People Watching

BIOTECH

Dr. Eric Batson has been hired as vice president in charge of clinical development at MediQuest Therapeutics of Bothell. Batson worked previously as director of clinical affairs and of biometrics for SONUS Pharmaceuticals in Bothell.

EDUCATION

Deborah Martin has been named executive director of human resources and payroll at Cascadia Community College. She has eight years of experience in human resources and labor relations. For the past four years, she served as in-house counsel and director of human resources at Valley General Hospital in Monroe.

ENGINEERING &ENVIRONMENTAL

Robert Galteland has been named president and chief executive officer of Reid Middleton Inc. He assumes overall leadership and management responsibilities for the company. Hugh Townsend, president and chief executive of Reid Middleton since 1993, has been named the company’s chairman of the board. Galteland has been with Reid Middleton for 15 years and has served as the leader of the company’s civil projects group since 1998. He has more than two decades of engineering and management experience. Hugh Kuyper has been promoted to leader of Reid Middleton’s civil projects group. He has 30 years of experience in engineering, 15 of those with Reid Middleton.

Lori Belknap and Amanda Clark have been hired as administrative assistants in the Lynnwood office of Sparling, a specialty electrical engineering and technology consulting firm.

FINANCIAL

Jayme Larsen has been appointed director of production for Integra Pacific Mortgage. Larsen has eight years of experience in the mortgage industry.

Nancy Lewis, a certified public accountant, has joined the firm of Gilbert &Clark of Everett as a tax and accounting manager.

Kris Murrell of Moss Adams Everett has been certified by the Institute of Certified Construction Industry Financial Professionals. Murrell earned the designation by mastering the unique and complex knowledge required in the high-risk and challenging construction industry. Glenn Wattum has been appointed the chair of Moss Adams’ construction industry group. Wattum is a partner in the Everett office and has focused his career in the construction industry, providing tax services and business consulting.

Kim Stevens has been named manager for Wells Fargo’s downtown Marysville location. Stevens, an 18-year Wells Fargo veteran, leads a nine-member team. She most recently worked as the service manager for the same Wells Fargo location. Jason Walton has been named manager for Wells Fargo’s Broadway location in Everett. He most recently managed Wells Fargo’s downtown Marysville location. Walton, a team member with seven years of financial services experience, previously worked as a business specialist.

Michelle Gill has joined Cascade Bank as assistant vice president and branch manager of the bank’s Lake Stevens branch. Gill has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, with a diverse banking background that includes branch banking, investments, customer service and sales management.

Jack Decker and his son, Jeff Decker, both financial consultants for the Everett office of D.A. Davidson &Co., have been named to the President’s Club for exceptional performance.

Kristie Dutton, Karen Dal Cielo, Jennifer Markley and Ron Singh have earned promotions and appointments at Frontier Bank. Dutton, an Everett School Board member, is a loan officer at Frontier’s Monroe office. Dal Cielo, with the bank for eight years, is now operations officer at the company’s downtown Everett office. Markley, also with the bank for eight years, is now a real estate loan operations officer in Everett. Singh has been appointed to consumer loan officer at the bank’s central lending department in Everett.

FOOD SERVICES

Tina Smith has been appointed store manager of the Everett TOP Food &Drug at 1605 SE Everett Mall Way. Smith has 18 years of experience in the grocery industry and has worked for Haggen Inc. since 1999, most recently as perishable manager at Edmonds. The Everett TOP Food store also recently named Tom Rovik as its center store manager and Erin Lovell as perishable manager. Rovik began working for TOP Food stores in 2000 and returned to the company after spending nine months in Iraq as a member of the National Guard. Lovell, a resident of Marysville, has been steadily promoted since joining the company as a garden clerk in 2001.

GOVERNMENT

As the Port of Everett continues to grow and expand its operations, the port recently underwent an organizational restructuring, which included the following personnel changes: Carl Wollebek, the director of marine terminals for the Port of Everett, has been promoted to the new post of senior director of operations for the port. Wollebek, who has been with the port’s marine terminals division for 14 years, will be responsible for the operation of both the shipping terminals and the port’s marina, which is the largest on the West Coast. The port will be seeking a marine terminals director and marina director, who will report to Wollebek. Marina Director Kim Buike submitted his resignation last summer, and his last day at the port was Feb. 16. Also, Scott Grindy, the port’s marine terminals manager, has been promoted to marine terminals facilities and security director. Grindy will oversee all security activities at the port. John Chatterton, the port’s marine terminals security lead, has been appointed to the new position of supervisor-facility security officer; and Ken Cole, who currently works daytime security for the marina, will be lead for security. The Port of Everett also recently selected Jerry Heller for the new position of chief administrative officer. Heller is currently the executive director of the Port of Skagit County and will make the transition to the Port of Everett during April.

Charlotte Walther, procurement and contract administrator for the Port of Everett, has earned the designation of certified professional public buyer. The certification honors individuals in the public purchasing profession. Walther has been with the Port of Everett for eight years.

The Snohomish County Arts Commission has elected Rebecca Chawgo the chairperson of the 14-member cultural board. Under her leadership, the commission will make recommendations to County Executive Aaron Reardon concerning the selection and commissioning of public artwork, and manage the installation of seven newly approved art commissioned for parks throughout the Snohomish County region. Chawgo has worked in nonprofit arts administration and development for more than 10 years. Also, the vice chair position has been filled by former County Council member Barbara Cothern-Hawksford.

