People on the Move: Cardiff resident appointed national sorority education chairman

By: North County Times - | Saturday, January 5, 2008 8:04 PM PST ∞

The National Council of Delta Zeta Sorority has appointed Beth Luton as national sorority education chairman.

Among other responsibilities, Luton will oversee the implementation of sorority education programming.

Professionally, Luton is the director of human resources for TRI-AD, a benefits administration service provider headquartered in Escondido.

Escondido resident named Child Shield, USA agent

Pamela Miller of Escondido recently was named as an independent registered agent for Child Shield, USA, a national organization dedicated to the safety of America's children.

The primary goal of Child Shield, USA is to reduce the alarming numbers of lost, missing, abducted and runaway children in America. As part of its efforts, the organization offers a child safety kit that provides an easy-to-follow educational program designed to empower parents and children with important knowledge that can help prevent tragedy.

For information, call Miller at (760) 489-0753.

Local attorneys named partners at The Loftin Firm

Attorneys Josephine Lewis of Carlsbad and Jon Rodrigue of Encinitas have been named partners at The Loftin Firm, a full-service law firm based in Carlsbad.

Lewis will be responsible for the opening of the firm's branch office in Nashville, Tenn., which is anticipated to open Oct. 1. Rodrigue will be responsible for the California Real Estate Transaction Division of the firm.

Matthew Noonon joins Cavignac & Associates

Matthew Noonan of San Marcos has joined Cavignac & Associates as a new broker in the employee benefits department of the San Diego-based commercial insurance brokerage firm.

Before joining Cavignac & Associates, Noonan worked with John Burnham Insurance in San Diego. Previously, he worked for four years at Citibank in San Diego.

Victor Felix joins La Jolla Playhouse board

The San Diego law firm of Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP announced that senior counsel Victor M. Felix has joined the board of trustees of the La Jolla Playhouse.

La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and was revived in 1983. The playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theater on the campus of UC San Diego.

Felix focuses his practice on intellectual property and business litigation.

Morrissey Construction hires project manager, promotes employee

Morrissey Construction Co. in Oceanside recently hired Robert Liles as its senior executive project manager. The company also promoted Ronald Morrison to general superintendent.

Liles was previously employed by Douglas Barnhart and Gafcon Construction as a project manager/superintendent. Morrison has been with Morrissey Construction since 1997.

Lorena Gonzalez appointed Labor Council's secretary-treasurer/CEO

Lorena Gonzalez has been appointed as secretary-treasurer and chief executive officer of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council.

The decision came from a unanimous vote by the Labor Council's delegate body. The delegates, who represent the 119 local unions affiliated with the Labor Council, followed a unanimous vote by the organization's executive board.

Gonzalez, who has served as the Labor Councils' political director since September 2006, takes over for retiring Jerry Butkiewicz effective Jan. 2.

She will be the first female to lead the Labor Council since its charter in 1902.

Charlene Seidle promoted to VP, philanthropy, of Jewish Community Foundation

The Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego has promoted Charlene Seidle to vice president, philanthropy.

Seidle oversees the foundation's Donor Services department, its development and grant-making programs, community planning initiatives and the Jewish Community Disaster Fund. She plays an important role in general management of the foundation and directs its Jewish Women's Foundation.

Comerica Bank announces new assistant vice presidents

Comerica Bank announced that Ly Bernal of Oceanside has joined the bank as an assistant vice president and banking center manager for the new Escondido branch. Bernal, formerly an assistant vice president at Wells Fargo Bank, has more than 12 years of experience in the financial industry.

In addition, Christopher de Jesus of San Diego has been named assistant vice president and banking center manager of the Encinitas Comerica branch. Most recently, de Jesus was an assistant manager in a retail bank branch for U.S. Bank. He has more than five years experience in the financial industry.

Auerbach named managing partner at law firm Trovillion

San Diego-based law firm Trovillion, Inveiss & Demakis APC announced the addition of attorney Richard Auerbach as managing partner to its new Los Angeles County office. With more than 20 years of experience practicing law, Auerbach specializes in the defense of state workers' compensation and subrogation claims.

In addition, TID announced that attorney Cinda Ayres has assumed a senior associate position in its Riverside County office, where she will continue to practice and specialize in the defense of state workers' compensation cases. Ayres has been practicing law for more than 15 years and has been with TID for 10 years.

The Elizabeth Hospice CEO elected to NHPCO board

Laura Miller, president and chief executive officer of The Elizabeth Hospice in Escondido, has been elected to the board of directors for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Miller will be the West Geographic area director and will represent patients and their families on important national issues such as Medicare reimbursement, palliative care and quality of care in hospice programs.

Miller joined The Elizabeth Hospice as its director of Patient Services in 1989, became the executive director in 1995 and was named CEO in 2001. In 2005, she received the prestigious Pierre Salmon Award of Excellence for her outstanding contributions to the advancement of hospice and palliative care in California and Nevada.

H. Bruce Smitham joins Willis Allen Real Estate

Broker associate H. Bruce Smitham has joined Willis Allen Real Estate's Rancho Santa Fe team. Smitham, a native of Southern California, has 32 years of successful experience in the real estate industry.

Kieran Gallahue appointed CEO of ResMed

Poway-based ResMed Inc., a manufacturer of medical equipment for the treatment and management of sleep-disordered breathing and other respiratory disorders, announced that its board of directors has appointed Kieran T. Gallahue to serve on its board of directors and act as president and chief executive officer in accordance with the succession plan previously announced on Aug. 30, 2007.

Gallahue succeeds company founder Dr. Peter C. Farrell, who will continue serving as executive chairman of the board.

Gallahue has been president of ResMed Global since September 2004 and is a member of the board of directors for Volcano Corp., a NASDAQ-listed company focusing on diagnosis and treatment of vascular and structural heart disease.