On the Job – Sep. 19, 2014

ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION

Brian Blake, who has 20 years of construction experience in Northern Colorado, was named chief estimator at Heath Construction in Fort Collins. Blake held a variety of positions at Sinnett Builders, including project manager, estimator, assistant project manager and safety manager.

David Shigekane was promoted to president of The Neenan Co., a Fort-Collins-based design-build firm that specializes in commercial, education and health-care facilities. Shigekane has more than 25 years of industry experience.

BIOSCIENCE

Array BioPharma Inc. hired Dr. Victor Sandor as chief medical officer, replacing Dr. Michael Needle, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Boulder-based Array (Nasdaq: ARRY) develops and commercializes drugs that treat cancer. Sandor has experience working at biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies, including Incyte Corp. Biogen Idec and AstraZeneca. He received his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal and completed his fellowship in medical oncology at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

EDUCATION

Lyndsey Crum was named assistant vice president for alumni relations at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Crum, a UNC alumna with nearly a decade of experience in the university advancement field, began her new position Sept. 15. She has served on the UNC Alumni Association board of directors since 2010.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

Bob Pease, longtime chief operating officer of the Boulder-based nonprofit Brewers Association, has been promoted to chief executive. Charlie Papazian, who was CEO, remains president and will focus on stewardship and beer-community relations. Papazian founded the American Homebrewers Association and the Association of Brewers that merged into the Brewers Association, as well as the Great American Beer Festival. Pease was hired by the brewers’ association in 1993 as customer service manager, became operations director, and was promoted to vice president in 1999 and to COO in 2010.

Peter Burns, a former president of Celestial Seasonings for the Hain Celestial Group, has taken the reins at Boulder-based snack maker Justin’s as president and chief executive, replacing company founder Justin Gold. Justin’s, founded in 2002, makes all-natural, nut butters and peanut butter cups. Burns has more than 20 years of experience in the natural products industry, including as executive vice president for sales and marketing at Jones Soda Co. and executive vice president for sales at Izze Beverage Co.

Christine Perich, longtime chief financial officer and chief operations officer of Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing, was promoted to president of the company. She started as CFO with New Belgium in 2004. Danielle McLarnon, currently New Belgium’s director of finance and accounting, will move into the CFO role. A graduate of Siena College, she has been with New Belgium for more than 10 years.

Kyle Krebsbach, a former employee of Boulder-based Upslope Brewing Co., rejoined the brewery as a Denver sales representative after running Crooked Stave Artisans Distribution Co. for the past two years.

GOVERNMENT

Leah Browder, currently public works director in Poway, Calif., will become public works director in Loveland beginning Nov. 10. She also has held positions in San Diego and Chula Vista, Calif.

HEALTH CARE

Drs. Brian Kingston and Lindsey Gerdes joined the Greeley medical offices of nonprofit health plan Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and Dr. Sukhi Khera joined the Kaiser staff in Fort Collins after serving at its clinic in Longmont. Kingston earned his medical doctorate and completed his residency and internship in family medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He continued his training at the Family Practice Development Center in Waco, Texas and worked for 12 years at Scott & White Burnet Family Medicine in Burnet, Texas. He moved to Colorado in 2012 and worked at Longs Peak Family Practice in Longmont.  Gerdes earned her doctorate in osteopathic medicine and master’s degree in public health from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Vallejo, Calif. She then completed her residency in family medicine at Colorado University Health Systems in Fort Collins where she served as chief resident for the patient-centered medical home program. Khera obtained her medical doctorate from Dayanand Medical College in Punjab, India, and completed her residency in internal medicine at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. She then completed a fellowship in geriatrics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Before coming to Kaiser in Longmont, Khera was an internist for University of Colorado Health Medical Group in Fort Collins for more than two years. She was an instructor for the Poudre Valley Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program.

Cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Ethan Ellis and physician assistants Ambrish Patel and Zachary Pfiffner joined University of Colorado Health. Ellis, who began serving patients in Fort Collins and Loveland as well as Scottsbluff, Neb., on Sept. 15, completed his fellowship in cardiovascular medicine and residency at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He also completed his fellowship in clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Harvard Thorndike Electrophysiology Institute/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He  earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Patel, who has begun seeing patients in Cheyenne, Wyo., has more than five years of experience in patient care and earned his bachelor’s degree at State University of New York. Prior to joining UCHealth, he provided family medicine and outpatient care at Community Health Development, Inc. in Uvalde, Texas. Pfiffner, who joined the UCHealth General Surgery clinic in Loveland, has more than six years of experience. He earned his degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining UCHealth, he was a physician assistant for Orthopaedic and Spine Center of the Rockies.

LAW

Former Boulder District Judge Gwyneth Whalen, who currently leads Boulder-based Caplan and Earnest’s litigation section, was named to the board of Boulder County Restorative Justice, a program of the Longmont Community Justice Partnership. The organization provides restorative justice services as a complement to the traditional justice system. From 2011 to 2013, Whalen presided in Boulder County’s Adult Integrated Treatment Court, focused on rehabilitation for drug or alcohol addicted felon offenders. She rejoined Caplan and Earnest in September 2013 after leaving the firm in 2006 when she was appointed to the bench.

NONPROFIT

Rochelle Mitchell-Miller was named director of the High Plains Library District Foundation. She formerly was vice-president of the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County, executive director of Right to Read Weld County and director of development for Larimer Humane Society

REAL ESTATE

Eric Thompson will run an office in Fort Collins for Windermere Services Co., a regional residential real-estate brokerage based in Seattle. The office, expected to open in December, will be Windermere’s first in Colorado. Thompson said he still is in the process of selecting a location and assembling a group of agents and office staff. He was president of The Group Inc. Real Estate, which has offices in Fort Collins and Loveland, from 2009 through mid-2014.

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