People Watching

Coast | Sperry Van Ness of Everett announced that Zach Schwarzmiller has joined the firm as an adviser. He will specialize in working with buyers and sellers of apartment properties with fewer than 25 units in south Snohomish County.

Bob MacIsaac has been hired as Bank of Washington’s senior vice president for community banking. He oversees the bank’s branch network and commercial banking teams in Snohomish and King counties. MacIsaac’s banking career spans more than 25 years in community and commercial banking.

Premera of Mountlake Terrace has announced the appointment of Janae Sorenson to director of sales, integrated benefits. She will manage sales for the family of companies’ ancillary product lines, with a focus on life, disability, dental, vision and voluntary products. She will also explore opportunities to further integrate the customer experience for all products and solutions offered by Premera.

Diedre Haines, managing broker at Coldwell Banker Bain in Lynnwood, has been elected 2012 chair of the board of directors for Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Haines has been on the MLS board for the past six years and served as vice chair in 2011. Other new officers of the MLS governing body include Bobbie Petrone Chipman as vice chair, Darin Stenvers as treasurer and Ken Anderson as secretary.

Snohomish resident and Cloud611 founder and strategic adviser Jennifer Reed has co-authored a new book, “Microsoft Office 365 for Dummies.” The text is designed to give businesses a head start in cloud computing and help them take advantage of Office 365. It is available at local bookstores and through online retailers.

Edmonds Community College has hired Carol Summers as its vice president of college relations and advancement. Summers was most recently director of marketing and public relations at North Seattle Community College and previously worked as the executive director of marketing and communications at Bastyr University. She has 12 years experience in higher education and more than 15 years experience in private sector sales and marketing.

Scott Pringle, certified professional horticulturist and owner of Paradise Lake Nursery in Snohomish, has been installed as past president of the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association which is celebrating its 75th year of service. Pringle, who grows hydrangeas, has been an active member in WSNLA, serving on the board at his chapter level and holding positions on the executive committee twice.

Environmental health specialist Randall Durant of the Snohomish Health District recently received an award from the Washington State Environmental Health Association. The association elected Durant to receive the John P. Nordin Outstanding Sanitarian award, citing a career of high work standards, expertise and collaborative skills in the environmental health profession. Nordin has practiced environmental health in the Pacific Northwest for 62 years.

Matthew Weston, owner of Fowler Portraits in Edmonds, won a Grand Imaging Award in the Professional Photographers of America international photographic competition in New Orleans. Weston was second in of a field of 4,000 entries, and two of his photographs were selected to be part of the prestigious Loan Collection. Weston has worked at Fowler Portraits since 1986 and has owned it since 1991.

Lorry Green, Brittani Pruett and Hollie Leach of Snohomish County’s Elle Marie Hair Studios are now Redken-certified hair colorists, recognized for their color expertise and commitment to excellence. They have the latest information on hair-color products, trends and techniques. The three traveled to Los Angeles last October for testing and learned the results in January. They are now taking appointments.

Ron Gipson, Everett City Council president, has been appointed to the National League of Cities’ 2012 Finance, Administration and Intergovernmental Relations Steering Committee. He will play a key role in shaping NLC policy, while advocating on behalf of 19,000 member municipalities on Capitol Hill, with the administration and at home.

The Snohomish County Bar Association recently installed officers for the 2012 term. They include President Stephanie Petersen, Vice President William Steffener, Treasurer Jennifer Rancourt and Secretary Roberta Madow. At the same meeting, Judge Michael Downes spoke about developments in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Everett Community College English instructor Lolly Smith is one of just four in Washington to receive the Anna Sue McNeill Assessment, Teaching and Learning Award this year. The award was announced by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Smith has been teaching English and literature at EvCC since 1987 and was one of EvCC’s first online instructors.

Lauri Strauss has relocated to the kpb architects office in Everett. She is a senior project manager and kpb architects’ sustainability and LEED coordinator. She is also executive secretary on the board for the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, a past director of the Cascadia Green Building Council, chair of the Green Building Track planning team for the Alaska Forum on the Environment, and a juror for the International Living Future Institute’s Living Aleutian Home Design Competition.

Dr. Brian Copple is Sultan’s first dual recipient of the Business and Volunteer Spotlight awards. The owner of Sultan Chiropractic and Massage Center has volunteered and served the community on various special projects and commissions for 25 years. He is also a founding member of the Sultan Education Foundation and installed the City of Sultan’s first surveillance camera system.

Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling has named planning manager Rob Chave the interim director of development services for the City of Edmonds. The appointment is subject to City Council confirmation. Chave is a 20-year veteran of the city with more than 30 years experience as a practicing professional planner.

Everett Community College Vice President Christine Kerlin recently received the APEX Award from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Along with the honor, $5,000 will be donated in Kerlin’s name to the Everett Community College Foundation scholarship fund. Kerlin is vice president of the University Center of North Puget Sound. She has worked at Everett Community College since 1996.

Everett Public Schools recognized Kristie Dutton for her service to the youth of the community in a ceremony March 1 at Evergreen Middle School. Dutton has spent a dozen years as a member of Everett Public Schools Board of Directors. She also served as a volunteer and is now a director for the Everett Public Schools Foundation.

Mountain Pacific Bank announced the hiring of Scott Boyer as executive vice president and chief banking officer. He will be responsible for sales, service, marketing and operation of the bank branches. Boyer began his career at Olympic Bank in Everett with Mountain Pacific CEO Mark Duffy. Boyer most recently was executive vice president of retail banking at Sound Community Bank in Seattle.

Carl Varner, a longtime Snohomish County insurance agent who started his career with the Gilkey-Armstrong agency in Everett, is now working as vice president at Seattle office of Hugh Wood Inc., an independent insurance brokerage. His responsibilities will be in the expansion and development of general commercial business for their office in Seattle for Northwest clients and to assist with Hugh Wood clients in the western U.S., with a focus on commercial real estate property owners and managers.

Vertafore, a provider of software and information to the insurance industry, has announced the promotion of Mark Craig to senior vice president of product management and the promotion of industry veteran Bruce Winterburn to vice president of industry relations. Craig is responsible for developing and refining Vertafore’s product strategy. Winterburn’s newly created role will focus on deepening Vertafore’s alliances with the insurance industry.

The Sultan City Council unanimously approved Janet Peterson and Lucy Hitchcock to join the Sultan Planning Board at a council meeting on Feb. 9. Peterson replaces Ken Marshall who stepped down to serve on the Sultan city council. Hitchcock replaces Steve Harris. Both women will take their seats on the planning board at the Feb. 28 meeting.

Pacific Crest Savings Bank has announced that it hired Sheri Pena as a senior vice president. She will oversee client management, the bank’s deposit operations division and be responsible for the expansion of the business banking platform. Cynthia Funaro was promoted to executive vice president. She has been with the bank since 2003 and serves as the bank’s Chief Risk Officer. Wayne (Jay) Bull Jr. was promoted to executive vice president. He has been with the bank since 1998 and serves as the Chief Financial Officer.