Jul 20, 2010

National LGBT Bar Association

The National LGBT Bar Association said Wayne Watts, senior executive vice president and general counsel of AT&T, and Llewelyn Pritchard of Helsell Fetterman won the 2010 Allies for Justice Award. The LGBT Bar recognizes people who have partnered with the LGBT community.

Food Lifeline

Food Lifeline, Washington's largest hunger relief organization, has accepted a donation of three refrigerated trucks and $50,000 from JPMorgan Chase. Chase's donation to Food Lifeline is part of a $5 million national grant to Feeding America and its nationwide network of food banks.

Pilchuck Glass School

The Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood hired James Baker as executive director and chief executive officer. Baker has 30 years of experience and succeeds Arthur Jacobus who resigned from the position in December 2009. Interim executive director Patricia Wallace has been in the role since January. Baker was president of Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine, from 2006 to 2010.

WSU

Qin Zhang, a professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering and a senior scientist in agricultural automation, is the new director of Washington State University's Center for Precision Agricultural Systems in Prosser. Zhang was assistant director of CPAS for the past year. He succeeds Francis J. Pierce, founding director of CPAS.

Jul 16, 2010

Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank hired John Swanson as senior vice president and manager of the Northwest Investment Real Estate Group in Washington. Swanson will oversee and expand the Puget Sound real estate loan portfolio. He will report to Danielle Burd, executive vice president and commercial regional manager for Washington.

Riddell Williams

Riddell Williams named three new practice group chairs. Kyle L. Branum is chair of the Real Estate and Land Use practice group. Wesley Ward Morrison, Jr. is chair of the Product Liability group. Laurence A. Shapero is chair of the Labor and Employment group. Bryce Holland and Charlie Fitzpatrick were named to the executive committee. Prior to joining Riddell Williams, Holland was a partner with Dorsey & Whitney and head of its Seattle office. He is chair of the Business Side. Fitzpatrick was elected principal in 2009.

NanoString Technologies

Seattle's NanoString Technologies, a life sciences company, hired Brad Gray as president and chief executive officer, and Nalini Murdter as chief business officer. Gray was with Genzyme Genetics as vice president of product and business development. Murdter has 20 years of experience and worked with Agilent Technologies.

Big Fish Games

Seattle's Big Fish Games president and CEO Jeremy Lewis received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 Award in the technology category in the Pacific Northwest. Big Fish Games is a developer, producer and distributor of casual games.

WSU Board of Regents

Gov. Chris Gregoire named Ericka Christensen as the student member of the Washington State University board of regents for the 2010-2011 academic year. Christensen is a WSU graduate student and political science doctoral candidate.