New positions

* McCormick & Co. named Lonnie J. Abbott as regional manager, military sales, and Paula C. Gardner director, sales and marketing administration. Both are with the McCormick/Shilling division.

* Essex Corp. selected Joan A. Oeffner the position of vice president, contracts.

* United Parcel Service named Gregory Smith as on-road supervisor. He will be based at the UPS facility in Sparks.

* U.S. Customs Service announced that Carole E. Graves has been appointed district director for Baltimore.

Advertising and PR

* Freed & Associates announced that Tracey Haldeman has joined the agency as an art director.

* Hottman Edwards named Mark V. Zinda as executive vice president.

* Maryland Media Associates chose Jeanne Ruane senior as account executive.

Financial services

* Signet Bank has chosen Robert J. Sutton II senior vice president. He will be in charge of the indirect lending unit of the Signet Leasing & Financial Corp.

* First National Bank of Maryland selected Craig Philip Hallgren vice president of its York, Pa., loan production office.

* L. Warner Cos., a Timonium-based financial planning firm, named John Searing a planning coordinator.

Professional

* Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani, engineers, announced that David G. Mongan is now a managing partner of the Timonium-based firm.

* Price Waterhouse named the following managers in its Baltimore office: Paul A. Bresson; Evan Davis; Carolyn M. Dugan; B. Scot Flewelling; Raymond T. Ignacio; Camelia S. Scarff; Francis L. Swift Jr. and John D. Waterman. Appointed as senior consultants were: Eric M. Harris; Frederico A. Matheu; Anisha N.

Sheth; Leticia R. Smith and Scott P. Southall.

Health care

* St. Joseph Hospital has selected Renee Kessler as vice president of operations.

Commercial real estate

* Interstate General Co., headquartered in St. Charles, appointed Gregory G. Kreizenbeck president and chief operations officer.