HEALTH CARE

Drs. Stephen Mattson and David Yassa have joined The Everett Clinic’s Walk-In Clinic. Mattson received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of Health Services and completed his residency in emergency medicine at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. He also has been trained in flight surgery at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute. Mattson is board certified in emergency medicine. Yassa received his medical degree from the University of Vermont and completed a residency in pediatrics and internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is board certified in pediatrics and internal medicine and has special interests in infectious disease.

Diedrich Meinken, president of CareForce Inc., a home-care and geriatric-care management agency in Lynnwood, has been elected president of the Washington State Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care. The state chapter of the national organization is dedicated to promoting the universal availability, accessibility, coordination and effectiveness of health care that addresses the psychosocial components of health and illness. Meinken has a master’s degree in social work. Lara Davidson has joined CareForce as its financial manager.

Sharon Vanderveen, Rose Brown, Mariamma Njie-Green, Jackie Burns, Naffie Sanyan, Lila Lama Ghising, Patience Njie and Jessie Sylve received awards at the recent CareForce annual meeting and Caregiving Celebration in Lynnwood. Vanderveen and Brown are Caregivers of the Year. Njie-Green, Burns, Sanyan and Ghising earned an award for Coordination of Home Care to a Single Client, and Sylve and Njie received the Live-in Caregiver award. The company employs more than 100 registered and certified nursing assistants.

Pearl McCarty of Edmonds has been recognized as a Caregiver of the Year by Home Instead Senior Care. She works from the company’s Lynnwood office to help seniors live longer in their homes. A college-educated former truck driver and the mother of six children, McCarty was recognized for her caring relationships with clients.

CareGiver NetWork LLC, owned by Dennise Zamora and a recipient of the 2006 Providing Outstanding Service Award by the Association of HomeCare Services, recently presented local caregivers with the Mitchell-Lindberg Outstanding Caregiver of the Year Award. Recipients included Shelley Newell, Linda Perkins, Faith Jackson, Dr. Natalie Meshcova, Anna Knighton, Karen Swanberg and Sandra Whollben.

Stephanie Mitchell, who works at the Stevens Cardiology Group in Edmonds, has been designated an advanced-practice sonographer and a member of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The membership requires five years of certification work followed by annual continuing education.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Matthew Tukey of Everett has joined PRAGMATEK Consulting Group, a business improvement and software solution company, as its new senior consultant specializing in software implementation. Tukey was an information technology specialist for IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers prior to joining PRAGMATEK.

INSURANCE

Allstate Insurance Company recently recognized agent Phil Tourtellot of Everett for his 30 years of service at Allstate. As a part of the Allstate Milestone Achievement program, Allstate agents receive a plaque of recognition honoring their contributions and service of five years or more.

LANDSCAPING

Kathy Jeppsen of Wetlands and Woodlands Wholesale Nursery in Everett and Deby Kohlwes of The Grounds Professionals in Mukilteo were named members of the year by the Snohomish County Chapter of The Washington Association of Landscape Professionals. Steve Hulbert of Bobcat West/Western Washington of Arlington was named supplier of the year, and Darrin French won the contractor of the year award. He’s from Greenridge Landscape LLC in Everett.

Trevor Cameron, nursery manager and buyer at Wight’s Home &Garden in Lynnwood, is the new vice president of the State Nursery and Landscape Association.

MATERIAL HANDLING

Russell Conklin has joined Papé Material Handling in Arlington as a warehouse supervisor. Most recently, he was a service manager for Harley-Davidson in Souderton, Pa. Kenneth LeBlanc has joined the company as parts department coordinator. LeBlanc has 22 years of experience in the heavy-duty truck parts industry and three years of experience in the automotive machine parts industry. Also, Chris Husby has been hired by Papé as a truck driver. Husby held a position with Aurora Rents in Stanwood for the past three years.

NONPROFITS

Sharie Ennis, executive director of Clothes for Kids, recently retired from her position at the nonprofit she helped to found 23 years ago. Mark Smith has been chosen to succeed Ennis. He comes to the organization with 15 years of teaching experience and six years of experience in nonprofit management. Also, Nancy Laird-Burris will fill the new position of volunteer coordinator and shop manager.

REAL ESTATE

CREW Seattle, the regional chapter of the national organization of Commercial Real Estate Women, has installed the association’s 2007 board of directors. Peggy Dreisinger, director of field operations, Metropolitan Improvement District, takes office as president along with 10 other directors. They are: Roberta Fuhr, KeyBank Real Estate Capital, sponsorship, president elect and junior national delegate; Mona Yurk, HomeStreet Capital; secretary/treasurer; Kelley O’Connor, Tarragon, director of communications; and Trudy Powers Hoffman, Sellen Construction, director of community outreach. Also, Kris Beason, Skanska USA Building, director of programs; Shannon Skinner, Preston Gates &Ellis LLP, director of education/scholarship; Melanie Corey-Ferrini, DYNAMIK, director of publicity; Michele Guidinger, Cushman &Wakefield, director of membership; Pat Hamilton-Bell, Stewart Title Guaranty, national delegate; and Patricia Parsons, First American Title Insurance, senior national delegate and past president.