Clark County Business Briefing

People in Business

Monica C. Fowler was hired by C-Tran as its new chief of staff. Fowler, who started on Jan. 7, will serve as the transit agency’s treasurer, which includes duties such as oversight of budget, finance, accounting, grants and procurement, and federal and state regulatory management. She also will serve as adviser to the chief executive officer and the board of directors. Fowler hails from Forth Worth, Texas, where she was the president and chief financial officer of Trinity Metro. While there, she managed the approval of funding for TEXRail, a $1 billion, 27-mile commuter rail service between downtown Fort Worth and the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. She received a bachelor’s in business administration from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and a master’s degree in business administration at Texas A&M University. To reach Fowler, call 360-906-7402 or email Monica.Fowler@c-tran.org.

Fletcher Conn was hired as a vice president and commercial loan officer in Columbia Credit Union’s business lending division. Conn will operate out of the credit union’s new commercial office in Portland. A graduate of Oregon State University, Conn started his career in San Francisco. Most recently, he operated as a food and beverage industry specialist, financing companies in the region and structuring deals for business owners and investors. Conn can be reached at 541-940-7479 or by email at Fletcher.Conn@columbiacu.org. Columbia Credit Union has 14 locations in Southwest Washington and Oregon.

Columbia Credit Union also brought Russ Gochneaur on board as its vice president of wealth management. He’ll lead the department’s operations and develop nondeposit investment and insurance strategies. He’ll be the primary contact between the credit union and its broker-dealer, CUSO Financial Services. Gochneaur started his career in financial services in 1990. He led award-winning teams across sales, retirement planning and protective services. Reach him by phone at 360-891-4098 or by email at Russell.Gochneaur@columbiacu.org.

Samantha Ballard was hired by local insurance agency Davidson & Associates as a life and disability account manager. Ballard, a Vancouver native, received a bachelor’s degree in marking and sales from Washington State University in 2018. Davidson & Associates is located at 610 Esther St., Suite 101. For more information, call 360-514-9550 or visit www.davidsoninsurance.com.

Portland-based research, marketing, lobbying and public relations firm CFM Strategic Communications hired Vancouver native David Hodges as its new public affairs director. The firm brought on Hodges, who was previously Sen. Patty Murray’s Southwest Washington director, as part of an effort to expand its federal affairs team and advocacy in the region. He graduated from Washington State University with a degree in communications. Based in Vancouver, Hodges will focus on work in both Washington and Oregon. He can be reached at davidh@cfmpdx.com.

Karen Santangelo will start as PeaceHealth’s chief development officer on Jan. 28, succeeding Carl Van Natta, who is retiring. For the last 10 years, Santangelo was the executive director of Providence Children’s Health Foundation, where she helped raise more than $45 million annually and oversaw 10 foundations. PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, is a nonprofit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska, with 10 medical centers. Find out more at www.peacehealth.org.

Amelia Fisher was hired by The Columbian as its part-time news assistant in December, replacing Pauline Sipponen. Fisher graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, N.J., in 2015, receiving a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. At The Columbian, she’s responsible for assisting the newsroom in a variety of ways, but spends a portion of her week helping Opinion Editor Greg Jayne process daily Letter to the Editor submissions from the community. Reach Fisher at 360-735-4524 or email amelia.fisher@columbian.com.

The Columbian welcomes submissions about Clark County residents or businesses, as well as regional business events. Information must be received by noon of the Tuesday preceding the intended Sunday publication date. Send to lyndsey.hewitt@columbian.com or fax 360-735-4540. Sales awards are not published.