Freedom Communications Names CEO

Freedom Communications, the Irvine-based publisher of the Orange County Register, promoted its magazine division head to president and chief executive of the media company. Samuel C. Wolgemuth, 56, succeeds James N. Rosse, 67, who has served as Freedom’s CEO since 1992 and announced his retirement plans last year. The appointment takes effect Oct. 1.

Wolgemuth joined Freedom in 1995 as president of the company’s fledgling magazine unit, building the division from three titles to a high of 20, including World Trade magazine, Home Office Computing and POV Magazine. Last month, Freedom sold World Trade and several other titles to Michigan-based Business News Publishing.

Before joining Freedom, Wolgemuth led a business and technical publishing group at Simon & Schuster, where he oversaw 13 companies with a total of $500 million in revenue and 2,800 employees.

* Northern Trust Bank, a 110-year-old private bank based in Chicago, named Sherry Barrat president and chief executive of Northern Trust Bank California. In addition, Glenn Perry was named senior vice president and statewide director of marketing for the California unit.

* Professional services firm Arthur Andersen has appointed former FBI special agent Thomas A. Hughes to its business fraud and investigative services practice in Los Angeles.

In addition to providing Andersen clients with anti-fraud consulting, Hughes will evaluate corporate clients’ security systems and procedures. He previously conducted fraud investigations and security evaluations at Andersen’s Boston office.

* A. Dwight Hotchkiss has been promoted to director of Cushman & Wakefield’s downtown office. Hotchkiss is an industrial property specialist for the Los Angeles-based real estate services firm.

* The California Endowment, a private foundation that promotes access to quality health care to the state’s underserved communities, has elected E. Lewis Reid president and chief executive.

He has been serving as the Woodland Hills-based foundation’s acting CEO over the last nine months, during which time the foundation made $162 million in grants to more than 300 charitable organizations.