VALLEY NEWSMAKERS

The City of Lancaster appointed a new deputy mayor to act as a liaison to China as the city tries to get Chinese businesses to expand to the area. Kit Yee Szeto, who works as an attorney at R. Rex Parris Law Firm in Lancaster and resides in the city, was selected for the post. “I’m hoping to establish a lot of relationships with businesses and investors in China and to hopefully to get them to establish their businesses here in Lancaster so it will create jobs for the citizens of Lancaster,” Szeto said. She added she plans to primarily focus her efforts in the manufacturing and real estate industries since they have the highest job creation potential. She said she will be able to connect with the Chinese investors because of her legal and business background, and also because of her cultural understanding. “My cultural background is what’s going to help me the most,” Szeto said. “It will help with the language barrier.” Szeto was born in Hong Kong and lived there until she moved to the United States at age 5. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, with a concentration in corporate finance. While at the university, Szeto served on the USC Student Senate. The new deputy mayor also obtained her law degree from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles, where she served as the production editor of the Loyola Law School of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review. Szeto has been working in Lancaster as an attorney for more than a year and is a member of the Antelope Valley Bar Association and the Antelope Valley Chinese Association. – Jessica Selva Awards Sophia Acevedo from Granada Hills Charter High School was a recipient of the Northrop Grumman Engineering Scholars award, which supports promising high school seniors who intend to pursue a career in an engineering-related field. She received a $10,000 college scholarship and was honored at an awards reception in June hosted by Northrop Grumman’s Navigation Systems Division in Woodland Hills. KCSN, the public radio station based at Cal State Northridge, was awarded two first place honors by the Associated Press Television Radio Association (APTRA) during a ceremony at Disneyland in Anaheim. The KCSN team, which consists of news director Keith Goldstein and broadcast journalism students, received the award for “Best Newscast – more than 15 minutes,” as well as first place for “Best Serious Feature.” Banking Community Bank has hired David A. Rosso as First Vice President & Business Manager at their newly opened Woodland Hills Business Banking Center. The new branch opened July 1. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Rosso is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration in 1971. He has experience in retail banking with a major California bank, and has also worked for major international wholesale banks in Los Angeles handling their West Coast marketing responsibilities. He has spent the last 7 years working with middle market companies in the San Fernando Valley, Calabasas, Westlake, Oxnard, Camarillo and Ventura. Union Bank, N.A., announced that Daniel Cobb and Robert Egbert have joined its Residential Lending group as mortgage consultants. Cobb oversees the Southeast San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica regions, while Egbert oversees the Western San Fernando Valley and Santa Clarita regions. In their new role they will provide consultation for branch offices in the mid-state region. Education Brian Flynn has been appointed director of development for the School of Business at Woodbury University. Flynn has been a major gifts development officer at the Claremont University Consortium, Stanford, USC and most recently at HMRI, a medical research organization in Pasadena. Certified Financial Planner Elad Goren, co-founder of the wealth management firm Financial Pointe and a community volunteer, has been selected as Vice Chair of the Moorpark College Foundation. Goren has been with Financial Pointe since its inception in 2004. He was Chairman of the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce in 2003. Goren has served on the Moorpark College Foundation since 2002. Marla Vasquez, senior vice president and regional president for Wells Fargo’s San Fernando Valley Community Bank, has joined the Woodbury University Board of Trustees. Vasquez currently serves on the board of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association. Entertainment The CW has named Paul Hewitt as Senior Vice President, Network Communications. In this new position, Hewitt will oversee and develop communications strategies and media relations to reach all the network’s key constituents in the programming, advertising and station communities, as well as all internal communications. He will also be responsible for overseeing CW program publicity campaigns across all media platforms. Hewitt succeeds Paul McGuire, who earlier this week was named Senior Vice President, Worldwide Corporate Communications, Warner Bros. Entertainment. Hewitt has served as Vice President, Corporate Communications, The CW, since it was formed in 2006. Finance Calabasas resident Rebecca Rothstein, a managing director and private wealth advisor for Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, has been named to Barron’s annual list of America’s Top 100 Women Financial Advisors. She ranked No. 2. Government California Senator Alex Padilla has been elected to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Board of Directors for a three-year term. Established in 1976, NALEO is a nonpartisan membership organization whose constituency includes more than 6,000 elected and appointed Latino officials throughout the United States. It is the nation’s leading non-profit organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process. Non-Profits The Child Care Resource Center, a private non-profit agency dedicated to the promotion of higher standards in child care and early education, has added four new members to its Board of Directors. The new members are: Aaron Green – Director of Political and Community Relations at The Afriat Consulting Group Anthony Peña – Vice President/Relationship Manager at Wells Fargo Bank Neil Reynolds – Environmental Services Professional Edward Hill – President at Geotechnologies, Inc. Real Estate Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services announced the promotion of Danny K. Bahng to associate vice president investments in the Los Angeles office. Most recently, Bahng was a senior associate. Bahng joined the firm in June 2000 and was promoted to associate in 2001. He was promoted to senior associate in 2003. The board of directors of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, promoted Richard J. Ringer to the position of first vice president investments. This achievement is one of the highest levels of recognition the firm awards to its investment specialists. Most recently, Ringer was a vice president investments. The board of directors of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation has promoted Adam J. Petriella and Jerry M. Wise to the position of first vice president capital markets. Petriella and Wise both joined MMCC in 2005. Petriella began his career with Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services Inc. as an associate in 1987. Wise started his career with Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services Inc. in 1985. Western National Property Management, the property management arm of Western National Group, has appointed Laura Khouri as president. Khouri will lead a team of over 700 real estate professionals that currently manages more than 22,750 residential units within 155 communities located throughout California, Arizona and Utah. Khouri joined Western National Group in 1985. Prior to assuming the position of president, she was president of Western National Group’s Multifamily Ancillary Group. Technology MRV Communications Inc. chief executive officer and director Noam Lotan was scheduled to step down on June 30. The Board of Directors of the telecommunications company appointed industry veteran Dilip Singh to replace Lotan on an interim basis, effective July 1 for a one-year term. Singh has 38 years of operational executive management experience with global major Fortune 500 telecom carriers, as well as entrepreneurial experience with start-ups and early stage telecom software companies and network equipment providers. Most recently, Singh was CEO of Telia-Sonera Spice Nepal, the second largest wireless operator in Nepal. THQ Inc, a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software, announced the promotion of Martin Good to executive vice president, kids, family, casual games, and global online services. He will report directly to THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell. Good has significant experience in the video game industry, including a ten-year tenure at THQ, most recently as Senior Vice President of THQ Asia Pacific and Global Online Publishing. The company also announced the integration of the Online Business Unit within the company’s Core Games and Kids, Family and Casual Games Business Units. In his new role, Good will also oversee Online Services, which will provide the delivery of online games across both business units.