VALLEY PEOPLE

* Zeev Rav-Noy, co-founder of MRV Communications Inc., Chatsworth, has resigned as chief operating officer, treasurer and director. Rav-Noy said he wants to pursue personal interests and spend more time with his family.

MRV produces fiber-optic transmission components for cable, voice, cellular telephony and broad-band Internet networks.

* Lynn Whitney has been promoted to senior vice president, theatrical media advertising, Warner Bros. Pictures, Burbank. She will continue to oversee the use of media in all markets in conjunction with Warner Bros.’ sales and marketing strategies, the company said.

Whitney joined Warner Bros. in 1992 as director of international media.

Warner Bros. produces films, television shows and other entertainment products.

* Bruce E. Flaxman has been appointed to the new position of chief operating officer for the managed services division, National Technical Systems Inc., Calabasas.

Flaxman most recently served as regional vice president of MODIS, a technical consulting and placement company in Jacksonville, Fla.

National Technical Systems provides testing, certification, systems evaluation and staffing to information technology businesses.

* Jan Smith has been promoted to executive vice president of Disney’s software-development business, Disney Consumer Products Worldwide, Burbank. Smith is responsible for worldwide operations of Disney Interactive, including product development, marketing, finance and administration, business and legal affairs, and customer support.

Before joining Disney Interactive, Smith was vice president and group publisher of Disney Publishing for Children. She joined Disney in 1987 to help launch the Disney Store.

Disney Interactive develops, markets and globally distributes a variety of interactive family-oriented entertainment and educational CD-ROMs and video games.

* Stephen C. Schmidt has been appointed senior vice president, residential community development, Newhall Land & Farming Co., the company said.

He replaces James R. Wheeler, who resigned.

In addition to Valencia’s residential development, Schmidt assumes responsibility for all new properties, including Broomfield in the Denver area and City Ranch in Palmdale.

Newhall Land is a developer of new towns and master-planned communities.

* Kevin Herzberg has been appointed vice president of Internet marketing for Countrywide Home Loans Inc., Calabasas, in charge of improving all of the company’s Web sites, including Countrywide.com, the company said.

Before joining Countrywide, Herzberg served as president for appraisal and closing services at RealEstate.com Inc., a privately held Internet portal providing business-to-business and business-to-consumer E-commerce real estate services nationwide.

A member of the S&P; 500, Countrywide Credit Industries Inc. originates, purchases, sells and services loans for single-family homes through its primary subsidiary, Countrywide Home Loans. The company has more than 10,000 employees with more than 550 offices across the country.

* Greg Sucherman has been promoted from director to vice president, field operations, for Universal Pictures, Universal City, the company announced. Sucherman will oversee all regional publicity in the United States and Canada.

Universal Pictures is part of Universal Studios, a unit of Seagram Co., a global entertainment and beverage company.

* J. Thomas Markley has been named to the board of directors at Coyote Network Systems, Westlake Village, the company announced. Markley had served as an advisor to the board for the past year.

He is president of JTM Inc., a senior management consulting firm to the telecommunications, data communications and electric utilities industries.

Coyote Network Systems designs, builds and operates communications networks and provides related services.