Gomes, Dacruz & Tracy, a Ludlow-based certified public accounting firm, recently hired James Crabtree as a Tax Accountant. Crabtree has 10 years of accounting experience and is a graduate of the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.
••••• The Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau recently hired two associates:
Leah MacPherson
Luke Trahan
• Leah MacPherson will serve as Hospitality and Sales Coordinator. She will fulfill hospitality requests for incoming convention and group tours to the Pioneer Valley, manage a 25-member volunteer group that provides assistance to GSCVB member events, and recruit teams of volunteers for incoming sports tournaments and events. MacPherson is a 2013 graduate of Saint Leo University and was previously employed by Embassy Suites Tampa Airport; and
• Luke Trahan will serve as Sports Sales Manager for the newly developed Western Mass. Sports Commission. He will pursue and handle bookings for sports tournaments and events, in addition to conducting bid presentations and site inspections for sports-related business. Trahan is a graduate of the University of Hartford and was previously employed by Poyant, Brasseler USA Dental, and Expeditor Systems.
•••••
Jody Gross
Health New England recently announced that Jody Gross will take the helm as Vice President of Sales and lead the regional health insurer in developing and executing its sales and retention strategy for its commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid lines of business. In addition, Gross will be Health New England’s key contact for government regulators from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Since 2004, Gross has served Health New England in various positions in finance and healthcare reform, first as Finance Manager and then as Director of Finance, where he provided strategic guidance for new products while ensuring profitability and marketability. As Director of Business Development, he led the design, implementation, and evaluation of products, benefits, new business lines, and value-added programs. Prior to his promotion, Gross served as Director of Government Programs, overseeing the implementation and operations of HNE’s fledgling Medicare and Medicaid lines of business, now entering their fifth and third years of service, respectively. Gross holds a BS in Finance from Bryant College, an MBA from the University of Connecticut, and Health Insurance Producers licenses in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. Prior to joining Health New England, he worked for United Health Group and Oxford Health Plans.
••••• Maj. Darren Mudge has been named the new officer in charge of the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Springfield. Mudge will oversee the center, which provides spiritual, social, and emotional assistance for men and women in a organization that is supervised by trained, commissioned officers who have undergone extensive two-year courses in residence at Salvation Army colleges throughout the U.S.
••••• TD Bank has promoted Adam Lahti to Assistant Vice President and Manager of the Newton Street, South Hadley branch. Lahti is responsible for new business development, consumer and business lending, managing personnel, and overseeing day-to-day operations.
