BusinessWest

MassMutual announced the promotion of Nick Fyntrilakis, head of Community Responsibility, to Vice President. Since joining MassMutual in 2002 as a communications consultant, Fyntrilakis has assumed growing responsibility and today is a key leader in MassMutual’s broad community-relations activities in the region and at the state level. Since 2008, he has also managed the community responsibility team. “Nick has demonstrated strong leadership of MassMutual’s philanthropic, civic, and local government-relations efforts,” said John Chandler, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at MassMutual. “His collaborative relationships with community and government leaders and organizations have been instrumental in creating increased awareness of our innovative outreach programs, helping to underscore MassMutual’s corporate citizenship locally and nationally.” As MassMutual’s primary face in the community, Fyntrilakis’s responsibilities include managing more than $7 million of charitable giving that supports educational, economic-development, and community-vitality efforts; the innovative LifeBridge free life-insurance program; and employee and field community-engagement initiatives. A communications consultant from 2002 to 2005, Nick was promoted to director of Community Relations in 2005 and to his prior position as assistant vice president in 2008. From 1999 to 2002 he had been president of Resources Advantages Inc., and from 1996 to 1999 was chief of staff in the office of state Rep. Dennis Murphy. He also served as a member of the Springfield School Committee from 1997 to 2005. Over the past 10 months, he has also served as a loaned executive from MassMutual to help lead the region’s recovery efforts from last year’s tornado. This included acting as chair of DevelopSpringfield and co-chair of Rebuild Springfield to develop a comprehensive rebuilding plan for the tornado-impacted areas. Additionally, Fyntrilakis has assumed a leadership role in working with the city of Springfield and the community to create and implement the State Street Alliance and State Street Redevelopment Program to help spur private development along the State Street corridor.
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Laura Ames, RN, has joined the Sisters of Providence Health System (SPHS) as Vice President for Behavioral Health at Providence Behavioral Health Hospital. In this role, Ames serves as the key administrator at Providence and leads various behavioral-health initiatives, including acute residential treatment and Brightside for Families and Children. A member of the SPHS Senior Leadership Team, she is responsible for all functions, processes, and activities relating to operational and financial effectiveness of the behavioral-health service line.
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Dave Ratner, President of Dave’s Soda & Pet City, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Retail Federation. During its 101st annual Convention and Expo in New York, Ratner was among five retail executives added to serve on the board. Ratner will serve a three-year term. Dave’s Soda & Pet City has locations in Agawam, Hadley, Northampton, Springfield, Ware, and Stafford Springs, Conn.
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Christine Parizo of Christine Parizo Communications in West Springfield has won the MarketingExperiments/Copyblogger Subject Line Copywriting Contest. Her subject line, promoting Optimization Summit 2012 in Denver, garnered a 125% higher click-through rate than the worst-performing subject line. The contest, run via comments on a blog post on Copyblogger, asked entrants to write a subject line to test in e-mails to promote the Optimization Summit. From there, judges narrowed down subject lines by choosing eye-catching subjects that fit into one of three categories — curiosity, benefits, and fear. The top three headers on Copyblogger then matched up against the top three from the MarketingExperiments blog and were tested via e-mail. Using the element of fear, Parizo’s subject line was “Do your landing pages pass this test?” She won a pass to the summit and a MarketingExperiments Landing Page Optimization online course.
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Winstanley Partners of Lenox announced the following:
• Kate Hyde has joined the Creative Department as Art Director. She is responsible for art direction of a wide array of client projects in both traditional and interactive design; and
• Erin Catharine has joined the Creative Department as a Copywriter, working closely with the art and creative team.
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Springfield Technical Community College’s Professional Association, the union which represents full-time and adjunct faculty and much of the institution’s professional staff, elected Nicholas C. Camerota as its President. A Professor of Philosophy and Political Science, Camerota served three terms as vice president after leading a successful campaign to reform the campus union several years ago. In 2011, Camerota was named Distinguished Labor Leader of the Year by the Springfield Democratic City Committee.
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The Ranch Golf Club in Southwick announced the following:
• Ryan Krane has been named Front of the House Manager, with overall responsibility for the Ranch Grille, and for food service at Ranch-hosted weddings, tournaments, and special events; and
• James Casey has been named Head Chef at the Ranch Grille.
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Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in North Adams has announced that Pamela Contakos has joined its Freel Library in the new position of Digital Services Librarian. The position was created to help the library expand its digital offerings and increase ease of use for library visitors. Contakos is tasked with integrating new electronic resources and services into the learning and teaching environments of MCLA.
