VALLEY NEWSMAKERS

Dr. Mary Wilson has been selected as area medical director for Kaiser Permanente’s Panorama City Medical Center Area. In her new role, Wilson leads more than 400 Kaiser Permanente physicians in the East San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys, including those practicing at the hospital and medical offices in Panorama City, and medical offices in Mission Hills, Santa Clarita, and Canyon Country. A graduate of the University of Washington Medical School, she has been a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente for 25 years. She served as assistant medical director to Dr. Ambrosini from 1997-2005. Since this time, she has served as a Southern California regional assistant medical director for Patient Care Experience, responsible for improved member access, service and satisfaction. One of your regional initiatives is “culturally responsive care.” What does this mean? To build on our past work in the area of culturally responsive care, we have developed our Language Concordance Program, which identifies and tests physicians fluent in languages other than English and matches patients to them as their primary care physician. Additionally, we continue to strengthen our language services by training and testing ancillary staff to qualify them as interpreters for Kaiser Permanente. How is the shift to electronic medical records increasing quality of care at Kaiser? The use of electronic medical records continues to pay health dividends for our members. In addition to providing all our physicians with instant access to a patient’s medical data, our digital records allow front and back office staff to identify and address gaps in preventive care, such as the need for mammograms, blood pressure checks, immunizations and more. Banking California United Bank announced the addition of Ted Vournas, senior vice president, regional manager Glendale / San Gabriel Valley, and Leslie Lyons, vice president, commercial banking relationship manager. The two will lead the Bank’s planned 2010 expansion into the Glendale and the San Gabriel Valley market. Vournas is now in his 40th year in commercial banking. He was regional manager serving Glendale and the San Gabriel Valley for First Regional Bank from 2000 to 2010. From 1990 to 2000, he was vice president / manager for Community Bank in Pasadena. Lyons most recently served as first vice president of First Regional Bank, where she and Vournas established the bank’s Glendale branch in 2000. From 1989 to 1999, she was vice president of Community Bank in Pasadena and managed loan portfolios of high-net-worth, professional and middle-market customers in Pasadena and Glendale. She began her career with First Interstate Bank in 1977. California United Bank also announced Paul Verdon will join as senior vice president, regional manager Santa Monica. He will lead the bank’s planned 2010 expansion into the Santa Monica market. Joining Verdon at California United Bank from First Regional Bank will be Laurie Kasper, vice president, Jonatan Silva, assistant vice president, and Olivia Aceves, relationship business associate. Verdon joins CUB from First Regional Bank in Santa Monica where he was senior vice president / regional manager from 1998 to 2010. From 1983 to 1998, he was at Santa Monica Bank, completing his tenure as senior vice president. He previously spent seven years at Bank of America. Wells Fargo named Zorik Yegiaian district manager for its West Valley Hills retail banking market in the San Fernando Valley. He oversees eight banking stores and 200 financial professionals in the communities of Canoga Park, Northridge, Reseda and Woodland Hills. A 25-year resident of the San Fernando Valley, Yegiaian served the past 11 years as a Wells Fargo banking store manager of several Valley locations, including the Balboa-Devonshire branch in Northridge and two branches in Granada Hills. He also held retail banking positions as a customer sales and service representative, personal banker, premier banker, business banker and assistant manager. City National Bank announced it hired Matthew Benson in its Private Client Services Group in Los Angeles. Benson will serve as a vice president focusing on high net worth clients, primarily in downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. In his new capacity, Benson will oversee client service and retention, business development and investment management for the bank’s high net worth clients. He is a Certified Financial Planner. Benson most recently served with U.S. Trust-Bank of America, Private Wealth Management in Pasadena. He joined U.S. Trust in 2006 and has worked with Wells Fargo Private Bank in Beverly Hills as part of a specialized sales team developing wealth plans for individuals and families. Community Bank added Jenny Ketchepaw as vice president, relationship manager in the Fiduciary Specialty Group. The Fiduciary Specialty Group provides access to experts in fiduciary banking, including court blocked accounts, special needs trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships. Ketchepaw is the current board president for Single Mothers Outreach, VP of the Santa Clarita Valley Scholarship Foundation, secretary for VIA, secretary for the Child and Family Centers Young Leadership Corps, secretary for the Leadership SCV Steering Committee, Gala Chair for the Michael Hoefflin