Newsmakers.

Advertising & P.R

Matt Gallagher and Mary Elizabeth Michaels have been promoted at Cerrell Associates, a public relations firm in Los Angeles. Gallagher, a senior account executive, will be assisting clients with public affairs, media and community relations efforts, specializing in transportation and environmental issues. Michaels has been promoted to account executive. She is part of the firm's special even team and is responsible for organizing non-profit fundraisers, conferences and media events. In addition, Shannon Johnson has returned to the firm, also as an account executive. She assists a variety of clients in strategic planning, public affairs, media relations, corporate communications and crisis communications. Johnson left the firm in 2000 to join the Al Gore presidential campaign. Yazmin Guerrero has joined the company as an assistant account executive. She will be implementing strategic media campaigns for Cerrell's corporate and nonprofit clients, conduct research and write press releases. Guerrero was formerly an assistant editor for America's Network.

Steve Kazanjian has joined the Content Project, a creative marketing agency in Santa Monica, as a partner. He will function as the company's executive creative director. Kazanjian most recently worked for Belief, a broadcast design firm he co-founded in 1997.

Sheri Levy has been named vice president of strategic alliances at Impact Marketing & Promotions in Los Angeles. She is responsible for developing promotional campaigns designed to enable clients to form strategic partnerships with the overall goal of increasing marketing results and decreasing overall costs. Levy previously worked for NearCom Technology Inc., a Web-based visual communications company.

Architecture & Design

Isabel Green has been promoted to director of business development at Perkowitz + Ruth Architects in Long Beach. She is responsible for client relationships and outreach programs designed o reach the company's targeted markets. Green has been with the company since 1999, most recently as marketing coordinator. Also, Maura K. Schafer has joined the company as director of public relations. s. She is responsible for the company's strategic communication. plan and media relations. Schafer was formerly marketing director for MCG Architecture.

Rick Rose has joined Design Development, an interior design firm in Los Angeles. He will be oversee the firm's new commercial kitchen design division. Most recently, Rose was a senior account executive with U.S. Food Services.

Banking & Finance

Michael Conboy has joined the Library Tower office of Comerica Bank-California as senior vice president and group manager. He will be responsible for business development, relationship management and leading Comerica Bank-California's loan group in Los Angeles. Conboy previously served as group manager of the company's San Diego middle market group.

Sean Conley has been named senior vice president of commercial real estate at First Federal Bank of California in Santa Monica He is responsible for the operational management of commercial real estate lending activities including underwriting, marketing and relationship management for the bank. Prior to joining First Federal Bank, Conley was vice president and senior relationship manager with Bank of America's Global Corporate and Investment Bank.

Entertainment

Heidi Geier has been appointed senior vice president of sales at Universal Studios Hollywood. She will be responsible for developing new strategies for international and domestic sales channels and will lead all telemarketing and online sales strategies. Geier headed the Universal Studios Hollywood sales department from 1993 to 1997 and is returning to the company after serving in key posts at the Las Vegas-based Mirage resorts and Merv Griffin's Resort Hotel & Givenchy Spa in Palm Springs.

Lynelle Kerstine has been promoted to vice president of creative services at MGM Home Entertainment Group in Santa Monica. She will oversee the creative development for domestic consumer and trade marketing communication as well as assume increased responsibility for international plans for MGM video and DVD products distributed outside of North America by Fox Home Entertainment. Kerstine most recently served as executive director, creative services.

Health Care

Douglas M. Kiebe has joined Torrance Memorial Medical Center as chief financial officer. Most recently, Kiebe served as senior vice president and chief financial officer of the San Gabriel Valley Medical Center.

Hospitality

Robert Miller has been promoted to president and chief executive of Celebrity Connection, a celebrity coordination and event planning firm in Los Angeles. Miller said his top priorities as chief executive are company growth and expansion, media outreach and continuation of strategic production partnerships. He has served as the company's senior vice president since 1997.

Law

Linda Bernhardt has joined the Los Angeles firm of Weston, Benshoof, Rochefort, Rubalcava and MacCuish LLP. Bernhardt most recently served as deputy mayor in the Riordan Administration.

Shirley Curfman and Harumi Hata have joined the Los Angeles office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal as partners. Curfman's practice. includes representing buyers and sellers of asset portfolios, handling major asset-backed securitizations and stock transactions and advising finance lenders in connection with their commercial lending projects. Previously, she was head of the Los Angeles business law department at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP. Hata handles secured and unsecured lending, mergers, acquisitions and equity investments. She was also a partner at LeBoeuf Lamb before joining the firm.

Emilio Gonzalez and Gialisa E. Whitchurch have both joined the Los Angeles office of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Los Angeles as associates. Gonzalez will focus his practice on employment law, involving discrimination issues, trade secret misappropriation and breach of fiduciary issues. Most recently, he was an associate at Fenwick & West LLP. Whitchurch's practice is focused on communications, media and information technologies. She was previously an associate at Latham & Watkins.

Media

Paul FitzPatrick has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer of Crown Media Holdings Inc., an owner and operator of pay television channels in Studio City. He will oversee the development and creation of new channels, business development, business affairs, human resources and network information systems worldwide on behalf of Crown Media Holdings. Prior to joining the firm FitzPatrick served as COO of the Golf Channel.

Nonprofits

Marshall McNott has been named president of the Los Angeles Mission, a homeless services organization. McNott, who served as the first president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Mission Foundation from 1987 to 1993, has served as chief executive of WATTSHealth Charities in Los Angeles for the past eight years.

Real Estate

Randy Brant has joined the Macerich Co., a Santa Monica-based REIT that focuses on the acquisition and redevelopment of regional malls and community centers throughout the U.S. He will work with senior executives in the company's leasing and real estate departments on shopping center redevelopment projects in addition to evaluating the entire Macerich portfolio for value and the creation of new leasing and redevelopment opportunities.

Laurence G. Preble has been appointed director of development at KUD International, a global development firm in Los Angeles. Preble was previously the senior real estate partner at O'Melveny & Meyers, where he headed the firm's real estate department and was a member of its management committee.

Spa Director's Business Thrives on Stress

As stress levels increase with a souring economy and heightened safety concerns, Pamela Gold is likely to get busier. A beauty industry veteran, Gold was recently appointed director of Spa Mystique, a 35,000-square-foot resort spa located at the Century Hotel & Spa.

"We very much promote the idea that this is a calm, tranquil environment' said Gold. "It's an escape."

She's responsible for developing new treatments and programs for the spa, supervising a staff of 65 and maintaining the spa facility, the largest in Los Angeles.

In addition to overseeing operations, Gold spends a good deal of time keeping up with industry trends. "It's been wellness-driven for a while now' she said. "But it's almost getting to the point where we have to be more medically based."

As an example, she pointed out increased use of plastic surgery. Many customers frequent the spa in order to maintain results of previous operations. Gold also pointed out movement towards natural treatments and products that are fruit and vegetable-based.

Gold said the five-month-old spa gets 40 percent of its business from the hotel, the balance from local customers. The percentage of local traffic is likely to increase, she said, because of the decline in travel.

Gold's new job is a departure and a homecoming of sorts. She was born in California but grew up in Lubbock, Texas, where she attended Texas Tech. Most recently, Gold was spa director at the Four Seasons Resort & Club in Dallas. Prior to that, she was general manager of the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon &.Spa, also in Dallas. She recently moved to Los Angeles with her husband and seven-month old baby. So far, Gold said she very much enjoys living in Los Angeles. "It's like Dallas with the beach," she said.

Conor Dougherty