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The following people have received Berkshire Bank’s Volunteer of the Year Award:
• Sue Gage, Branch Manager, East Longmeadow;
• Heather King, Portfolio Manager, Pittsfield;
• Christie Morrissey, Commercial Loan Servicing Specialist, Pittsfield;
• Cindy Rosenthal, Branch Manager, Delmar, N.Y.;
• Carol Manuele, Portfolio Manager, Rome, N.Y.; and
• Claudia Caporale, Business Services Officer, Manchester, Vt.
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Berkshire Bank of Pittsfield announced the following:
• Elizabeth Pierson has joined the bank as Vice President and Commercial Product Manager;
• Seth Pilsbury has joined the bank as Vice President and Commercial Enterprise Officer;
• Brett Brbovic has joined the bank as Vice President and Controller;
• William Schaefer has joined the bank as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer; and
• Michael Vaccaro has joined the bank as Vice President and Audit Manager.
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Peter Chilton has joined New England Public Radio in Springfield as its Web Site and Brand Manager.
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Klarn DePalma, Senior Vice President and General Manager of WFSB-TV 3, Hartford and New Haven, and WSHM-TV, has been elected Chair of the Connecticut Broadcasters Assoc. He has been an active member of the organization, which represents the interests of Connecticut’s licensed TV and radio broadcasters.
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Michael Fillion has been promoted to lead the informatics and medical-management-architecture teams at Aetna in Hartford, Conn. In this new role, Fillion will be responsible for all application and information architects in their respective information-technology domains.
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The law firm of Fierst, Kane & Bloomberg in Northampton announced the following:
• David C. Bloomberg has joined the firm as a Partner. Bloomberg has more than a quarter-century of experience in commercial and residential real-estate matters. He will spearhead the firm’s real-estate practice;
• Jeffrey S. Brown has joined the firm as a Partner. Brown has been a litigator for more than 19 years, with experience in criminal defense in state and federal courts, as well as family law, including divorce and custody litigation, and civil litigation. He will lead the firm’s civil and criminal litigation practice; and
• Hun Ohm has been elevated to Partner in the firm’s entertainment and intellectual property group. He joined the firm in 2006 after practicing for several years in New York City as a trademark and copyright lawyer at the firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and as assistant general counsel at General Cigar Holdings.

The YMCA of Greater Westfield announced that Andrea L. Allard was appointed Chief Executive Officer by unanimous vote of the board of directors. A life-long resident of Westfield, Allard has more than 15 years of experience in fund-raising and nonprofit management, and has had an extensive career with the YMCA network. She is presently the Executive Director of the Greater Hartford, Conn. YMCA’s downtown branch, a position she has held since 2008. She spent 11 years working at the YMCA of Greater Springfield, and was the executive director of its main branch on Chestnut Street before her move to Hartford. Allard began her YMCA involvement as a camper at the YMCA’s Camp Shepard in Westfield and later a worked as a staff member at the YMCA of Greater Westfield, where she is currently a member. Allard holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from UMass Amherst, a master’s degree in Human Services Administration from Springfield College, and is nearing completion of her MBA from Western New England University. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Andrea Allard back to the YMCA of Greater Westfield as our new CEO,” said Eric D. Hall, President of the board of directors. “Her extensive career experience, deep roots in the Westfield community, and enthusiasm for the YMCA are just what we need.” Said Allard, “it has been my dream for as long as I can remember to come back to Westfield and lead the organization that played such a large part in shaping the person I am today. I look forward to meeting the staff and our members, connecting with the community, and getting started.” Allard will take over from current interim director Robert Young on May 14.
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Renee L. Steese has joined the law firm of Ryan, Boudreau, Randall, Kirkpatrick & Baker of South Hadley. Her practice focuses on civil litigation, employment law, criminal law, and personal injury.
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Nicole Domnarski has been named Client Relationship Manager for FSB Financial Group. Domnarski joined FSB in October 2011, having worked most recently as a financial advisor at UBS Financial Services. She is a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College. She is attending the college for Financial Planning for CFP certification. Domnarski has a CRPC designation, securities licenses series 6, 7, 63, 65, 31, and FINRA Securities registrations through Commonwealth Financial Network, Member FINRA/SIPC.
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Kathleen Devlin-DeLisle, a faculty member at the Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow, has won an Excellence in Teaching Award. The award is sponsored by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation and other area organizations that form the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award program. As Coordinator of Speech and Listening Therapy and Early Intervention Services, Devlin-DeLisle provides speech and listening therapy to the school’s youngest children, and develops appropriate listening-therapy programs for students with cochlear implants. Other initiatives include instituting a music program for the younger children in the school and setting up sign-language classes for Spanish-speaking families as part of the Early Intervention Services. She will be honored with other winners at the Log Cabin in Holyoke on April 26.
