Banking

Advance appoints Lawson commercial lending chief

Advance Bank appointed Sheila R. Lawson chief commercial lending officer. Formerly a vice president with Harbor Bank of Maryland, she is responsible for the commercial loan portfolio and for developing loan policies, products and services. A graduate of Williams College, Lawson completed her graduate work in business at the Johns Hopkins University. She is an active member of the local chapter of Links Inc. and lives in Westview Park.

Media

WMAR-TV names Nydam assistant news director

WMAR-TV named Nancy Nydam assistant news director. She will oversee content, coverage and production of the station's newscasts and directly assist in launching a morning show. Before joining the Baltimore ABC affiliate, she was a free-lance producer for the NBC affiliate in San Jose, Calif., and attended Hope College in Michigan.

Technology

Guru technology business names Cook sales director

Guru Inc. named Fred Cook director of sales for the Gaithersburg-based information technology services company. He is responsible for increasing market share and expanding the company's clients. Cook is a former sales and account manager for AAA Networks.