Accounting

Karen White has joined the Murrieta office of Swenson Advisors LLP as a tax associate. Previously White worked as an accountant for Maryanov, Madsen, Gordon, and Campbell in Palm Desert.

A 2004 graduate from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration, White also completed a course in Arabic while serving in the Army at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey.

Story continues below

White

There she managed audits, compiled financial statements and prepared tax returns.

She also worked as a staff accountant for an accounting firm in Akron, Ohio.

Health Care

Tenet Healthcare Corp. in Dallas promoted Karolee M. Sowle to be chief executive officer of Tenet's Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. Sowle has served as interim CEO at Desert Regional since November 2006. Previously, Sowle was Desert Regional's chief operating officer for four years and chief nursing officer for six years.

U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group hired Dr. Michael Valdez, M.D., as managing physician of its medical center located in Riverside. Valdez is a graduate of UCLA School of Medicine, where he received his medical degree in 1992.

The Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties has named Dr. Diane Eklund, M.D., as vice president of medical affairs. Eklund most recently was medical director for American Red Cross Blood Services, Northern California Region.

Story continues below

Tingley

Law

Kathryn DiCarlo joined the Riverside office of Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho where she practices public entity defense. Most recently, DiCarlo was staff counsel for USAA Insurance.

Manufacturing

ParaFin Corp. in Palm Springs appointed Elwood Sprenger as chief executive officer of Smokeless Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. Sprenger is former CEO and majority owner of Calistoga Mineral Water.

SurgiCount Medical in Temecula, a division of Patient Safety Technologies, named Steven Kane as chairman of the board. Kane replaces Arnold Spangler, who will remain on the board of directors. Kane served as vice president of Aspect Medical, an anesthetics monitoring device developer, leading that company to an initial public offering in 2000. Kane previously was president, chief executive officer and director of Protalex Inc.

Mining

Story continues below

Eklund

U.S. Mine Makers Inc. in Palm Desert appointed metallurgists Daryl A. Freter and Joseph Lynde to its board of directors. Freter is experienced in development of extraction and recovery procedures for gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium from complex ores. Lynde has 47 years of mining experience.

Wine

Michael Tingley has agreed to become the full-time winemaker at Keyways Vineyard & Winery in Temecula. Until now Tingley had served as a wine-making consultant to the winery. Tingley is an experienced wine judge and a professional member of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture.

Kudos

Six students from the Art Institute of California - Inland Empire were among the gold and silver winners of the 2008 ADDY awards. David Dresner of Redlands, Rachel Makowski of Hesperia, Niklas Meijer of Riverside, Tanya Prokopin-Gill of Riverside, Robert Vidaure of Redlands, and Barton Welt of Fontana and Darius Giurar of Riverside received their awards at an Inland Empire Ad Club awards banquet March 14.

Lewis Apartment Communities in Upland was honored with a 2007 National Multifamily Customer Service Award for Excellence by CEL & Associates Inc. in Los Angeles, a consulting and benchmarking firm.

Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe, O.D., founding dean of the College of Optometry at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, has been appointed to the Department of Veterans Affairs rehabilitation research and development Scientific Merit Review Board.

She will serve on the subcommittee for visual/hearing impairment for a term ending on Sept. 30, 2011. The advisory committee provides scientific peer review of VA research program applications.

Inland Empire Job Corps Center presented the 2008 Ground Hog Job Shadow Award to Lea Petersen, public affairs manager for The Gas Co. The honor recognized Petersen for her commitment to educating and inspiring Job Corps trainees.