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Michael J. Smith, Vice President of Berkshire Insurance Group, a Berkshire Bank affiliate in Westfield, has earned his certified School Risk Manager designation. He holds several insurance degrees, including chartered property casualty underwriter and certified insurance counselor.
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The Board of Trustees of Springfield Technical Community College conducted annual elections recently. Positions will be in effect through March 2013. Trustees are:
• Hector F. Toledo, re-elected Chairman;
• Christopher C. Johnson, re-elected Vice Chairman; and
• Jeffrey E. Poindexter, re-elected Secretary.
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Joseph L. Peters, President of Universal Plastics Corp., has been named 2012 Business Person of the Year by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. He will be honored at the Business Person of the Year Dinner on April 24 at 6 p.m. at the Delaney House in Holyoke. Peters, an engineering graduate of Holyoke Community College, oversees the 46-year-old family business on Whiting Farms Road. Universal Plastics, a custom thermoformer of plastic sheeting, is known for a diverse line of products, including many for aerospace and high-tech industries. Peters is a former chairman of the board of the National Society of Plastics Engineers, Thermoforming Division, and also serves as chairman of the board of the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County. He is also vice chair of the CareerPoint one-stop career center, and co-chair of the Workforce Development Committee of the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative. In Holyoke, he is second vice chair of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Holyoke Business-Education Partnership, director of Holyoke Medical Center, and member of the Mayor’s Industrial Development Advisory Committee. A member of the Chicopee Rotary Club for many years, he is also a director of Helping Hands for Honduras.
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Attorney Kenneth J. Albano of Bacon Wilson of Springfield has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Western Massachusetts division of the March of Dimes. He is a member of the firm’s corporate, commercial, and municipal law departments. In addition, he serves as town counsel to local municipalities including Monson, Southwick, and Holland. He also serves as a member of the Massachusetts Municipal Law Assoc.
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Peter Pan Bus Lines in Springfield honored several of its employees recently during its annual STAR Awards dinner. They are:
• Therese Didier was named 2011 Manager of the Year;
• Michele Gonsalves was honored as the Peter Pan Customer Service Person of the Year for 2011;
• Robert Herbst was saluted as the Connecticut division’s Outstanding Driver of the Year;
• Kevin Kerr joined the Two Million Mile Hall of Fame;
• Mechanic Carlos Garcia was honored for outstanding achievement in maintenance during 2011;
• Dennis Lyons joined the Two Million Mile Hall of Fame;
• Roger Marcotte was saluted with the George M. Sage Award as the Providence division’s Outstanding Driver of the Year for 2011;
• Eileen (Nina) Olivo was honored with the Peter Pan Outstanding Achievement “Extra Mile” Award for 2011;
• Manuel Perez was recognized as the Mrs. Peter Picknelly Sr. Outstanding Driver of the Year for 2011;
• John Shecrallah, Director of Systemwide Operations, was honored for his outstanding contributions to the company, receiving the Peter L. Picknelly Chairman’s Award for 2011. The award is named for the late Peter L. Picknelly, who was an innovator in the transportation industry and the head of Peter Pan Bus Lines from 1964 to 2004. The chairman’s award is voted upon by the officers and senior management and is awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the company during their career at Peter Pan; and
• Andrew Woods of the Springfield division was saluted as the “Best of the Best,” receiving the Peter C. Picknelly Founder’s Award as the company’s most outstanding driver for 2011. The award is named for the late president and founder of Peter Pan Bus Lines, who started the company 79 years ago.
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David P. Frank has marked his 25th anniversary with 3M. He started with the 3M Orthopedic Division in 1987 and is now a Regional Specialist in the Infection Prevention Division.

Freedom Credit Union of Springfield announced that Louis J. Scungio has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
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Elizabeth A. Beaudry has been promoted to Senior Commercial Credit Analyst and Information Technology Administrator at NUVO Bank & Trust Co.
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First Niagara Bank has named Anne Faunce as Branch Manager of the College Highway Branch in Southwick. She is responsible for developing new small business and personal relationships while supporting the branch’s existing customers.
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Corey Harris has joined Hogan Technology, formerly Hogan Communications, as an IT Manager. His new role will include managing the company’s IT support team.
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Andrea M. Luppi has been appointed Manager of Communications and Community Relations for Columbia Gas of Massachusetts in its Western Mass. service area. Luppi is responsible for the dissemination of information and communications with the media, public safety and government officials, the business community, and the public throughout Columbia’s local service area. She will also manage the company’s relationships with the many charitable and social-service agencies Columbia Gas supports in the area. Luppi will work out of the Columbia Gas building on Roosevelt Avenue in Springfield.
