Airports Selena Birk was appointed acting airport manager of Van Nuys Airport. She will oversee operations, administration and noise-reduction programs. Birk was previously chief management analyst and leader of LAX’s Airfield Permits Bureau. Banking & Finance Brett van den Berg was appointed first vice president and manager of Community Bank’s Glendale business banking center. He will be responsible for loan and deposit production. Van den Berg was most recently manager at the Huntington Park branch. Also, Joyce Patzold was appointed vice president. Patzold was previously relationship manager at the Burbank office. Michael Wagner was appointed assistant vice president and branch manager for the Encino retail office of First Federal Bank of California. He will be responsible for sales and operations. Wagner was previously a financial advisor for PaineWebber. Entertainment Nadia Bronson was promoted to president of international theatrical marketing, distribution and operations at Universal Pictures in Universal City. She will be responsible for international distribution and operations for all feature film releases as well as overseeing overseas marketing. Bronson was most recently president of international marketing. Anne Gates was named senior vice president and chief financial officer at Disney Consumer Products in Burbank. She will be responsible for all finance and accounting functions and will lead the division’s budgetary and strategic planning reviews. Gates previously headed up the operations planning and analysis group at Walt Disney Co. James M. Kraus was promoted to executive vice president and general sales manager for Carsey-Werner Domestic Television Distribution in Studio City. He will oversee domestic sales operations. Kraus was most recently senior vice president and regional sales manager. High Tech Michael Farina was named vice president of operations and engineering at McKibben Communications, a satellite distribution service in Chatsworth. He will be responsible for operations, including signal monitoring and conditional access, as well as installation and maintenance of equipment. Farina was most recently vice president of engineering at Lifetime. Richard Moskowitz was named chief executive at Perceptronics, a computer-based simulation systems and software company in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for developing revenue-generating projects and forming strategic alliances. Moskowitz was previously an independent marketing specialist and investor. Ira Tabankin was appointed vice president of worldwide marketing at Coyote Network Systems in Westlake Village. He will be responsible for marketing at all Coyote companies. Tabankin was most recently an executive with Cadence Design Services. Insurance Bruce W. Marlow was named president and chief executive at 21st Century Insurance in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for overall strategy and regional expansion. Marlow was previously president of independent agency markets and senior vice president of Allstate Corp. Media Steven Flans was appointed marketing director at Weider Publications in Woodland Hills. He will be responsible for marketing and promotion efforts for the firm’s fitness, sports and health group of magazines. Flans was previously corporate marketing director at Miller Publishing. New Media Andrew B. Wilson was appointed president and chief operating officer at Need2Buy.com, a Westlake Village-based business-to-business online marketplace for electronic components. He will oversee operations and lead efforts to open additional markets for the firm’s technology. Wilson was previously senior vice president of strategic resources at Bowne Business Solutions/Donnelley Enterprise Solutions. Nonprofits Steve Klappholz was named executive director of development for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood. He will assist with fund raising. Klappholz was previously a fund raiser for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Personnel Steven Finnick was promoted to vice president of operations at DNA Search Inc. in Encino. He will oversee daily operations. Finnick was most recently general manager. Security William Clement, Peter Goodman, Gary Kohrt, and Ross Shuster were appointed vice presidents at Cardkey, a Simi Valley electronic security company owned by Johnson Controls. Clement will be responsible for business integration and expansion and was formerly Johnson Controls’ L.A. regional sales manager. Goodman will oversee financial matters and was previously a financial manager at the firm’s Michigan office. Kohrt will oversee the engineering department and formerly directed systems development for Johnson’s Milwaukee operation. Shuster will be responsible for sales and previously served as sales manager for the San Francisco area. Real Estate Ellie Bendes was promoted to vice president and manager of lender fund control services at Integrated Resources in Westlake Village. She will monitor and control disbursement of lender funds for construction loans. Bendes was previously executive assistant to the president. Raffi D. Krikorian was named president of Investment Real Estate Associates in Sherman Oaks. He will oversee the sale of income-producing properties. Krikorian was previously managing and general partner at Sperry Van Ness in Encino. Research Miles E. Holsworth was appointed senior partner and vice president of finance with J.D. Power and Associates in Agoura Hills. He will be responsible for finance and accounting functions and office services. Holsworth was most recently chief financial officer and acting president at JESI in Los Angeles.
