Published April 2004

People Watching

AEROSPACE
Lawrence Dong, who works for the Boeing Co. in Everett, has been given an Asian-American Engineer of the Year award by the Chinese Institute of Engineers. Dong, who lives in Bellevue, is the configuration leader for the 7E7 program.

AUTO
Buzz Rodland of Rodland Toyota of Everett has been named chairman of the American International Automobile Dealers Association. He has been a member of the association’s board of directors for eight years.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
John Doolittle has joined the Snohomish County Economic Development Council as a research assistant. He also will assist the council’s staff in responding to inquiries from businesses interested in locating in the county.

EDUCATION
Charles Seaton has been named director of the Materials and Process Development Center, a new state and federally funded center of excellence in advanced materials science and manufacturing in Snohomish County that will develop local expertise. Seaton previously was president of Heath Tecna, an aerospace products design and manufacturing business in Bellingham, and has worked as an industrial consultant.

FINANCIAL
Charlie Chaffin has been appointed vice president and Women’s Financial Group manager for Cascade Bank. In her new role, Chaffin, who has more than 26 years of banking experience with other regional and community banks, will develop and bring to market a suite of banking products to meet the needs of women business owners and professionals. Also, Kristoffer “Kit” Tangen and Bill Gasperetti are new vice presidents of income property and construction lending for Cascade. A resident of Bellevue, Tangen will serve borrowers in Snohomish and King counties. Gasperetti, who previously worked for another local bank, will serve borrowers in eastern King County.

Frontier Bank has announced a number of promotions: Warren Williams has been named assistant vice president of the financial control department; Cyndi Wolf has been named assistant vice president and commercial loan officer in the main branch; Jenniffer Douthit has been named operations officer in the Stanwood office; and Rozanne Reedy has been named operations officer in the Duvall office. In addition, the following new bank officers have been hired: Michael Fitzgerald and Ken Pasco, as vice presidents and real estate loan officers in the real estate department, and James Bouchard, as commercial loan officer in the Sumner office.

Jan Thompson-Whitson has joined Lake Mortgage’s Everett branch as a mortgage loan consultant. She brings 30 years of mortgage lending experience in the greater Puget Sound market.

Lori Kirkus and Becky Paul have been promoted by First Heritage Bank. Kirkus has been named to the newly created position of compliance specialist, where she will oversee the bank’s compliance with all federal and state regulations. Paul replaces Kirkus in First Heritage’s shareholder relations department.

Snohomish resident Dianne Wasson, vice president and manager for HomeStreet Bank’s Affinity Lending, was recently honored by Fannie Mae with a Community Lending Hero award. Wasson has more than 25 years of experience in the mortgage lending industry and has held numerous leadership positions advocating affordable housing, including serving as a governor’s appointee to the Washington State Affordable Housing Advisory Board.

Judy Degernas has been promoted to branch manager for The Bank of Washington’s Edmonds office. Degernas, who has been with the bank since its inception in 1996, previously was branch manager for its Lynnwood office.

D.A. Davidson & Co. has named Jack Decker and Jeff Decker, a father-and -son team of financial consultants in Everett, to the company’s President’s Club, which recognizes outstanding performance and service to clients.

GOVERNMENT
The Everett City Council recently approved Mayor Ray Stephanson’s recommendation to appoint Tom Gaffney to the Everett Public Facilities District board. Gaffney is a partner in the Everett office of Moss Adams.

Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon has appointed Gary Strannigan to serve on the county’s Performance Audit Committee. Strannigan is currently government relations manager for Safeco Insurance Co., representing the firm with the Washington state Legislature and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. He is a former state senator. Also, Marlies Egberding has been appointed to serve a second three-year term on the committee.

John Roney has been appointed Snohomish County’s new agriculture coordinator. He assumes the post after spending the past decade as special projects coordinator in the county’s Department of Planning and Development Services.

HEALTH CARE
Physical therapist Nicole Kardas recently joined Integrated Rehabilitation Group and will divide her time between IRG’s Edmonds Hand Therapy and Murphy’s Corner Physical Therapy.

Lori Bielinski, a 1980 graduate of Lynnwood High School, has been named the executive director of the Washington State Chiropractic Association.

MANUFACTURING
Lea Black has been named vice president and general manager for Damar Machine Co. of Monroe, a precision machining company that builds parts for airplanes and commercial and recreational equipment.

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