Swift Energy, a Houston-based exploration and development company with $821 million of 2008 revenue, promoted Barry Turcotte to controller and vice president of accounting. He succeeds David Wesson, the company's controller since 2001, who is resigning to pursue other interests. Turcotte, 39, joined Swift in 2001 and served as assistant controller since 2005.

Michael Lavey was named controller and vice president of A.H. Belo, a Dallas newspaper company with $733.5 million in 2008 revenue. Lavey, 52, has been controller for the company's flagship paper, the Dallas Morning News since June. He joined the paper from imc2, a digital advertising company where he was vice president of finance. Lavey has also worked as a consultant for Alliance Data Systems and as CFO of Lighting Science Group.

DreamWorks Animation, the $650 million entertainment company, named Heather O'Connor to succeed Phil Cross as chief accounting officer after he steps down in February. O'Connor has been the Glendale, Calif.-based company's director of SEC reporting since 2006. Earlier, she worked in accounting and financial planning positions at DreamWorks and was an auditor at Arthur Andersen.