Foundation, current member and past president of the SCV Jaycees, current treasurer and past president of Business Connections, and advisory board member for the Repertory East Playhouse. First California Financial Group, Inc. announced that Stacy Peterson was appointed senior vice president and regional manager for Ventura County. David Sabedra was named senior vice president and will head First California’s Ventura office. Peterson comes to First California with nearly three decades of banking experience. She joined Santa Barbara Bank & Trust as senior vice president and regional manager of commercial banking in 2000 and is credited with building the bank’s commercial banking team and presence in Ventura County. Joining Peterson from Santa Barbara Bank and Trust are four relationship managers and a senior underwriter. A career banker since 1971, David Sabedra rejoined First California after having served as senior vice president and regional manager for Ventura County for Los Padres Bank. Consumer Goods Parallel Investment Partners and Newhall Laboratories, Inc., a developer and marketer of branded hair care products including La Bella® and GroWorks, appointed Lee Feldman as president and CEO. Feldman’s experience spans over 23 years of working as an executive in the consumer goods industry with a focus on men’s and women’s beauty products. He has experience in virtually every beauty industry role from merchandiser to executive vice president of sales and marketing and many positions in between. His experience includes key executive positions at Advanced Research Labs where he was instrumental in managing all aspects of sales and marketing and driving the growth of the company until its sale to Henkel. Feldman has been a board member of Newhall Laboratories since October of 2008. Financial Great American Group, Inc., provider of asset disposition, valuation and appraisal services, announced the appointment of Romano “Romie” Castelli as senior vice president Corporate Services for its Wholesale & Industrial Division. He will be based out of the company’s Chicago office as part of the Wholesale & Industrial Group and will lead a team focused on enhancing relationships within Fortune 500 Companies and the Private 1000 Sector. Castelli brings more than 17 years of leadership experience with equipment leasing, surplus asset management, equipment disposition/auction, asset valuation and solution selling to Fortune 500 clients. He was formerly principal and managing director of an investment company specializing in non-traditional distressed asset opportunities. Prior to that, in his 6 years with DoveBid, he was most recently senior vice president of North America and part of the senior management team that helped complete the sale of the company to GoIndustry. Healthcare The Village at NorthRidge, a senior housing community developed and operated by Senior Resource Group (SRG), appointed Tim Maloney as executive director. He will oversee all operations for the soon-to-be completed 275-unit independent living/assisted living community located in the northwest San Fernando Valley. Maloney brings more than 30 years of healthcare and senior housing experience to his new post, including more than a decade with SRG. He previously served as executive director of The Carlisle Naples – a 350-unit luxury senior living community in Naples, Fla., and as executive director at The Village at Sherman Oaks – a sister community to The Village at NorthRidge. With Maloney at the helm, both communities reached and maintained full resident capacity. Pharmavite LLC promoted Mark Walsh to chief operating officer (COO). Walsh brings strong leadership experience to the role of COO from his more than 25 years of working in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, coupled with his experience at Pharmavite leading the Operations organization and serving as an executive team member. He will report to Pharmavite’s board of executive managers. Walsh has been with Pharmavite for 4 years as vice-president of operations and was responsible for demand forecasting, production planning, purchasing, manufacturing, customer service, and distribution for all of the company’s products. Prior to joining Pharmavite, he worked in operations for Mars, Inc. in many different segments over his career, including food, snackfood, and petcare. Connie Barry, president and CEO since 2005, will transition into an advisory role and continue to serve as a member of Pharmavite’s Board of Executive Managers. Insurance Zenith National Insurance Corp. announced that Judge Pamela Foust joined Zenith Insurance Company. Judge Foust has stepped off the bench after 25 years of service in California as a Workers’ Compensation Judge. She has written numerous articles on workers’ compensation issues and has been a frequent speaker on educational programs. Commenting on the appointment, Jack Miller, executive vice president of Zenith, said “We are delighted that Judge Foust has joined Zenith which enhances the capabilities of our talented claims legal team.” Zenith National Insurance Corp. is a property-casualty insurance organization with headquarters in Woodland Hills, California, and provides workers’ compensation insurance nationally through its insurance subsidiaries. Law Ballard Spahr announced that Gary C. Tepper, who has extensive experience defending claims against lenders, franchisors, and lawyers in state and federal venues across the country, has joined the firm’s Litigation Department as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office. Tepper is a member of Ballard Spahr’s Accounting and Professional Liability, Complex Commercial Litigation, and Consumer Financial Services Groups. Before his arrival at Ballard Spahr, he was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Arent Fox. Tepper is a graduate of Brandeis University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and of Yale Law School, where he served on the board of editors of The Yale Law Journal. