North Bay Business Journal

Banking and Finance

Travis Credit Union  elected its 2012-13 volunteer board of directors and supervisory committee members recently. The  2012-13 board of directors includes: Pat Moreno, chair; Deborah Aspling, vice chair; Mary Coburn, secretary; Thomas Kulinski, treasurer; Curt Newland, director; Ann Rollin, director; Len Augustine, director; Tim Truesdale, director; and Dee Alarcon, director.

Education

Dr. Lynn Stauffer

Sonoma State University announced Dr. Lynn Stauffer has accepted the position of dean of the School of Science & Technology. Her appointment begins July 1, 2012. Dr. Stauffer completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California at Irvine. She earned degrees in mathematics and computer science while working as a quality assurance engineer at Ford Aerospace.  Later, she returned to UC Irvine to pursue graduate work in computer science focusing on efficient algorithms for data compression on multiprocessor computers. After completing her doctoral work in 1994, she joined Sonoma State University as the first female professor in the Department of Computer Science.

Hospitality

Timber Cove Inn appointed Keith Hill as the new general manager. The 50-room property, located 15 miles beyond the mouth of the Russian River, also recently made changes to upper management including a new marketing team, led by Allison Kneubuhl of Allimar Marketing and Paul Burditch of Burditch Marketing Communications. Mr. Hill previously held position at Café Adelaide in Loews New Orleans Hotel,  Vermont’s Twin Farms, and Rhode Island’s The Chanler at Cliff Walk. Mr. Hill most recently served as the food and beverage manager, and subsequent operations manager, at Yosemite National Park’s Ahwahnee Hotel.

Insurance

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company appointed of Arun Chanana to the position of senior vice president, distribution and agency management.In his new role, Mr. Chanana will provide strategic and operational direction for the distribution and agency management team. He will be based in Fireman’s Fund’s Liberty Corner office in New Jersey.

Nonprofits

Kathleen Archer

Wayne Rowlands

Dan Brinker

Doug Braik

Captains Mark and Vicki Gilden, of the Salvation Army Santa Rosa Corps, announced the following slate of officers for the Salvation Army Advisory Board:  Chair Kathleen Archer, Coldwell Banker; Vice-Chair Wayne Rowlands, Morgan, Stanley, Smith, Barney; Treasurer Dan Brinker, ASKM Consulting; and Secretary Doug Braik, Keegan and Coppin Real Estate.  Advisory Board officers serve two year terms and provide value community input into the work of the local Salvation Army.

Connolly Ranch, a youth education center education programs in an outdoor setting for children and the Napa Valley, has added two new members to its board of directors, Denise Renteria and Michele Truchard. Ms. Renteria worked for a pension fund as well as the City of San Francisco in its Health Service System.  In 1994 she moved back to the Napa Valley.  Along with her husband Oscar, they are the proprietors of Renteria Vineyard Management and Renteria Wines. After a career in Nutrition at UCSF Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospitals in San Francisco, Ms. Truchard moved back to Napa  became the Ssecial events director for Rutherford Hill, Chimney Rock and the Terlato Wine Group.  

Residential Real Estate

Wine

Round Pond Estate hired wine-industry veteran Diane Cline as national and international sales director.  Before joining Round Pond Estate, Ms. Cline was vice president of sales and marketing at Hall Wines from 2003 to 2009.  She has also held sales director positions at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and Crichton Hall Vineyards, both in Napa Valley.  She has been chairperson of the Napa Valley Vintners Association’s Asia steering committee and has served on the Rutherford Dust Society board of directors.  Since 2009, she operated her own sales and marketing consulting company, WineDi.

Seghesio Family Vineyard appointed Ned Neumiller as the winery’s head of grower relations. Mr. Neumiller is the great grandson of vineyard founder Edoardo Seghesio. Mr. Neumiller began his career with Bevill Vineyard Management in Sonoma County.