People Watching – October 2007

AVIATION

George Luck, an independent, Everett-area flight instructor, recently had his accreditation as a Master Certified Flight Instructor renewed by the National Association of Flight Instructors. He has held this professional accreditation continuously since 1999.

BIOTECH

Ulf Jonsson, former chief executive of Biacore, and Jim Richey, chief executive of Auguron Biosciences, have joined the board of Plexera Bioscience, a subsidiary of Lumera Corp. of Bothell.

EDUCATION

Edmonds Community College recently selected John Michaelson to serve as its interim vice president of college relations and advancement. Susan Kostick has left the position after nine years to start Susan Kostick and Co., a strategic communications business in Edmonds. Michaelson has more than 30 years of experience as a counselor, classroom instructor, basketball coach and administrator, primarily at colleges in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Most recently, he served as the interim dean of arts, humanities and human services at Arizona Western College. In 2002, he served as EdCC’s interim vice president of student services. Also, Cathie Agor has been named associate director of recruitment and retention, a new position in the human resources department at EdCC. She will work to connect the community to a variety of jobs at the college. For nearly seven years, Agor worked in the human resources division of Seattle Public Utilities for the city of Seattle. In addition, she has more than 20 years of experience as a criminal defense, civil rights and labor relations attorney, including serving as assistant general counsel for labor relations for the Seattle School District.

Everett Community College business instructor Lynne Munoz is the new director of the college’s School of Business Design. Munoz has taught business technology and general business courses for the past 23 years. She has worked at EvCC as a full-time faculty member and adviser in the Business and Applied Technology Division since 1996, earning tenure in 2000.

The Everett Community College Foundation has selected several new members and elected officers for its board of trustees. Joining the board are Charlie Chaffin, Cascade Bank; Dr. Jim Courrier, DDS; Ray Jones, Kimberly-Clark Corp.; David Iseminger, Microsoft; Harold Kelly, Puget Sound Kidney Centers; David Toyer, Barclays North; Dr. Stephen Westcott of Providence Everett Medical Center’s North Everett Clinic; and Henry Veldman, Western Washington Medical Group. Board officers for 2006-07 are President Maureen Ryan, President-elect Mike Deller, Vice President Barb Chapman and Treasurer Kelly.

ENGINEERING &ENVIRONMENTAL

Denna Cline has joined Perteet Inc. as director of transportation planning. Cline has 20 years of experience in management, planning and business development. Previously, she worked as the municipal liaison for The Gateway Program, a $3 billion road and bridge improvement project that spans seven municipalities in British Columbia.

FINANCIAL

Bill Raser, Morris Van Horne and Dan Icasiano have new positions with Cascade Bank. Raser is the new vice president and income property/construction lending officer in the Snohomish branch. He has more than 30 years of experience in the financial field, having served as a branch manager, commercial real estate loan officer and relationship manager before joining Cascade. Van Horne has been promoted to senior vice president and compliance department manager, working from the bank’s corporate office in downtown Everett. He has worked at Cascade Bank since 1979. He has held a variety of positions, including branch manager, construction loan officer, loan origination systems manager and loan servicing department manager. Van Horne became the bank’s compliance and CRA officer in 2000. Icasiano is the new vice president and treasury management director, also working from the Everett headquarters. He has 28 years of banking experience in lending, sales and service, marketing, product development and project management.

Jason Weber has joined the staff of Lynnwood-based Network Mortgage Services Inc. as a senior loan consultant. Previously, Weber worked for Phoenix Savings Bank, where he was presented with an award for outstanding achievement during his first year in the mortgage business. Also, Sharon Maher has joined the staff of Network Mortgage Services as a senior loan consultant. Maher, who has more than 10 years of mortgage lending experience, will work at the company’s Lynnwood Home Loan Center. Her mortgage background includes loan origination and processing.

Elizabeth Brackett has been appointed business development officer for Coastal Community Bank. Brackett has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and specializes in sales, service and training. She has worked in the banking and credit union industry in both the Seattle and Everett areas and throughout the Northwest since 1974. Brackett will be working from Coastal’s downtown Everett headquarters.

Erika Myrick has joined HomeStar Lending and will be assuming a processing position at the company’s Canyon Creek location. She has 10 years of experience in the mortgage industry. Also, Andrea McGibney has been promoted to HomeStar Lending’s banking department as a banking transaction coordinator at the company’s Snohomish location. Most recently, McGibney worked as a processor at HomeStar’s Canyon Creek location.

FOOD INDUSTRY

Kyle Stemmer has joined the consulting division of Bothell-based Parity Corp., a provider of food and beverage manufacturing software and services. With a background in accounting and management services, Stemmer will focus on delivering advanced financial strategies to Parity’s clients. Other areas of concentration will include cash-flow management, pre-audit planning, costing and the establishment of internal controls. Stemmer has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a master’s degree in business administration from Western Washington University.

GOVERNMENT

Ryan Hembree has been appointed Snohomish County’s new agriculture coordinator, succeeding John Roney, who served as the county’s first agriculture coordinator and is retiring after 19 years with Snohomish County. Hembree comes from the county’s planning and development services department, where he focused on agriculture viability, farm policy and public involvement. He has served the Agricultural Advisory Board for six years and is leading a countywide project to identify prime farmlands and plan for sustainable agriculture.

