Sample Named Chairman of Board at VitalCom
* Frank T. Sample, president and chief executive of VitalCom Inc., has been named chairman of the board. He succeeds Donald W. Judson, who resigned for health reasons, the company said. Judson, who joined the company as chief executive in 1983, will continue as a technical consultant. Before joining VitalCom in 1997, Sample was executive vice president at IDX Systems Corp. in Burlington, Vt., and resident and chief executive officer at Phamis Inc., which was merged into IDX Systems. VitalCom, based in Tustin, provides computer networks that deliver patient monitoring information.
* Michael J. Lowell has been appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer of Auto-by-Tel, an Irvine-based online car buying program. He was previously president of Auto-by-Tel Marketing. Before joining the company in 1996, Lowell was chief financial officer of Alpha Microsystems and Wahlco Environmental Systems. In addition, Anne Benvenuto has been named senior vice president of marketing. She was formerly senior vice president of TBS Technology-Enabled Marketing. While there, Benvenuto helped develop Auto-by-Tel’s new media plan.
* Max O. Valdes has been named vice president and chief financial officer for First American Title Insurance Co. in Santa Ana. He had been vice president-controller for five years and assistant controller before that.
* Dave Swanberg and Bill Hagen have been appointed vice presidents of finance for HomeBase Inc., an Irvine-based home improvement retailer. Swanberg, who joined HomeBase in 1987 as general accounting manager, will be responsible for financial accounting, Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and administration. At HomeBase, he has been manager of financial accounting, financial accounting director and assistant vice president. Hagen is responsible for merchandise accounting. He joined HomeBase in 1989 as manager of accounts payable and inventory control, and he was later named merchandise accounting director and assistant vice president.
* Jeff Tropsa has joined Object Automation, a Santa Ana industrial automation software supplier, as business development manager. He will focus primarily on the process industries. Tropsa spent the last 12 years with Honeywell Inc.
* Donald Murphy has joined American Sterling Corp., an Irvine banking and insurance firm, as vice president of organizational development and public relations. He is former director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Murphy will be a loaned executive as he serves as executive director of the Hearst San Simeon Historical Monument Foundation.
* Thomas Tschudin has been named business development manager for Gordon and Williams General Contractor Inc. in Laguna Hills. He had been field operations manager since 1994.
* Donald H. Kasle has been elected to the board of directors of America’s Community Bankers, a national trade group for savings and community financial institutions. He is president and chief executive of Western Financial Bank in Irvine.
* Gary Wertz has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing for Flex-Foot Inc., an Aliso Viejo developer of prosthetic devices. Wertz previously managed his own sales and marketing consulting firm, and he has 20 years of marketing and sales experience in the health care industry.
* Regina Fodor has been named to the dual position of assistant vice chancellor and executive director of development at UC Irvine. She had been acting associate vice chancellor of university advancement.
* Richard Villasenor has been appointed customer service supervisor, western region for SK&A; Information Services Inc. in Irvine. He joined the company in marketing support and then served as a customer service representative.
* John Carollo has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing for American Microwave Technology in Anaheim, a manufacturer of radio frequency power amplifiers. He had been with HP/Avantek as manager of sales and marketing since 1989.
* Sherry Smith Mancini has been installed as 1998 president of the Orange County Assn. of Realtors. She is with Star Real Estate in Huntington Beach.
* Kathy Leek has joined Adventures at Sea in Newport Beach as director of public relations. She was formerly director of marketing for the Cannery Restaurant and Harbor Cruises, Malarky’s Irish Pub, the Riverboat Restaurant and the Balboa Dessert Co.
* Dean Smith has been made a partner of McGladrey & Pullen LLP, an accounting and consulting firm. He is senior manager in the Anaheim office.
* Suzanne M. Scholz has been named account supervisor for Buckley/Friedman Advertising and Public Relations in Costa Mesa. She was previously director of marketing at S.M.S. Sales Marketing Strategies in Corona del Mar.
* John Koncki has been appointed director of product development for CKE Restaurants Inc. in Anaheim. Koncki will oversee the development, testing and implementation of new and promotional products and packaging for Carl’s Jr. restaurants. He has been with CKE since 1987 as manager of product development and has served as manager of product optimization since 1993.
* Mitzi Riley has joined Sunwest Bank as vice president, commercial account officer at the Tustin branch. She had been assistant vice president of the commercial office at Sanwa Bank in Mission Viejo. Riley also has served as asset manager for Cornerstone Bank, private banking division manager at the San Diego branch of Homefed Bank and assistant vice president of the Bank of California in Newport Beach.
* J. Randy Alexander has been named executive vice president of Premier Laser Systems Inc. in Irvine, with responsibilities for sales, marketing and strategic business units. He joined the company from Chiron Vision, where he was senior vice president, Asian Pacific, Latin America, Australia and Canada operations. Before that, he was president of Pharmacia Intermedics Inc. in Pasadena.
* Paul Holling has joined the Voit Cos.’ property management division in Irvine as vice president/regional manager of Orange County, San Diego, Arizona and Nevada. He was previously director of new business development for Mile High Properties in Denver. Holling has also held positions at the Charles Dunn Co., O’Donnell/Insignia, Southmark Corp. and Coldwell Banker.