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Miriam Ramos has been named Manager of the TD Bank branch at 619 Chestnut St., Springfield. She is responsible for new-business development, consumer and business lending, managing personnel, and overseeing day-to-day operations.
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Westfield Bank announced the following:
• Dennis Keefe has joined the bank as Vice President of Commercial Real Estate. Keefe will develop and grow the bank’s commercial real-estate portfolio and increase commercial-loan diversification. He will also work in conjunction with the commercial lending staff to finance apartments, office, retail, and industrial properties in Massachusetts and Northern Conn.; and
• Thomas Cebula has been promoted to Commercial Loan Officer. His work focus will be on small-business lending.
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Vernon L. Carter has been named Program Manager at Lighthouse in Springfield, part of Human Resources Unlimited. Carter is a licensed social worker who will lead Lighthouse in its mission to help all individuals Human Resources Unlimited serves to lead full and productive lives as contributing members of the community.
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Shannon R. Allen has been named Internet Director for TommyCar Auto Group of Hadley. The company’s dealerships include Country Nissan in Hadley, Country Hyundai in Greenfield, Patriot Buick GMC in Charlton, and Northampton Volkswagen. She will oversee the Internet staff for all Web site needs of the four dealerships. Allen will also be responsible for monthly marketing campaigns in the sales, service, and parts departments, and ensure that all print and outbound advertising are consistent and up to date. She will oversee compliance for all online advertising and Web sites, including all third-party sites, and create and oversee all graphic work for Web sites.
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Stacey Vendetta has been hired as a Business Development Specialist at Graphic Solutions for Business. In this position, Vendetta brings more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing as she meets with prospective clients in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
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Skoler, Abbott & Presser of Springfield announced the following:
• Ralph F. Abbott, Partner, has been identified among “Leaders in their Field” by Chambers USA. He will be featured in the forthcoming edition of Chambers USA — America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He has been a partner of the firm since 1975. In addition to providing employment-related advice to employers, he assists clients in remaining union-free and represents employers before the National Labor Relations Board. His experience also includes negotiating collective-bargaining agreements and representing employers at arbitration hearings and before other state and federal agencies; and
• Susan G. Fentin, Partner, has been identified among “Leaders in their Field” by Chambers USA. She will be featured in the forthcoming edition of Chambers USA — America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. She joined the firm in 1999 and was made a partner in 2004. She counsels employers on handling difficult employee situations and avoiding litigation, as well as on policy development and supervisor training. Fentin also defends employers against charges of discrimination under state and federal law. The book, scheduled for publication in June, lists top attorneys from around the nation.
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Victor Woolridge, Vice President of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 Springfield Leadership Institute Community Service Award. The award is presented annually by the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield and the faculty and staff of the Western New England University School of Business. He will be honored on April 11 at the Springfield Sheraton.
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Tammy Salisbury has joined United Bank in West Springfield as an Internal Audit Officer.
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PeoplesBank announced the following:
• David J. Thibault has been promoted to Vice President, Business Banking Officer;
• Wesley D. Tanner has been promoted to Vice President, Commercial Portfolio Manager;
• Meghan E. Gregoire has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Business Banking, serving the Westfield and West Springfield areas;
• Beverly J. Orloski has been promoted to Vice President, Mortgage Lending;
• Melissa E. Richter has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. She currently serves as Branch Manager of the bank’s new LEED-registered office at 547 Memorial Ave., West Springfield;
• Brian M. Canina has been promoted to First Vice President, Controller;
• Michael E. Sugrue has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Risk Oversight; and
• Lucinda A. Brown has been promoted to Branch Training Officer.
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Jason Rivera has been promoted from Branch Manager to Assistant Vice President of Small Business Banking for Western Mass. and Eastern Conn. at First Niagara Bank. He will be responsible for developing new relationships with small businesses in his target area. His office will be based in West Springfield.
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Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Springfield announced the following:
• Greg Deavens, Senior Vice President, has assumed the role of Corporate Controller. He now leads MassMutual’s financial reporting, accounting policy, financial systems and GIA investment reporting functions; and
• Norm Smith, Senior Vice President, now leads MassMutual’s U.S. Insurance Group finance division. He is responsible for the financial-management activities of the company’s insurance business, including financial planning and analysis, competitive analysis, expense management, and oversight for key elements of the internal control environment.
