Day: July 13, 2018

HOLYOKE — River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC) named Anna Dyrkacz to be its director of Finance. She was appointed to the position last month by Rosemarie Ansel, RVCC’s executive director.

“Anna’s financial expertise and knowledge within the healthcare industry will be a valuable asset to River Valley,” Ansel said. “We look forward to having her support in being fiscally strong, as we continue to grow and meet the mental-health needs of our community. We are pleased to have her join us during this exciting time.”

Dyrkacz has more than 17 years experience in the healthcare and human-services industry and came to River Valley Counseling Center from a leadership position at Pathlight. She has also held leadership positions at Southgate Retirement Community, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and Kindred Healthcare of Springfield.

“I’m excited to be joining the leadership team at RVCC,” Dyrkacz said. “I look forward to supporting the mission to improve the health of all people in our community, which includes being good stewards of our resources and providing efficient and cost-effective care to all.”

Dyrkacz has a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Western New England University, majoring in finance.

SPRINGFIELD — Mary Ann Coughlin, associate vice president for Academic Affairs at Springfield College, was recently awarded the John E. Stecklein Distinguished Member Award from the Assoc. for Institutional Research (AIR). The award recognizes an individual whose professional career has significantly advanced the field of institutional research through extraordinary scholarship, leadership, and service.

“It was a real honor to receive this award,” said Coughlin. “This association is best known for the collegial and collaborative work performed by its members; thus, to receive this award meant that I truly had made a difference.”

Coughlin has a long-standing relationship with the AIR, including serving as a past president and as a trainer for national workshops sponsored by the association. In 2012, she was the recipient of the Assoc. for Institutional Research Outstanding Service Award, recognizing her professional leadership and exemplary service to AIR and for actively supporting and facilitating the goals and mission of the association.

During her tenure at Springfield College, Coughlin has served in a variety of positions, including faculty member, president of the faculty senate, and her current administrative position in Academic Affairs. Coughlin worked as a professor of Research and Statistics at the college prior to moving into administration. In her current role, she supervises academic support services and provides leadership for program review, outcomes assessment, faculty development, student success initiatives, and institutional research.

BOSTON — The state Department of Transportation recently awarded five grants totaling more than $1.8 million as part of the Industrial Rail Access Program (IRAP), which helps increase rail and freight access, economic opportunity, and job growth.

IRAP is a competitive, state-funded, public/private partnership program that provides financial assistance to eligible applicants to invest in improvement projects in rail infrastructure access. State funding for these five projects will be matched by more than $2.4 million in private funds.

“These awards will help support economic development and job growth throughout Massachusetts by providing businesses better access to rail and freight infrastructure and connecting them with customers and opportunities throughout the region,” Baker said. “We are pleased to partner with these companies to leverage public and private funds to continue strengthening our transportation system through the development of rail infrastructure projects.”

Locally, $500,000 was awarded to the Western Recycling rail-spur project in Wilbraham. The project will allow an existing solid-waste-handling facility to load outbound waste into rail cars for shipment to out-of-state landfills. With the restoration of rail service to the site, the facility will start processing municipal waste, in addition to construction and demolition debris.

The project includes the construction of one loading track and five storage tracks for a total of 6,000 feet of new track. With completion of the project, the facility will be served by more than 1,500 rail cars each year, eliminating 7,500 regional truck trips each year and supporting the creation of eight to 10 additional jobs at the facility.

IRAP provides grants to railroads, rail shippers, and municipalities that identify a public benefit gained through improved rail transportation usage or economic growth that would be realized through improved access to rail assets. The other four grants went to projects in Littleton, Peabody, and Upton.

SPRINGFIELD — The Rotary Club of Springfield elected its new President, Susan Mastroianni, and board of directors at its recent meeting.

“I am humbled and honored to have been inducted as president of the Springfield club for 2018-2019,” Mastroianni said. “We have a dedicated board of directors, and we’re all looking forward to a productive year together. This past June, the Springfield Club was able to give away $6,000 in grants to local area nonprofits, and I’m looking forward to increasing that amount for next year. The Springfield Rotary Club has a long legacy, and I am excited to be a part of it.”

Originally from the Bronx, N.Y., Mastroianni worked in Springfield for more than 26 years, first as media director for FitzGerald & Robbins Advertising and then as a partner and director of Media Services at FitzGerald & Mastroianni Advertising in Springfield, which closed in 2016. She has been a member of the Rotary Club of Springfield since May 2006. In addition to being president, she chairs the club’s publicity committee also serves as vice president of the board of directors for the Gray House in Springfield. She is a graduate of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts.

The Rotary Club of Springfield meets every Friday at 12:15 p.m. in the MassMutual Room at the Basketball Hall of Fame.

CHICOPEE — The Education Division at Elms College has postponed its conference titled “Trauma-sensitive Schools: Meeting the Needs of Traumatized Students and Their Teachers,” which was originally scheduled to be held this week.

The conference is now rescheduled for Thursday and Friday, Nov. 1-2, and will be held in the Chicopee Public Library. More details will be released at a later date.