ARCHITECTURE
Irvine-based MVE & Partners has hired 19 employees in the past four months. Among those who were added are Marc Cohen as director of sustainability, Scott Holcomb as intermediate designer and Lynn Peckingham as marketing coordinator. Kevin Buchta was rehired as senior designer.
BANKING
University of California, Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake has been added to the board of Bank of the West, a unit of Paris-based BNP Paribas. Drake also serves on the board of the Commonwealth Fund for the bank.
CONSULTING
Precept in Irvine hired Karen Reid as chief experience officer. Precept does benefits consulting and administration. Reid will be responsible for improving customer service and previously served as a board member, consultant and senior manager for various companies.
EDUCATION
The UC Irvine School of Law named Jennifer Chacon senior associate dean for academic affairs. Chacon is a professor at the law school and a graduate of Yale Law School in Con-necticut. She will be responsible for academic personnel.
Lawrence Esten was elected to the board of UCI’s Anteater Athletic Fund. The organization fundraises for the school’s 18 Division I athletic programs. Esten is managing partner at Manning & Marder, Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez LLP in Irvine.
EMPLOYMENT
Ed Ziti has been named vice president of staffing at Amy Zimmerman & Associates Inc. in its Los Alamitos office. Ziti will be working for the company’s Torrance office as well. He has 20 years of experience in recruiting and previously worked for BSM Associates in Irvine.
LAW
Newport Beach-based Cummins & White LLP has named Melanie Balestra and Melody Mosley partners. Balestra is part of the firm’s healthcare practice group and focuses on issues that affect healthcare providers. She also is a pediatric nurse at the Laguna Beach Community Clinic. Mosley joined the firm’s insurance practice focusing on coverage in property and claims under commercial, homeowner, renter and automobile policies.
MANUFACTURING
Pro-X Nutraceuticals, a private label and contract manufacturer of dietary and herbal supplements in Irvine, named Mohammed Khalid president. Khalid previously has been involved in the development of more than 150 supplement products as a consultant and as director of research and development.
NONPROFIT
Providence Speech and Hearing Center in Orange has added Vito Francone to its board. Francone is an office tax managing partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Costa Mesa. Providence provides speech, hearing and language services to adults and children.
REAL ESTATE
Irvine-based Keystone Pacific Property Man-agement has promoted Patrick Hawthorne to insurance coordinator. Hawthorne will oversee the insurance desk, monitor the renewal of all insurance policies for clients and coordinate with insurance brokers regarding coverage. He also will be responsible for vendor licenses and vendor insurance certificates.
Jeremy McChesney has been promoted to senior vice president at Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors in Irvine. McChesney previously served as vice president for the company. He is a member of the Inter-national Council of Shopping Centers and also serves as a guest speaker at Pepperdine University’s master of business administration program for investment real estate.
SERVICES
Aliso Viejo-based Global Language Solutions Inc. has added Rebecca Bernard-Aguiar to its sales team. Global Solutions provides translation and interpreter services. Aguiar previously served in business development positions at Massachu-setts’ Lionbridge Tech-nologies Inc. and London-based Wordbank Ltd. She will be managing marketing and industry accounts.