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Attorney James D. Chadwell of Crear & Chadwell in Springfield was among the speakers at the two-day Safety Council of Western New England’s Safety and Health Conference. His presentation addressed “Worker’s Compensation: An Employer’s Perspective.” He shared insights from his experience as a specialist in workers’ compensation defense, insurance defense, and insurance-coverage law.
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Richard C. Sprinthall Jr., a financial professional with Independence Financial Partners, a member of the John Hancock Financial Network, has qualified for the ACE (Achieving Client Excellence) Best-in-Class Award, one of the highest honors that John Hancock bestows on financial professionals within its network.

The Insurance Center of New England, headquartered in Agawam, announced that William O. Trudeau has been promoted to the position of President and CEO of the full-service insurance agency. Current President Dean M. Florian has assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of Directors of ICNE. Trudeau has been at ICNE since 1990, serving the last six years as Chief Operating Officer. A 1990 graduate of the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, Trudeau is holder of the professional designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), AFSB, and AAI. He is a licensed insurance advisor in Massachusetts. Trudeau is past chairman and current board member of the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, board member of the STCC Foundation, board member of Hilltop Services Inc., and serves on the American Cancer Society Gala Committee. He is also a guest lecturer on insurance at WNE Law School and serves on agent-advisory councils of both the Hanover and Arbella Mutual Insurance companies. “Bill Trudeau has been a driving force in the growth of ICNE for many years, particularly in our Commercial Insurance & Employee Benefits division,” said Florian. “It’s time now for someone with younger eyes to lead the agency into the ever-changing future business environment. We have great respect and confidence in Bill Trudeau.” The Insurance Center of New England has more than 60 employees at its offices in Agawam, Gardner, Orange, Winchendon, Fitchburg, Lowell, Danvers, and Haverhill.  The agency’s business is split evenly between its Personal Lines division and its Commercial Insurance & Employee Benefits division.
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Jessica L. Wales has joined PeoplesBank of Holyoke as Branch Manager of the South Hadley office at 494 Newton St. She has 14 years of financial and banking experience.
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Daniel Buttrick has joined Tighe & Bond in Westfield as an Environmental Engineer. He has a background in dam engineering, water-resources engineering and management, and stormwater management in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York.
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Tamilyn Levin has been named Senior Vice President of Finance at Wingate Healthcare in Needham. Wingate Healthcare is the owner and operator of 21 skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities in Massachusetts and New York. Levin is responsible for directing the organization’s financial and accounting practices as well as developing and executing strategic planning to support the organization’s long-term growth.
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Freedom Credit Union of Springfield announced the following:
• Louis J. Scungio has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer;

• Kara B. Herman has been promoted to Vice President of Retail Administration;
• Julia M. Beaudoin has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Human Resources;
• Patricia L. Munson has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Compliance;
• Allen W. Reed has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Information Security;
• Nicole M. Rondeau has been promoted to Accounting and Finance Officer; and
• Cheryl L. Podgorski has been appointed Freedom’s Operations Officer.
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Charles Frago has joined Wolf & Co. as a Principal on the tax-service team for Wolf’s Financial Institutions group. He will use his tax expertise to create practical solutions to assist financial institutions with their tax issues and work with them to achieve their business goals. Frago will focus on tax planning, compliance, mergers and acquisitions, stock-based compensation, and preparing clients for tax examinations.
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Attorney Robert P. Cunningham has rejoined the law firm of Robinson Donovan in Springfield. His practice centers on corporate and business counseling and commercial real estate.
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WTCC 90.7 FM, the radio station of Springfield Technical Community College, has elected several individuals to positions on the station board of directors to serve two-year terms:
• Maurice G. Lindsay has been elected General Manager. He is Deputy Clerk at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, as well as the owner of Lindsay Entertainment Network. He hosts the “Caribbean Culture” program on Saturdays from 5 to 8 p.m.;
• Luis A. Rodriguez has been elected Program Director. He is President of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and is a Pharmacy Technology Business Systems Analyst at Baystate Health. Rodriguez hosts the “Club House Dance Music” program on Fridays from 8 to 10 p.m.;
• Andrew R. Cade has been re-elected Business Director. He is Senior Vice President for the Urban League of Springfield. Cade hosts the Black Spectrum program “Inspirationally Gentle” on Thursdays from 7 to 9 a.m.;
• S. John Hoyte has been re-elected Music Director. He is a Service Splice Technician for Verizon. He is the co-host of the “Caribbean Vibrations” program on Sundays from 3 to 6 p.m.;
• Jose L. Ortiz has been elected Training Director. He is a Trainer/Counselor at the Career Point Career Center in Holyoke. He hosts the “Club House Dance Music” program on Fridays from 10 p.m. to midnight;
• Dr. Rocco A. Mesiti has been elected as Production Director. An intercultural communications consultant, he is the owner of Mesiti Media Group Inc. He hosts the “Dolce Vita” program, in Italian, Sundays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.;
• Raquel Obregon has been elected as PSA Director, and will also head public-affairs programming for the station. She is a Quality Control Reviewer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the Department of Transitional Assistance. Obregon hosts the “Cantares Latino-Americanos” program on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in both English and Spanish. She also hosts the “Tertulia” program on WFCR in Amherst;
• Vanessa M. Lyons has been elected Administrative Secretary for the station. She is a Rental Agent at Mount Holyoke Management. Known as DJ Chaye, she hosts the “Black Spectrum” R&B program on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.; and
• Frederick T. Krampits continues to serve as Chief Engineer for WTCC. He is the Ward 5 Councilor on the Chicopee City Council and a Customer Service Engineer for Thomson Broadcast in Southwick.
