SERA Celebrates New Leaders in Portland and Oakland!

SERA’s Principal group held a celebratory toast last week to announce 21 promotions at an array of levels across the firm. The promotions included five Associates, 10 Senior Associates, three Principals, and three newly created positions.

The event was SERA’s first major in-person gathering since the onset of the pandemic, with live celebrations in both the Portland and Oakland offices.

SERA Principals spoke about the importance of Associates and Senior Associates at SERA—how these staff are recognized for their firm-first loyalty as well as their contributions and demonstrated commitment to SERA’s values, goals, spirit of collaboration, and employee-ownership culture.

“Associates are responsible for our near-term wins, our long-term success, and our succession planning as we think about what SERA looks like in the future,” said Principal Matthew Arnold. “Senior Associates are all of that, plus longevity and seniority; those folks who have dedicated themselves to our firm over a long period of time or at a high level such that we think of them as the cornerstones of the firm. At the end of the day, this institution is about people and it gives us great comfort knowing where this firm is going.”

SERA Principals Lisa Zangerle and Joe Pinzone announced three newly-created positions including Interior Design Manager (Courtney Laird), Director of Learning & Development (Dominique Sparks), and Director of Compliance & Risk Management (Allison Hanley).

Finally, three individuals—Carissa Mylin, Cristian Asher, and Gauri Rajbaidya—were elevated to the position of Principal.

Principal Suzanne Blair spoke about what it means to be an employee-owner at SERA:

“We’re tied to each other at SERA because we are all in it for the benefit of the firm. We are invited to make a difference by noticing things that aren’t working or noticing ways we can help each other and make improvements. Strong employee-owners take that opportunity and make a difference with it. When people do that, they’re recognized for it. We give people opportunity, they take advantage of it, and then we make a path for them to make a difference.”

Congratulations to these employees!

New Principals

• Carissa Mylin
• Cristian Asher
• Gauri Rajbaidya

New Senior Associates

• Becca Dobosh
• Brian Cobb
• Chris Meigel
• Josh Cabot
• Kyle Emery
• Matthew Winkelstein
• Rebecca Grace-Miller
• Rose Formosa
• Steve Rainey
• Travis Dang

New Associates

• Gizelle Cadogan
• Jodie Trombly
• Michelle Whitaker
• Nicole Holt
• Shweta Mhatre

Titled Promotions

• Courtney Laird, Interiors Manager
• Dominique Sparks, Director of Learning & Development
• Allison Hanley, Director of Compliance & Risk Manager