The Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC) named Carol Martinez program coordinator of its West San Fernando Valley Business Assistance Program in Canoga Park. Martinez previously served as program coordinator for VEDC’s Women’s Business Center and as VEDC’s human resources coordinator. What is the purpose of your new position? I will be marketing workshops, one-on-one consultations, trainings, and the loans we offer. It’s a recruitment position to provide technical assistance to entrepreneurs and existing business owners. What area and types of entrepreneurs do you serve? We serve Canoga Park, Reseda, Winnetka, West Hills, Woodland Hills, Tarzana Chatsworth and Northridge. And we work with any type of business that needs help with customer service, marketing, and financial management, especially the ones that are struggling right now. Mayor Villaraigosa just awarded $15 million to VEDC. Is that money helping fund your work? That money is to be used to create jobs, and our focus is to create jobs and send business owners to VEDC to obtain further capital. Two programs that are very popular are the Microenterprise Training Program, which assists business owners to manager their businesses, and the Entrepreneurial Training Program that helps clients start a business. VALLEY NEWSMAKERS Accounting Hutchinson and Bloodgood LLP promoted three individuals to partner. Carla Kuhns, CPA of the El Centro Office, is a graduate of San Diego State University and joined Hutchinson and Bloodgood LLP in 1998. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in private industry for 20 years in accounting positions covering various industries and different countries. Donna Osborne, CPA of the El Centro Office, joined Hutchinson and Bloodgood, LLP in 1996. Osborne is involved with a diverse clientele including governmental units, agribusiness and retail entities as well as providing tax services. She also is a member of the firm’s accounting and auditing committee. Scott Suekawa, CPA of the Glendale Office, joined the firm as part of the IT consulting practice in March, 2001. Prior, Suekawa worked in public accounting as an auditor and obtained his CPA license. With more than 10 years experience as a systems consultant, he focuses on accounting/ERP software systems implementation and project management. He specializes in finance, security, warehouse management, distribution, manufacturing, EDI, business intelligence tools, databases and CRM. Associations The Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) named Marla Vasquez, senior vice president and regional president for Wells Fargo’s San Fernando Valley Community Bank, to its board of directors. Vasquez is a 15-year veteran of Wells Fargo, previously serving as the Community Bank regional president for the Pacific Coast market. Awards The San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center honored NBC Weekday Councilman Tony Cardenas and weathercaster Fritz Coleman and others at its 4th Annual Moving Lives Forward Awards Gala which took place Sunday, October 4. The Gala recognizes individuals who are dedicated to shedding light on and improving the mental health of individuals and families within the community. Brett S. Ellen, president and CEO of Calabasas-based American Financial Network, received the Community Leadership Award in the Mentoring Excellence category presented by Invest in Others Charitable Foundation and InvestmentNews magazine. Ellen was chosen for his work with Turn Kindness On – Helping Hands, an organization established to promote community involvement and social responsibility among young children. His involvement with TKO runs the gamut from co-founder and board member to hands-on participant in service projects. Economic Development The Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC) named Carol Martinez program coordinator of its West San Fernando Valley Business Assistance Program in Canoga Park. Martinez previously served as program assistant for VEDC’s Women’s Business Center, then as VEDC’s human resources coordinator. Entertainment Rich Ross, president of Disney Channels Worldwide, has been named chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. Ross will oversee worldwide production, distribution and marketing for the company’s live-action and feature animated film labels, including Walt Disney, Touchstone, Miramax and Disney/Pixar. He will also head Disney’s theatrical and music groups. Ross joined Disney in 1996 as Disney Channel’s senior vice president of programming and production and was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility before being named Disney Channel president in April 2004. Healthcare Health Net of California named Larry Tallman vice president of sales. Tallman has more than 25 years’ experience in the sales, marketing and account management arenas. Most recently, he was executive vice president of sales and marketing for MGIS, a privately held benefits administrator. His earlier experience includes stints with Blue Shield of California; Ingenix, a health care technology subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group; and WorkingRx, a pharmacy benefits management company. Tallman is based in Health Net of California’s Woodland Hills headquarters. Ora Karp Gordon, M.D., an expert in cancer and genetics, joined the staff of the Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center to provide counseling and treatment for patients and their family members who may be pre-disposed to cancer. Gordon fills a critical need at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center’s expanding cancer program in working with families of cancer patients to determine how great a risk they might face due to genetics. Providence Saint Joseph’s Disney Family Cancer Center is due to open early next year. Until then, new programs will be housed within the main hospital. Hospitality Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport appointed Reginald McDowell to the position of vice president and area managing director. McDowell brings more than 30 years of experience to his new role at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport. Prior to that, he served as vice president of operations to Interstate Hotels and Resorts where he directed operating hotel projects across the United States and Canada. He also served as vice president of operations and general manager to the Los Angeles Marriott where he collaborated with owners to reposition the hotel management and work on development projects. Technology BlackLine Systems expanded the customer support capability for its flagship account reconciliation and financial close software suite, by naming Kelly Darren, CPA, as director of support services. Darren has more than 15 years of experience in the accounting industry. She started her career in audit at Deloitte & Touche, LLP, before transitioning into private industry where she held senior financial management positions at several large corporations including Chrysler, Takata and Armstrong-White. Donna McCollum, who previously headed up BlackLine’s customer support effort, has been appointed as director of quality assurance going forward. Prior to joining BlackLine, McCollum was manager of financial technology at SunGard Treasury Systems. Electro Rent Corporation appointed Herb Ostenberg to the newly created position of national sales director, Advanced Technology Partner Channel. Ostenberg will lead the sales organization devoted to servicing Agilent’s customer base. Electro Rent expects to hire 50 employees in support of this new channel. Ostenberg spent part of the last 10 years at Agilent as national sales manager and vice president and general manager. He was responsible for leading the company’s sales, support, marketing and order management functions for the Americas, as well as developing the sales team strategy for the western United States and Canada. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) has been named to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Corporation. The board of trustees is the Institute’s governing body. Padilla is an alumnus of MIT, graduating in 1994 with a degree in mechanical engineering. MIT Corporation members include distinguished leaders in science, engineering, industry, education, and public service. The corporation is responsible for reviewing and providing guidance on strategic directions, approving annual budgets, exercising long-term fiduciary responsibility, approving the establishment of new degree programs or courses of study, approving degrees, and electing the president and other officers. MRV Communications Inc. added an additional independent director to its board of directors, increasing the size of the board from eight to nine members. The company’s board approved the appointment of Joan E. Herman, CEO and president of Herman and Associates LLC and former CEO and president of WellPoint Inc.’s Consumer Business Unit. The appointment will become effective upon MRV filing its Form 10-K. Herman will become chairman of the board’s compensation committee and will serve on the nomination and governance committee. Document Systems appointed Steve Ortiz to the position of sales manager of the company’s Glendale office. Ortiz joined Document Systems in April 2009 and is leading a sales team that provides document strategies for all aspects of business. His primary focus is the Los Angeles market. He has 15 years of management experience, and spent the past six-and-a-half years with Canon Business Systems as a senior sales account executive. He was responsible for more than 200 accounts and helped create document solutions for numerous companies.