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FieldEddy Insurance in East Longmeadow announced the following:
• Gary Lavallee has been appointed Financial Advisor. In his new position, he will lead the agency’s new financial-security and retirement-protection group;
• Art Catapang has been appointed Account Executive, Commercial Lines. In his new position, he will focus on the energy, environmental, transportation, and specialty-contracting industries;
• Jenny Catuogno has been appointed Account Executive, Employee Benefits. In her new position, she will develop and maintain employee benefits plans and implement and service voluntary insurance programs; and
• Suzanne Averill has been appointed Account Manager for Commercial Lines. In her new position, she will market insurance renewals, issue certificate registrations, and handle claims.
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Page Brody has been appointed Executive Director of the Springfield Public Forum.
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Eric D. Jalbert has joined NUVO Bank & Trust Co. as a Credit Analyst. He will work with the NUVO lenders on customer financial analysis, preparing commercial loan-request proposals, annual loan reviews, analysis of loan risk ratings, creating reports and summaries, producing in-house and regulatory reports, and maintaining related records.
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Jason Urso recently joined Tighe & Bond in Westfield as a Mechanical Engineer. He will be working primarily out of the Westfield office, providing mechanical design support to the firm’s other five offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Urso has 10 years of mechanical-engineering experience in heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.
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Robert Perschel has joined the New England Forestry Foundation as its Executive Director. The regional nonprofit organization specializes in forest conservation, sustainable forest management, and education.
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Watkins Strategies, based in Quincy, has appointed Collin Mack to be its Community Relations Specialist.
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Bulkley Richardson has added four attorneys to its Litigation/Alternative Dispute Resolution Department:
• John P. Pucci, Partner, specializes in white-collar criminal defense and state and federal regulatory-agency matters. He will practice from the firm’s Springfield and Boston offices;
• Andrew Levchuk, Counsel, specializes in corporate compliance and integrity as well as experience in data privacy and Internet security. He will practice from the firm’s Springfield and Boston offices;
• J. Lizette Richards will practice from the firm’s Springfield and Boston offices, representing clients in all types of civil and criminal litigation, as well as responding to government investigations and conducting corporate internal investigations; and
• Jamie L. Kessler will handle financial-services litigation from the firm’s Boston office.

Kathleen Anderson has been named President of the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce. Anderson, who was formerly director of Planning and Development for the City of Holyoke, will succeed Doris Ransford, who announced her retirement as of May 31. In her new capacity, Anderson will also lead the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation, a nonprofit workforce-development and education affiliate of the chamber. Anderson had held her most recent position since 2006, and previously served as director of Holyoke’s management-assistance program beginning in 1999. She earned an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Holyoke Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Fitchburg State College. Anderson presently serves as vice president of the Massachusetts Economic Development Council, and a director of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and CareerPoint.
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Collin Mack has been hired by Watkins Strategies of Quincy as a Community Relations Specialist. He will work out of the Chicopee and East Windsor, Conn. offices, and will focus on a major utility-construction project that spans cities and towns in Western Mass. and Connecticut.
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Warren Izyk has been promoted to Assistant Manager at North Brookfield Savings Bank’s Belchertown branch.
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InteliCoat Technologies of South Hadley has hired Tom Shea as its Northeast Regional Sales Manager. He will provide additional support for InteliCoat’s dealers in the Northeast, including the New England states, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
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First Niagara Bank has named John K. Jepson Jr. Vice President of Commercial Lending for Northern Conn. and Western Mass. He will develop and manage commercial relationships throughout the region, serving businesses with annual revenues ranging from $2 million to $25 million. He will also support the bank’s existing commercial relationships, and will be responsible for generating new commercial-banking opportunities by growing commercial loans and deposit relationships with area businesses.
