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MICHELLE THOR
Columbia Credit Union names Thor VP of outreach and social responsibility
Columbia Credit Union has promoted Michelle Thor to vice president outreach and social responsibility following the retirement of 38‐year veteran credit union executive, Laurie Kusch.
In her new role, Thor will be responsible for leading Columbia’s corporate outreach to generate new business and assisting in advancing the credit union’s strategic direction. She will also administer the credit union’s social responsibility initiatives to advance its sustainable values, community involvement/charitable giving and financial education to the community, the company said.
With 10 years of credit union experience, Thor most recently served as Columbia’s VP of business development. Prior positions include serving as marketing manager and communications specialist for the credit union.
Thor holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University and completed an MSC in organizational leadership. She is also a Vancouver Business Journal “Accomplished & Under 40” honoree.
ANDREW NEMECEK
Andrew Nemecek, M.D. joined Rebound Orthopedics and Neurosurgery earlier this month.
Nemecek is a board certified neurosurgeon who specializes in treating disorders of the spine. He comes to Rebound after spending the last seven years at Oregon Health Sciences University.
After completing his medical degree at Case Western University, Nemecek received training in spinal surgery at the University of Washington from both the orthopedic surgery and neurological surgery departments.
He spent seven years in a university hospital setting after residency, performing research funded by the National Institute of Health.
JERRIT JOLMA
Longview-based civil engineering firm Gibbs & Olson recently announced the addition of Jerrit Jolma.
Jolma has more than 14 years of civil engineering experience with a strong knowledge of water and wastewater systems for the public and private sector. His experience includes working on projects for the cities of Issaquah, Kirkland and Auburn as well as the Soos Creek Water and Sewer District in King County.
Jolma has experience in utility design, modeling, report and study preparation, and construction services on a variety of civil engineering projects. He earned his bachelor of science degree at Portland State University and is a licensed engineer in the state of Washington.
HANNAH MARRÉ
Hannah Marré has joined Otak Inc., an engineering, urban design, architecture and planning firm, as a water resource engineering designer. Marré will work out of the firm’s Vancouver office.
Marré earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Portland. She previously worked as a civil designer, conducting stormwater analysis in Portland, and was involved in a number of embassy-related projects abroad.
ALISHA TOPPER
Alisha Topper, senior director of development for the Fort Vancouver National Trust, has earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification from CFRE International. The certification is an endorsement of knowledge and experience in philanthropy.
Topper holds a master of public administration from Portland State University and began working for the Trust in 2009. She is responsible for the Trust’s annual fund programs, capital campaigns and other community outreach initiatives.
PAM LINDLOFF
NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson Associate (NAI NBS) vice president Pam Lindloff was recently awarded the Certified Negotiation Expert designation after completing formal negotiation training. The designation is earned through
the Real Estate Negotiation Institute (RENI).
Prior to working for NAI NBS, Lindloff was an advertising sales representative for The Columbian. She has numerous awards as a retail broker, including being named the Commercial Association of Realtors Retail Broker of the Year in 2005, as well as being named a CoStar Power Broker twice.
BRANDON DAWSON
Brandon Dawson, founder and CEO of the Vancouver-based Audigy Group, was named a finalist for Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur Of The Year,” in the Pacific Northwest region.
Founded in 2004, Audigy Group is the largest member-driven management company for the nation’s top hearing care professionals, has achieved considerable growth since its inception in 2004.
“It is a great privilege to be recognized for Audigy Group’s success,” said Dawson in a press release. “I am appreciative to all Audigy Members and our Audigy team for contributing to our continued success. With that said, our true success will ultimately be predicated on how many of our members and our collective teams personal, professional and financial goals we can contribute to by working together to significantly impact each other’s lives.”
CHERYL FORRY (not pictured)
Cheryl Forry has been selected as a finalist from among thousands of nominations for the prestigious Nurse.com Nursing Excellence awards.
Forry, ICU manager and patient flow nurse at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, was nominated for her work in patient and staff management. She chaired the team that developed the hospital’s surviving sepsis protocol, which has since gone system-wide. She was also instrumental in developing the hospital’s stroke program.
The Nursing Excellence nomination for Forry describes her as “an outstanding leader and role model; others whom she has managed continue to come to Cheryl for advice and help.”
National and regional winners will be announced in August.
AMIT GOSALIA
Dr. Amit Gosalia recently purchased Audiology Clinic Inc., a hearing care practice with two Vancouver locations, from business partners Dr. Al Hicks and Nancy Bowen, M.S., clinical audiologist.
Audiology Clinic has been serving the hearing needs of the greater Vancouver area since 1982. The clinic became the only AudigyCertified hearing practice in the greater Clark County in 2007.
Gosalia joined Audiology Clinic in 2008.
SUZANNE SMITH
Suzanne Smith, academic director for human development at Washington State University Vancouver (WSUV), has assumed an additional role as interim academic director for the WSU College of Education on the Southwest Washington campus.
In her new role, Smith will be responsible for leadership, management, planning, curriculum, personnel and facilities in the College of Education for the 2012-13 academic year, the university said.
Smith replaces June Canty, who was academic director for the College of Education for eight years. Canty stepped down from administrative duties, choosing to focus on research and teaching, according to A.G. Rud, dean of the college.
IVAN BRAIKER & JOHN MAFFEI (not pictured)
Abacast, a Vancouver-based provider of cloud-based advertising software and monetization services to the media industry, recently announced the addition of Ivan Braiker and John Maffei to their board of directors.
Braiker, the founder and president of Hipcricket, which specializes in mobile messaging advertising solutions for the radio and media industry, has more than 30 years of experience in broadcast media. He was formerly the co-founder and president of the Satellite Music Network where he pioneered 24 hour a day programming.
Maffei is the founder and COO of Playsino, a social casino games company. Prior to that, he was acting CEO and COO of ServiceMesh Inc., a software company focused on enabling Fortune 500 companies to migrate business critical solutions to the cloud. He also previously held executive positions at Microsoft.
H. ALEX KROB & RON MERRYMAN (not pictured)
The Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation has elected H. Alex Krob, M.D., and Ron Merryman to its board of trustees.
Krob is chairman of neurology at Legacy Salmon Creek medical center. Prior to joining Legacy, he was a founding neurologist at the Vancouver Clinic and clinical instructor of neurology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Merryman is CEO of REDpoint International as well as CEO and owner of Crescendo Growth Advisors. He has more than 30 years of experience in finance and business leadership.
“I look forward to the perspective and expertise Dr. Krob and Ron will bring to our foundation board,” said Maureen Bradley, senior vice president and chief development officer at Legacy Health. “Their leadership will help bring better health to the entire Southwest Washington community.”
