Mark Brandon
Washington State University honors First Independent executive
Mark Brandon, First Independent Bank executive vice president and chief lending officer, was honored at Washington State University Foundation’s annual board of trustees meeting for his volunteer leadership with the local campus as well as the entire WSU system. In his service for WSU, he has chaired the Vancouver/Portland President’s Associates, is a member of the Vancouver/Portland Planned Giving Advisory Board, a member of the Gift Acceptance Committee for the WSU Foundation and served on the WSU Vancouver Search Committee for director of campus and regional development.
Rob Greenawald
Columbia Bank hires vice president
Rob Greenawald has joined Columbia Bank as a vice president and commercial banking officer. He will be based in the Longview area and will serve Cowlitz and Clark County. Greenawald has been a banker in Southwest Washington for more than seven years, most recently with Riverview Community Bank. He is a graduate of Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in economics and finance.
Rick Thrall
PBS Engineering and Environmental adds principal
Rick Thrall, PhD, P.E. has joined PBS Engineering and Environmental as a geotechnical principal. Thrall brings more than 25 years of geotechnical experience. He earned his Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and his Ph.D in geotechnical engineering from Oregon State University. He is also PBS’s board representative for the OSU MECOP/CECOP engineering internship placement program.
Brian Bieger
JD White hires natural resources specialist
Brian Bieger has joined JD White, a division of BERGER/ABAM Engineers, as a senior scientist on the natural resources team. His experience includes federal, state and local environmental permitting, wetland delineations and assessments, mitigation project designs and biological evaluations and assessments. Bieger holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science from Oregon State University and continuing education credits through the Oregon Department of State Lands.
Kelly Walsh, Don Russo
Schwabe attorneys appointed to local boards of directors
Don Russo, shareholder at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Russo has been with Schwabe since 2005 and has practiced law for nearly 30 years.
Kelly Walsh, an attorney at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has been appointed to the YWCA Clark County board of directors. Prior to joining Schwabe, Walsh served for five years as the deputy district attorney in Deschutes County, Ore.
C-Tran names executive director
Jeff Hamm, currently general manager at the Salem-Keizer Transit District in Oregon, has been named executive director and CEO of C-Tran beginning Jan. 1. He has been with the Salem-Keizer Transit District since 1999. He has an undergraduate degree in political science from Beloit College and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Washington.
WSU Vancouver education professor named to standards board
June Canty, professor and director of education programs at Washington State University Vancouver, has been appointed to the 21-member Professional Educator Standards Board by Gov. Christine Gregoire. Canty will help to bring more focus and attention to certified education professions.
Lifeline Connections names director of clinical services
Dan Clune has been named director of clinical services for Lifeline Connections, a chemical dependency treatment center in Vancouver. Prior to joining Lifeline Connections, Clune was director of mental health for Daytop Village in New York City. He has also taught at City College of New York and Marymount College.
Fort Vancouver Convalescent Center hires medical director
Alan V. Jones, MD, has joined Fort Vancouver Convalescent Center as medical director. Dr. Jones is board certified in internal medicine and received a certificate for specialization in geriatric medicine in 1994. He is also a member of the Northwest Medical Associates.
Vancouver Allstate agent awarded for volunteerism
Keith Hallett received the Agency Hands in the Community Award for volunteering. This award comes with a $500 grant from the Allstate Foundation for the American Diabetes Association where Hallett volunteers.
Country Insurance hires new agents
Darrel Buck and Jake Shriver have been named agents for Country Insurance and Financial Services. Buck earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington State University Pullman in 2004. Shriver earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from St. Martin’s University in Lacey in 1996.