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Eric D. Jalbert has been hired by NUVO Bank in Springfield as a Credit Analyst. He will work with the NUVO lenders on customer financial analysis, preparing commercial-loan-request proposals, annual loan reviews, analysis of loan risk ratings, creating reports and summaries, producing in-house and regulatory reports, and maintaining related records.
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Elizabeth Marino has been named Executive Director of Summer Search, the nonprofit, year-round program that works with low-income Boston public high-school students to help them enter and graduate from college. Summer Search, based in Jamaica Plain, serves 375 students, with an average family income of $22,000. It provides participants with intensive mentoring, experiential summer programs, and college-advising services and a lasting support network.
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Hogan Technology of Easthampton, formerly Hogan Communications, has hired Corey Harris as its IT Manager. His new role is dedicated to the Managed IT Support Team.
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Jessica Phaneuf of Fitness Together in Amherst was one of four franchise owners recognized at the franchise’s annual Massachusetts awards dinner on Feb. 2 in Stoneham. Phaneuf opened the Amherst location in 2008 and purchased the Northampton studio in 2010. Fitness Together specializes in weight loss, injury prevention and rehabilitation, endurance, and weight training. Phaneuf’s clientele ranges in age from 13 to 90.
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Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts in Springfield announced the following:
• Harry Gilligan, Owner of Breakthrough Business Advisors, LLC, has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors;
• Thomas Fox, Community Outreach Director for Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp., has been named Vice Chairman; and
• James Fydenkevez, Investment Analyst at Babson Capital Management, has been named to the Board.
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TD Bank of Springfield has promoted Miriam Ramos to Store Manager of the store located at 619 Chestnut St. in Springfield. She is responsible for new-business development, consumer and business lending, managing personnel, and overseeing the day-to-day operations.
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Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. of Springfield has announced that Jay M. Presser, Partner, has been recognized as a 2012 Top-Rated Lawyer for his work in labor and employment law by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings. Presser received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating, AV Preeminent. The peer-review ratings are objective indicators of lawyers’ ethical standards and professional abilities. Ratings are determined through evaluations of lawyers by other members of the bar and the judiciary in the U.S. and Canada, and reflect a combination of a Very High General Ethical Standards rating and a Legal Ability numerical rating. A threshold number of responses are required to achieve a rating. Presser practices labor and employment law exclusively on behalf of management. Head of the litigation practice, he has more than 30 years of experience litigating employment cases before administrative agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination, and the state Labor Relations Commission.
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The Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission announced the following:
• Melrose Mayor Robert J. Dolan has been named a Commissioner; and
• Dr. Neil Minkoff, Founder of FountainHead HealthCare, has been named a Commissioner.
The state agency, established in 1955, provides health and other benefits to Massachusetts employees, retirees, and their families, and health-only benefits to participating municipalities.
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The Loomis Communities announced the following:
• Greg Sheehan has been elected to the Board of Directors. Sheehan is Executive Vice President at Pension & Benefits Associates; and
• Gale McClung has been elected to the Board of Directors. She is a resident at Applewood at Amherst. She is an editor for the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly, a former methods analyst for IBM, and a former Amherst Town Meeting member.
• Other members of the board include: David Healey, Kay Sordillo, Nancy Eddy, Wayne Gass, Norman Halpern, Gwendolyn Jones Boisseau, Sara Lawrence, Ann McIntosh, Venus Robinson, Thomas Senecal, Mary-Anne Stearns, Joan Steiger, and Richard Whiting.
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Jeffrey O’Connor has been named Director of Growth and Development and is also the Office Manager of the new Chicopee location of Martinelli, Martini & Gallagher Real Estate.
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The Greenfield Community College Board of Trustees has announced the following:
• Realtor Rob Cohn has been elected Chairman of the Board. He is owner of Cohn and Co. in Greenfield; and
• Attorney Liz Sillin has been elected Vice Chairwoman of the Board. She is a Partner in the law firm of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas in Springfield.
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Carole Desroches has been named Assistant Vice President and Investment Officer at Westfield Bank. She will work with the bank’s investment portfolio to develop new strategies and provide ongoing analysis.
