Jan 11, 2012

Issaquah Highlands Community Association

The Issaquah Highlands Community Association hired Sarah Phillips as executive director. Phillips replaces retiring executive director Vicki Stier who has worked in various roles at the IHCA for 10 years. Phillips has 15 years of experience in city management and public administration, most recently as the city manager of Rolling Meadows, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

City of University Place

The city of University Place was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in financial reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada for 2010. The certificate is the highest recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting. The city said this is the 13th consecutive year it has received this award. GFOA is a nonprofit association serving 17,500 finance professionals.

Jan 10, 2012

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Hill+Knowlton Strategies hired Geri Ann Baptista as a vice president, working in the corporate and technology practices. Baptista was senior manager of corporate communications at Starbucks Coffee, where she oversaw corporate social responsibility positioning. She has eight years of experience with corporations and nonprofits, and spent 12 years as a litigator and trial attorney.

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt

Regional law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt hired Patrick Woodbury as chief information officer. Woodbury will manage the information systems staff, as well as the strategic direction of IS development. He was director of information technology at Bullivant Houser Bailey and has 20 years of experience in IT.

BECU

BECU hired Benson Porter as president and CEO. Porter replaces retiring CEO Gary Oakland, who served in that role for 25 years. Porter will start in April. He returns to Washington after five years working as president and CEO of First Tech Federal Credit Union in Palo Alto, Calif.

Jan 06, 2012

Western Washington University

Western Washington University hired Mark Brovak to fill a new position: senior director and chief operating officer of University Advancement. Brovak will oversee financial and administrative operations of the 30-person University Advancement division, which includes the WWU Alumni Association and WWU Foundation. He was with The Ryzex Group, where he was financial controller, director of corporate sales and vice president of human resources, legal and administration. Stephanie Bowers, vice president of University Advancement, said the goal is to streamline operations, better manage resources, and better serve alumni, employers and students in the Seattle area. WWU has opened an office in downtown Seattle.

Law Offices of James S. Rogers

The Law Offices of James S. Rogers said Dana Henderson has joined the firm. Henderson will work in the serious injury and wrongful death practice, handling cases including product liability and crashworthiness issues. She was a partner at Betts Patterson Mines, and has 14 years of legal experience.

Jan 05, 2012

Oregon Zoo

Paul Beppler is the Oregon Zoo's new executive chef. Beppler has 30 years of experience but zoo officials said he has never cooked for an elephant before. He worked at the Multnomah Athletic Club and was corporate chef at Boyd Coffee. He has also worked in Germany and Switzerland.

Chef'n Corp.

Chef'n Corp., a Seattle-based global housewares business, received a capital infusion from the private equity firm CID Capital. The money will be used to expand the business and make acquisitions. David Holcomb will remain CEO. The company has a number of open positions and is hiring.

Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corp., opened a new bank in Ballard at 2032 N.W. Market St. It is managed by Candace Kesterson, who opened Umpqua's Hawthorne location in Portland. Last yera, Umpqua opened six new locations and remodeled 19.

Costco

James Sinegal, CEO of Costco Wholesale Corp., is Morningstar's 2011 CEO of the Year. The investment research firm said it recognizes CEOs for corporate stewardship, independent thinking and creating value for shareholders. The other nominees for the 2011 award were Jeffrey Bezos of Amazon.com and John Pinkerton of Range Resources.