is scheduled for Sept. 22.
REAL ESTATE
Four women have joined Keystone Pacific Property Management Inc.’s Irvine office. Katie McEvoy, Carrie Anne Fleming, Roslyne Chen and Valerie Vu. McEvoy and Fleming will work as community association managers, Chen will function as business relations coordinator and Vu will act as an associate community association manager.
RESTAURANT
Amy Mills has been promoted to general manager of Maggiano’s Little Italy in Costa Mesa. She will be responsible for supervising Maggiano’s 150 employees and its day-to-day operations. She previously worked at Maggiano’s in Denver.
SALES
San Clemente architectural audio company Sonance announced that David Wilkins has joined the company as national retail account manager. He is charged with expanding sales of Sonance retail brands HiFiWorks and HomeTech. Wilkins was formerly vice president of sales at Olympia Group Inc.
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