Julie Close, an operations specialist at Snohomish County Airport, has earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics with minors in national security and intelligence and aviation safety from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She graduated with distinction for her outstanding overall grade-point average.

HEALTH CARE

Dr. Dianna Chamblin of Everett and Dr. Gerald Yorioka of Mill Creek have been named to the state Department of Labor and Industries’ medical advisory committee. The committee advises the department on treatments for injured workers. Chamblin specializes in rehabilitation and occupational medicine, and Yorioka is in family medicine.

Chris Walker has joined Integrated Rehabilitation Group and will be the athletic trainer for Everett’s Western Hockey League team, the Silvertips. Walker, who has a master’s degree in sports administration, will train with the team throughout the season. In the off season, Walker will provide athletic training to IRG clients, including direction of many of their varied sports camps.

Amy Hinchcliffe has joined Sky River Natural Health Center in Sultan as an acupuncturist. A former medical assistant, Hinchcliffe has a master of science degree in acupuncture from Bastyr University. Her four-year program included internships at Harborview Medical Center and several clinics.

Dr. Chad Warren and Dr. John Sype have joined the medical team at The Everett Clinic in Everett. Warren works in orthopedics at the clinic’s Medical Office building, and Sype is at the Heart and Vascular Center in the clinic’s Founders building. The Everett Clinic’s 250 physicians serve more than 250,000 patients in Snohomish County. Also, April Zepeda has joined The Everett Clinic as its media and communications manager. Zepeda formerly was a reporter and North Sound Bureau chief for KOMO-Television for 11 years. She has been honored with three regional Emmy Awards as well as a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Reporting.

INSURANCE

Barb Walker has joined the agent team in the employee benefits department of Olympia-based GHB Insurance. Walker is responsible for assisting businesses in the northern Puget Sound area in evaluating their current employee benefit programs and finding solutions that maximize their health-care dollars as well as plan for the future.

Allstate Insurance Co. agent Hien Luong has opened an insurance agency at 19505 44th Ave. W., Suite C, in Lynnwood. The agency offers a complete line of products and services, including auto, property, commercial and life insurance. The agency can be reached at 425-774-8900 or by e-mail to hluong@allstate.com.

MARKETING

Jill Danner of Arlington has joined the advertising agency P.S. Media Inc. of Kennewick. Danner is a 2006 graduate of Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communications, earning a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

NONPROFITS

United Way of Snohomish County recently added three new staff members to its team, rounding out resource development and community impact. Lynn Lewis has joined United Way of Snohomish County as the impact and investment manager working with the Kids Matter Vision Council. Lewis has more than 10 years of experience developing and implementing successful school and community programs advocating for kids and families in the Marysville community. Most recently, Lewis was a United Way campaign executive and intern for the impact and investment team. George Kosovich has joined United Way of Snohomish County as the impact and investment manager working with the Families Matter Vision Council. Kosovich most recently worked for the Community Financial Resource Center in Los Angeles, where he managed financial asset-building programs for low-income families. Heather Fritts has joined United Way of Snohomish County as a resource development associate. Fritts has 18 years of nonprofit experience, including work at Compass Health, Leukemia Society of America and, most recently, at Social Venture Partners.

Sherry Dorey of Lynnwood has been named director of operations for the Edmonds-South Snohomish County Historical Society and Museum. Dorey has more than 25 years of experience in marketing, public relations and fund-raising, primarily with nonprofit arts and educational organizations.

Tulalip tribal member Karen Fryberg has joined the volunteer board of directors for Choice &Consequence, a nonprofit corporation that educates youth about the dangers of smoking, alcohol and other drugs. She will serve as secretary. Fryberg is manager of the Tulalip Tribal Health Clinic.

PUBLIC SAFETY

David Hanson, a Snohomish County Fire District 7 firefighter, recently graduated from paramedic training at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Hanson was hired as a career firefighter for the district in 2005. He now will complete a probationary period working alongside another paramedic in the fire district.

Kathy Baker, Stacy Criswell and Jerry Job are set to attend the National Fire Academy in October. Employed by the city of Lynnwood, Baker and Job are fire inspectors, and Criswell is a building inspector.

TECHNOLOGY

Peter Schwartz, a futurist, is the new chairman of the strategic advisory board for Neah Power Systems of Bothell. The company is a developer of fuel cells for military applications, notebook computers and portable electronic devices. Schwartz, co-founder and chairman of Global Business Network, joins former astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the advisory board.

Aculight Corp., a Bothell-based developer of innovative laser technologies, has hired two new scientists. Dr. Shawn Redmond has joined the company as a senior scientist specializing in high-power laser technology, and Dr. Dan Hu has joined as a senior scientist/project manager to support the company’s product line of high-power fiber laser modules. Redmond joins Aculight from Northrop Grumman, where he was a staff engineer specializing in multi-kW solid-state lasers. He also has been a research assistant at the University of Michigan and at Oregon State University. Hu previously was a senior optical engineer/project manager for Spectra Physics, where he was responsible for diode laser technology and product development. He also has been a senior optical engineer for NP Photonics and a senior engineer for Ciena Corp.