DAILEY WILL BECOME HEAD OF SCR BOARD

James Dailey, a Corona del Mar real estate developer, will replace John O’Donnell as president of South Coast Repertory’s board of trustees, serving for a one-year term that ends next July, SCR officials have announced.

O’Donnell, also a real estate developer, will remain on the 44-member board.

Newly elected officers for the coming year are Ronald Merriman, managing partner of the Peat Marwick accounting firm, who succeeds Dailey as vice president for SCR’s endowment fund, and James Vandeberg, corporate counsel for Carter Hawley Hale Inc., who becomes vice president for the annual fund.

David Blankenhorn, vice president of First Interstate Bank, will be treasurer and Judith Threshie will be the new secretary.

Four new trustees elected to the board include Ignacio Lozano Jr., editor-in-chief of La Opinion, the Los Angeles-based Spanish-language newspaper, who was chairman this year of the advisory committee that helped organize SCR’s Hispanic Playwrights Conference.

Other new trustees will be Edward Marinaro, chief operating officer of Western Digital Corp. in Irvine, and John Stahr, a partner in the Newport Beach law firm of Latham & Watkins.

“I think that the new trustees are leaders in the community and have an understanding both of the need for program expansion and the fund raising required to do that,” SCR spokesman Chris Gross said.

“The major roles for the trustees are fund raising and overseeing the operation of the theater. They serve on various committees like a congressman is on various committees, such as finance, building and communications.”