TEAMPRAXIS

TeamPraxis has announced the hiring of Ramona Hinck as chief financial officer, Teri Ng as controller and Susan Young as clinical research and development analyst. Hinck is a former assistant of operations and financial controller at Kamehameha Schools and senior tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ng is a former assistant controller for Kamehameha Schools and Cheap Tickets Inc., and controller at Hawaiian Cement. Young previously worked at Healthways as director of provider support and clinical operations manager.

TeamPraxis provides support services to independent physicians.

KONA VILLAGE

Kona Village on the Big Island has hired hospitality veteran Rodger MacDonald as director of sales and marketing. MacDonald has served as director of sales and in marketing positions at resort properties in the United States (including Hawai'i), Mexico, Europe and South America. Most recently, he worked at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF THE PACIFIC

The Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific announced that two of its occupational therapists have passed the boards and are now certified hand therapists: Tracy SawadA, of the Kailua, Kona clinic, and Judith GarellO, of the Kihei clinic. Hand therapy has become an especially important part of rehabilitative medicine as more individuals use computers.

THE QUEEN'S MEDICAL CENTER

Dr. Gerard Akaka has been named vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at The Queen's Medical Center. Akaka joined Queen's in 2002 as medical director of the Queen Emma Clinics. He was previously medical director of the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and continues to direct Queen's Native Hawaiian Health Program. He is a board-certified internist and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine.

CASTLE & COOKE

Ariel Pascual has been hired as project engineer in house construction for Castle & Cooke Hawaii Inc. He will assist superintendents and manage purchasing, pre-construction planning, estimating and contract management. He was formerly with Commercial Sheet Metal, Takano Nakamura Landscaping and Quality Sheet Metal.

KING & NEEL

King & Neel Inc. recently promoted Nikki Brissette to vice president. She will aid in creating a strategic growth plan for the company and take care of clients' marketing, claims management, surety bonding and loss-control needs. She joined the firm in 1989.

WALGREENS

Walgreens has promoted Steven Lubin to divisional vice president and the new position of general manager of marketing for non-Mainland operations. In his new role, Lubin will ensure the company's marketing meets the needs of customers in Hawai'i and Puerto Rico. Lubin joined the company in 1970 as a stock clerk while attending college.

Announcements of promotions and job changes can be sent to: Alan Yonan, Business Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; faxed to 525-6763, or e-mailed to tradewinds@honoluluadvertiser.com. For e-mailed releases, please make sure the information is included in the body of the message, not as an attachment. High resolution (at least 200 dpi in a .jpg format) color photographs are preferred.