CALABASAS : Chamber to Install President, Officers

The Calabasas Chamber of Commerce will hold an installation dinner tonight for its new president, Donna Heyn, a partner in a local accounting firm.

“She is a bright, innovative, intelligent and strong woman,” said Carol Amenta, the chamber’s executive director. “She can also be compassionate and caring. I just think she’s dynamite.”

Heyn, a resident of Woodland Hills, replaces Jeff Blum, who served two terms as president.

Also to be installed to the chamber’s 1995 board of directors are Marie White as vice president, Steve Brevidoro as secretary and Garrett Parkinson as treasurer.

Heyn, who was the chamber’s treasurer for the past year, is a partner in the accounting firm of Vasin, Heyn & Co. The firm, which has been in the city since 1992, works with growing businesses to help increase their profits, she said.

She said her main goal is to help make members more aware of how the chamber can benefit them. She also wants to foster good relations between the chamber and city officials.

“The relationship between the chamber and the city is crucial,” Heyn said. “We all have the same goals, and we can double our power if we work together.”

She said another goal is to continue the success of the Calabasas Days Pumpkin Festival, which is held in the fall. Heyn will be chairwoman of the event this year. She praised the efforts of Blum, who was last year’s chairman. “It involves a lot of work, and Jeff worked really hard,” she said.

Heyn, who is married and has one child, graduated from the University of Texas in 1976 with a degree in accounting. She moved from Austin to Los Angeles in 1982. Before co-founding Vasin, Heyn & Co., she worked for two auditing firms for 11 years.

For the past three years, she has been a member of the National Assn. of Women Business Owners, she said. She is also a mentor for the American Women’s Economic Development Corp., a federally funded program that assists women entrepreneurs.

The dinner will be held at the Calabasas Inn beginning at 7 p.m. with cocktails. Information: 222-5680.