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Tenth, and District of Columbia Circuits; the U.S. Court of Federal Claims; and the U.S. Court of International Trade. Jeff Gorell, a solo practitioner and former deputy district attorney of Ventura, joined Anderson Kill Wood & Bender, the Ventura office of Anderson Kill & Olick, as senior counsel. He will support the firm’s corporate litigation practice and expand the firm’s practice in the areas of public policy and regulatory affairs. Gorell worked as a solo practitioner from 2006-2009 and served as assistant District Attorney in Ventura County from 1999-2006, trying complex, multi-defendant cases in the major narcotics and serious and violent felony units. He remains a partner in Paladin Principle, LLC, a firm offering strategic public, government and regulatory relations and consulting. He also served in the State Capitol as a writer for then-California Governor Pete Wilson, and later as director of communications for the California Manufacturers Association. Marketing Sahlman Williams Public Relations and Marketing announced that Gary Caloroso, a food marketing industry leader who directed the company’s West Coast expansion out of their Westlake Village office, is the company’s new president. Assuring management continuity, John Williams, the company’s leader who created the food practice, becomes the firm’s chairman. Sahlman Williams’ long-time administrative leader, Cheryl Miller, becomes chief financial officer. In his new role, Caloroso will continue to maintain client relationships with a strong business-centric approach while leading the company’s dedicated team of professionals. He joins Williams, Miller and founder Ann Sahlman as partners of the firm. As part of his strong commitment to giving back to the community, Caloroso also serves as the chief information officer for the Westlake Nautical Foundation and is a member of the Rotary Club of Newbury Park. Media Shaley Brooks joined Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging as a Television Colorist. Brooks will service Warner Bros. Studios and third party television clients, working on such titles as “The Mentalist.” He’ll work with Augie Melendez, director, post production at MPI, who oversees the first-run television services operation. Brooks has more than 50 episodic television and television movies to his credit, including “Desperate Housewives,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Friends,” “ER” and “Battlestar Galactica.” He was most recently a Telecine Colorist at Modern Videofilm’s Burbank facility for nearly 10 years, working on episodic television shows, feature films and music videos. Before that, he was a Telecine Colorist at Four Media Company as well as Anderson Video, where he worked his way from an engineer to a Telecine Colorist. Professional Services BDO Seidman, LLP is proud to announce that Paul Gurrola has joined the Los Angeles office as director of business development. He brings more than 15 years of executive level experience in corporate finance and investment banking with industry expertise in the restaurant, consumer products, retail and technology sectors. Prior to joining BDO, Gurrola served as a managing director of B. Riley & Company (a regional investment bank) where he worked with middle market companies to enhance shareholder value through strategic planning and corporate finance initiatives. He is a board member of the Association of Corporate Growth, Goodwill Industries and East Valley YMCA. Real Estate Eric Nishimoto joined Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura, Inc. as an associate specializing in investment sales. His expertise encompasses pricing, underwriting and sales of retail and industrial properties as well as the development of long-term investment strategies for his clients. Nishimoto joins Lee from Marcus & Millichap where he was most recently an investment sales associate and member of The Azzi Group. His most recently completed transactions include multi- and single-tenant industrial and retail properties and shopping centers. Technology Arecont Vision, an IP-based megapixel camera technology business, announced the addition of Duncan Cooke and Martin Cowley to further expand its sales growth in Europe. Cooke, director of strategic accounts, Europe, has more than 20 years of security industry experience, specifically in sales and strategic relations. Most recently, he directed a multi-million dollar regional business for a division of Assa Abloy Global Technologies (HID Global). Cowley is regional sales manager in the UK. He has worked for companies such as Arrow Surveillance, Norbain, Silent Witness and Grandeye, and was former director of sales covering EMEA and the Asia Pacific Region.