PEOPLE: Newsmakers Accounting Mel Kohn has been re-elected to a two-year term as chairman of the Los Angeles Business Tax Advisory Committee. Kohn is a managing partner of Kirsch, Kohn and Bridge CPAs in Encino and co-chair of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association Local Issues Committee. Education Los Angeles Valley College has named Raul V. Castillo as executive director, foundation and community relations. Previously, Castillo was the deputy director, corporate and sponsorship development at The Music Center where he focused on raising money from corporations to support educational programs as well as dance productions and presentations. Entertainment North Hollywood-based Megatrax Production Music has promoted two existing executives and hired a new account executive. Jonathan Braun has been promoted to senior licensing director of broadcast TV. His responsibilities will include licensing Megatrax music to all foreign territories. He will also expand Megatrax’s outreach into government and corporate accounts. Braun originally joined Megatrax in 1997 as licensing manager for public TV and cable accounts. Prior to joining the company, he was sales manager and supervisor for Disney Books by Mail. Cassidy Richey was promoted to sales administrator. Her responsibilities will include licensing Megatrax music to numerous post-production companies, advertising agencies and corporate clients. She originally joined Megatrax as an executive assistant. Chuck Hamshaw has joined the company as an account executive. He will license Megatrax music to radio stations, video game developers and streaming media companies. Previously, he had been a touring musician and outside composer contributing to numerous Megatrax projects. Financial Services Calabasas-based Countrywide Credit Industries Inc. has named mortgage and financial services industry lobbyist and consultant Pete Mills senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs. Mills will draw on an extensive public policy background in the financial services arena. He will also be responsible for managing relationships with outside political consultants and industry organizations. Mills joins Countrywide from Federal Financial Analytics where he served as senior vice president. Previously, he was vice president of government relations for the Money Store. Countrywide Credit also has appointed Gwendolyn Stewart King to its board of directors. King is currently the president of Podium Press. Prior to the launch of her company, she held positions at PECO Energy Company, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and The White House. Countrywide Credit has promoted three senior managers to newly created Managing Directorate positions. David Bigelow was named managing director, strategic planning. Bigelow will lead Countrywide’s strategic planning processes and related activities. In addition, he will be responsible for executive communications projects. Bigelow joined Countrywide in 1993 and has held several leadership positions within the Corporate Finance Department. Jennifer Shiley Sandefur was named managing director, investor relations. Sandefur will be the primary contact with the equity and fixed-income investment community, including institutional inves-tors, retail shareholders and research analysts. In addition, she will manage the direct equity capital-raising activities and relations with credit rating agencies and commercial banks. She will maintain her role as treasurer of the company. Sandefur joined Countrywide in 1994 as vice president and assistant treasurer. David Spector was appointed managing director, secondary marketing. Spector will oversee trading execution and related functions including sales, coordinating and facilitating government-sponsored enterprise relationships and pricing dissemination. He joined the company in 1990, and most recently served as executive vice president, secondary markets. Encino-based Metrociti Mortgage has appointed Gary R. Bechtel first vice president and division manager. He will lead Metrocommercial Capital, the commercial lending division of Metrociti Mortgage. Bechtel has over 16 years of experience in the mortgage business and most recently served as director of a large mortgage company. Ronald E. Scott has been appointed first vice president, investments for Merrill Lynch. Scott has been a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch for over 30 years. He specializes in financial planning with emphasis on retirement and estate planning. Technology Chatsworth-based SonicPort Inc. has appointed Charles Ramey as president and CEO. Ramey most recently was president and a founding partner of PaymentNet Incorporated. Previously, he served as chairman, president and CEO of Multidata Corporation. Vertel Corporation of Woodland Hills has appointed Alex Kuo to its board of directors. Kuo currently serves as chief marketing officer and vice president, business development with Vertel. Kuo joined Vertel as chief marketing officer concurrent with the acquisition of assets from Trigon Technology Group. Prior to joining Vertel, Kuo was a co-founder of Trigon, serving as that company’s chairman and CEO. Kuo also held the position of chief operating officer and executive vice president of DSET, a network management software provider.