Who's News.

Insignia Financial Group, Inc. announced that Simon Robinson has been promoted to chief executive officer for Insignia Brooke.

Robinson was formerly director of international business, based at the company's headquarters in New York City, where he facilitated business opportunities between the U.S. and European offices. Robinson will relocate to Hong Kong where his responsibilities will be overseeing the daily operations of Insignia Brooke and spearheading new business opportunities through the company's offices in China, Thailand and India.

Robinson joined Insignia Richard Ellis in the United Kingdom in 1979 and moved into the investment agency division in the West End of London in 1989. In 1993 he headed up the firm's investment agency activities based in Birmingham and was instrumental in growing that office to a staff of 30. He came to New York in May 1999 to focus on corporate real estate services and to coordinate cross Atlantic investment business.

Cushman & Wakefield announced that John C. Santora has been elected executive vice president of asset services. In his new position, Santora will have responsibility for global coordination of the firm's asset services operations.

Santora is a member of the firm's board of directors, and a member of the global management committee, which oversees the firm's global business activity. In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of the Business Integration Group, which provides web-based, fully integrated, customized real estate portfolio and facilities management solutions for clients.

Santora is chairman of the Real Estate Board of New York management committee, director of the Realty Advisory Board, and past secretary of the Institute of Real Estate Management. He is also certified as a property manager by IREM and actively participates in the Building Owners and Managers Association, and is a member of BOMA's national advisory council.

Santora was presented with the James P. McGuire Award in 1989 and 1994 in recognition of his service as Cushman & Wakefield's outstanding asset services professional. He was also honored by REBNY in 2000 with the George M. Brooker Management Executive of the Year Award by the Real Estate Board of New York.

Ken Colao, president and chief executive officer of York Hunter, announced the promotion of Patrick Reilly to vice president of preconstruction services and Robert Gross to vice president of business development. They will be based in York Hunter's Atlantic City and Philadelphia offices and report to Loretta Simon, vice president and head of the two offices.

Reilly has over 22 years of construction experience. He joined York Hunter in June 1999 as chief estimator assigned to the Philadelphia office. As vice president of preconstruction services, Reilly will expand his responsibilities to include pre-construction and his work jurisdiction will cover projects not only in Philadelphia but also in Southern New Jersey and Delaware.

Gross joined York Hunter in March 1998 as managing director of business development of York Hunter's Atlantic City and Philadelphia offices. He worked with owners, architects, and other team members to ensure team objectives are clear and project goals are met. Gross specializes in offering clients full service assistance in financing, development, and construction activities. As vice president of business development his role will expand to include Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey.

The relocation director's council of Daniel Gale Agency, Inc. announced that Marie Montchal has been elected secretary and treasurer of the council.

Cushman & Wakefield president and chief executive officer Arthur J. Mirante II announced O.B. "Barney" Upton has been elected executive vice president, corporate services. He was also named a member of the firm's newly created global management committee.

Upton, also a member of Cushman & Wakefield's board of directors, will be responsible for global coordination of corporate services business, which includes ensuring consistent, quality service throughout the world.

He is a member of the International Development Resource Council, and currently serves on the financial review board and is co-chair of the leadership development committee. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and serves on the Corporate Real Estate Council. He is a member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, has served on its national board of directors and as president of the northern California chapter. He currently serves on the Board on Certification for Corporate Real Estate's board of directors.

Massey Knakal Realty Services announced that Peter F. DeCheser has been named managing director of the firm.

DeCheser began his career with the Massey Knakal team as executive assistant to one of the firm's principals, Robert A. Knakal. He received a B.A. in Latin from Colgate University and a graduate certificate in privatization and global reform from Harvard University. DeCheser spent some time working as a special assistant for a New Jersey congressman and U.S. senator. After working for the federal government, he spent nine years as the chief fundraising officer for several international nonprofit organizations, including Junior Achievement and the American Cancer Society.

DeCheser, along with his cousin Michael F. DeCheser, head up Massey Knakal's building sales efforts in the downtown market.

Charles Mancini has joined Spectrum Skanska, Inc. as managing director of the company's new Long Island division.

Mancini, of Huntington, will initially be responsible for establishing a regional office to serve both Nassau and Suffolk counties, as Spectrum expands its operations into Long Island. He will research locations and assist Spectrum in acquiring properties for development throughout Long Island. For the past 22 years, Mancini has been a partner with The Park Ridge Organization in Ronkonkoma.

Prior to joining Park Ridge, he operated his own business for 15 years where he was involved in selling land to Long Island real estate developers. He received his real estate broker's license in 1963.

An active member of the community, Mancini is a past president of the Long Island Builder's Institute and currently serves on its board of directors. He is also a past president of the New York State Builder's Association and currently serves as a member of its board of directors.

Newmark & Company of New Jersey has hired Mary Ryan as a sales associate, announced Seena Stein, president of Newmark's New Jersey operations.

In her new position, Ryan, a veteran in the residential real estate sales industry, will be responsible for the office leasing market segment. Prior to joining Newmark, she worked as a realtor associate at Century 21 J.J Laufer, where she focused on residential sales. Before that she was with Ziment Realtors for nine years, representing properties throughout New Jersey.

Ryan earned a B.S. from Rutgers University in 1981.

The Mineola-based law firm of Forchelli, Curto, Schwartz, Mineo, Carlino & Cohn, LLP announced that Terence E. Smolev has joined the firm as a partner, assuming responsibility for heading the trusts and estates department.

Smolev was the founder of his own 28-year-old law firm. In addition to serving diversified clientele in aspects of estate and trust, tax, corporate, education, and real estate law, he has authored articles on these matters for consumer and trade publications. In addition, he has taught estate planning classes at Hofstra University School of Law in Hempstead and continues to teach as an adjunct professor at the University's School of Business. In 1992, Smolev was elected to the Hofstra board of trustees.

Smolev earned his J.D. from the Washington College of Law at the American University in Washington, D.C. and his L.L.M. in taxation from the New York University Graduate School of Law. He was recently awarded the Lion of Judab Award from the State of Israel Bonds for supporting programs that aspire to bring peace and economic independence to Israel.

Julio Villas has been appointed to the new position of director of management for Vision Enterprises Management LLC. In his new position, he will monitor and coordinate the activities of Vision's property managers.

Villas, who has been with the company since 1978, has developed a series of company-sponsored training courses for superintendents.

He will continue to conduct these monthly sessions, which combine training in mechanical techniques and instruction in operating systems with updates on new laws and regulations.

A native of Ecuador, where he studied architecture, Villas takes special pride in working with and training superintendents. He believes that their knowledge and high morale are essential in providing quality operations in a building. Villas also organizes a softball team of Vision superintendents.

Herrick, Feinstein LLP announced that Scott E. Mollen, Milton Mollen, Jack Weinberg, Scott E. Hershman, Therese M. Doherty and John P. Sheridan have joined the firm as of March 1.

Scott Mollen was a partner at Graubard Mollen & Miller and the author of the New York Law Journal's Realty Law Digest. His father, Milton Mollen, is a former presiding justice of the Appellate Division, 2nd department, and served as counsel to the Graubard firm.

Weinberg, Hershman, Doherty and Sheridan were also partners at Graubard Mollen & Miller. Joining the departing partners will be one associate, John J. Malley, and certain support staff.