Sonoma’s Nelson changes leadership; other North Bay professionals news

The North Bay Business Journal

is looking for news of promotions, new hires and awards for possible publication in the People section. Send your press releases to the North Bay Business Journal, Attn: Business Register, 427 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401; fax 707-521-5292; or e-mail people@busjrnl.com.

Employment

Sonoma-based Nelson, one of the largest independent staffing companies in the United States, has announced changes in its leadership team to address the unique hiring challenges faced by California organizations, including Fortune 500 companies. Joining the ranks of Nelson executives are Joe Prusko as chief financial officer with more than 35 years of financial management experience in both public and private companies such as Goldrush Stores, Accountants International (now Randstad Finance & Accounting), and Management Solutions, Inc.; Crissy Russo as vice president of marketing with a wealth of experience in consumer, product and enterprise marketing,and strategic initiatives. She was most recently with RiseSmart (recently acquired by Randstad) and Rachel MacNeill as vice president of business solutions. Promoted from within the Nelson organization, she will utilize her proven organizational skills and big-picture approach in leading the technology team to create innovative solutions that solve employment and job search challenges.

Accounting

Ryan Fitzsimons, CPA, was promoted to senior manager at Santa Rosa public accounting firm of Dal Poggetto & Company LLP. Fitzsimmons has nine years of experience in providing income tax services to privately held companies in the manufacturing, real estate, food and wine industries. Gino Scurini, CPA, has also been promoted to senior manager. He has 11 years of experience in providing assurance and income tax services to wineries and vineyards, manufacturing companies and employee benefit plans. In addition, Sher Meng has been promoted to senior accountant. She has two years of experience in providing accounting and income tax services to privately-held companies and high wealth individuals.

Banking

Comerica Bank has announced that Michael A. Silva has been named regional market president for the San Francisco and North Bay regions. Silva will continue in his role as an executive vice president responsible for managing all middle market teams in Northern California. As regional market president, Silva's new responsibilities will include supporting the bank's customer initiatives and overall business and community development efforts across its business bank, retail bank and wealth management businesses.

Robert Armstrong joined Luther Burbank Savings as senior vice president of its online banking division. In this newly created role, Armstrong is charged with expanding the bank's offerings and creating greater access to its products and services. Bringing over two decades of experience leading profitable growth in new markets, Armstrong's background includes senior positions with Bank of America, U.S. Bank, San Diego Private Bank and Bank of Internet.

Retail

Osmosis Day Spa in Freestone named Thor Holm general manager. A spa industry leader for 26 years, Holm has managed some of the most celebrated spa resort destinations in Florida. Previously was a certified personal trainer and aerobics instructor and attended the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, majoring in Adult Fitness.

Education

The San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Education Committee selected Luanne Linnard-Palmer as one of the recipients of the chamber's Excellence in Education Awards for 2015-2016. Linnard-Palmer is a pediatric nursing educator at Dominican University of California. She has assumed a leadership role in the development of educational experiences that focus on providing undergraduate nursing students with opportunities to connect with the real world problems experienced by many at-risk children to promote the health and well-being of children living in San Rafael

Santa Rosa Junior College media studies instructor and interdisciplinary scholar Tony Kashani has written a new book titled Movies Change Lives: Pedagogy of Constructive Humanistic Transformation Through Cinema (Minding the Media). The book is an interdisciplinary examination of cinema as a vehicle for personal and social transformation. The book is now available for purchase directly from Peter Lang Publishing Group or through Amazon.

Hospitality

Bardessono Hotel & Spa, the LEED platinum certified wine country retreat in Napa Valley, hired Nate Lindsay as executive chef. Lindsay will oversee all aspects of the culinary experience at Bardessono and for Lucy Restaurant & Bar, the hotel's award-winning, signature restaurant presenting innovative, garden-inspired cuisine.

Aimee Macias, an American Canyon resident and a 14-year veteran of Red Lobster, has been promoted to lead the Rohnert Park restaurant as its general manager. In her role, Macias oversees all aspects of the restaurant's operations including managing a team of more than 80 team members solely focused on hospitality and serving guests with freshly prepared, high-quality seafood.

Law

Rob Rutherfurd returned to the Anderson Zeigler law firm in Santa Rosa. Rutherfurd left the firm after 27 years in August 2013 to attend graduate school and work as a teaching assistant at the University of Montana, where he focused his studies on American constitutional law and earned a masters degree in history. He has been active in the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce and has served as an adjunct professor of law at Empire College. As an attorney, Rutherfurd will continue to assist clients with the formation and operation of business entities, business succession planning, the preparation of contracts, general business law, mergers and acquisitions, and real estate law.

Nonprofits

Toni Castrone, executive director of the Sonoma Community Center, is resigning, effective Aug. 1, 2016. Having joined the center in 2008, she has served as events manager and deputy director prior to her current role. The center's board of directors, under the leadership of Stephen C. Kyle, board chair, has formed a transition team to guide the search for a replacement.

Real Estate

Veronica Blaustein affiliated with Terra Firma Global Partners as a residential sales associate, based out of the Petaluma office. Previously, she was with Keller Williams selling real estate throughout Sonoma County.

Senior Living

Five community leaders have been elected to the board of directors of The Redwoods Retirement Community in Mill Valley. They include Andy Berman of Mill Valley, attorney, former Mill Valley City Council member and chief of staff at Cricket Media, Inc., Herndon, Va., where he has special expertise in growing companies; Scott Miller, CPA, of Mill Valley, partner at OUVM in San Francisco, which works with a variety of industries and nonprofit organizations, accountants and business advisors; Genevieve M. Moore of San Francisco, partner with Bancroft & McAlister LLP, Larkspur, and author of texts on estate planning and elder law practice; Sarah Oliver of Mill Valley, founder and CEO of Sarah Oliver Handbags in Sausalito, works with the Redwoods' knitting group, which provides knitted pieces for her products and recently appearing on TV's 'Shark Tank,' where she received funding to expand her business; and Michelle Steinhart, MBA, of Mill Valley, broker associate at Coldwell Banker and a realtor who carries the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation and is a certified LEED green associate.

Technology

Top Speed Data Communications in Petaluma hired Steve Warren as vice president of technology. Warren is a proven leader with success in various professional endeavors. As enterprise technology adviser and channel manager with EvolveIP for the West Coast and Mountain regions, his tasks included training the partner base on cloud compute services, engaging with the end users and leading the sales cycle to closing.