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Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New England has announced that several sales associates completed the course “Working with Multicultural Clients: at Home with Diversity.” The course teaches Realtors how to work effectively with and within a rapidly changing multicultural market. Sales associates who completed the course are:
• Janet Bergeron and Raymond Hoess-Brooks of the Chicopee office;
• Sharron Cochran, Beth Costello, Michelle Deslauriers, Crystal Diamond, Linda Fawcett, Diane Fisher, Dottie Maiwald, Rosemary Murphy, Ellen Clifford-McGuire, Marilyn Pinto, Marilyn Spears, Helen Teree, and Barbara Vaughn, all of the Longmeadow office; and
• Rita Slasinski and Mary Mangini of the Westfield office.

Carole Desroches has been appointed Assistant Vice President/Investment Officer at Westfield Bank. She has 16 years of experience in the banking industry, and will work primarily out of the corporate office. She will work with Westfield Bank’s investment portfolio to develop new strategies and provide ongoing analysis.
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EBTEC of Agawam recently recognized nine employees, each with more than 25 years of service, representing 255 years of combined employment at the high-energy-beam-manufacturing facility. Those honored were:
• Christopher English;
• Daniel Hebert;
• Cathy Anderson;
• Mark Modzeleski;
• Mathew Girouard;
• Vincent Mammano;
• Paul Krassler;
• David Maheu, and
• Brian Havens.
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Carla J. Potts has been named Coordinator of Media Relations in the Marketing and Communications Department at Springfield Technical Community College.
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Chicopee Savings Bank announced the following:
• Irene Alves has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Retail Lending Operations;
• Gloria Faria has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Retail Banking and also manages the bank’s Ludlow office;
• Clare Ladue has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Retail Banking and is also managing the main office in Chicopee;
• Becky Elias has been promoted to Portfolio Manager; and
• Sarah Medeiros has been promoted to Credit Officer.
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Dan Carstens, publisher of the Airport News & Bradley International Cargo Guide, will serve as Marketing Consultant to the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA). His role includes identifying new routes and enhancements for Bradley International Airport and the state’s general-aviation airports. The CAA was established last July to develop, improve, and operate Bradley International and the state’s five general airports (Danielson, Groton/New London, Hartford Brainard, Waterbury-Oxford, and Windham).
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Shaun Dwyer has been named First Vice President and Commercial Team Leader for Berkshire Bank in the Pioneer Valley.
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MassMutual’s Retirement Services Division in Springfield announced the following:
• John Budd has been appointed National Practice Leader covering the division’s institutional retirement products. In this newly created role, Budd is responsible for leading MassMutual’s distribution strategy for its stable-value investment-only and defined-benefit businesses, working with the division’s managing directors and their key advisor relationships; and
• Brian Mezey has joined the division as Managing Director of Institutional Sales. In this role, Mezey is responsible for working with retirement-plan advisors in mid-sized and large markets, and is partnered with Andy Hanlon covering the Eastern New England region.
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Market Mentors in West Springfield announced the following:
• Jessica Lemieux has joined the firm as an Account Executive. She is responsible for managing accounts and client expectations, as well as outreach for new business;
• Karin O’Keefe has joined the firm as Account Coordinator and Manager of Digital Advertising. She will coordinate various accounts and oversee all social networking and digital advertising; and
• Laura Stopa has joined the firm and will assist the Art Director with Web coding and design.
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Charles Frago has joined Wolf & Co., P.C. of Boston as a Principal on the tax-service team of Wolf’s Financial Institutions group. Frago will focus on tax planning, compliance, mergers and acquisitions, stock-based compensation, and preparing clients for tax examinations.
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John P. O’Rourke has been named Director of Electricity for the Hampshire Council of Governments. He will lead the Hampshire Electricity Program, and work to expand the customer base by providing lower-cost electricity to government entities, school districts, nonprofits, and businesses throughout Western Mass.
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Syeda Maham Al Rafai has joined Hatch Mott MacDonald in Holyoke as an Engineer. She is experienced in AutoCAD and Risa2D beam-column design, and will enroll in the engineer-in-training program for the state of Massachusetts.
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Michael Natale was recently named Vice President of Sales for Leonard E. Belcher Inc. He will oversee all sales operations of the multi-branded, multi-state distributor.
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Thomas W. Barney, Certified Financial Planner, has joined Heaphy Trust Group and Heaphy Investments, which offer investment-management, financial-planning, and fiduciary services to individuals, nonprofits, and retirement plans.
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Susan Barbiasz has been promoted to Manager of the Chicopee Savings Bank Ware branch. She will manage the day-to-day operations of the branch office located at Gibbs Crossing on Palmer Road.
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Michele A. Rooke has been named a Shareholder with the law firm of Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy. Rooke joined the firm in 2002 after serving as an Assistant District Attorney for Hampden County. She represents plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of civil-litigation matters. Her practice also includes criminal defense.