People on the Move
Debbie Esposito
Greenfield Cooperative Bank (GCB) announced the addition of Debbie Esposito to its team as senior vice president, Business Banking officer. She will be instrumental in driving the bank’s growth and development within the Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden county markets. With more than two decades of experience in the financial industry, Esposito brings a wealth of expertise in business, commercial, and cash-management solutions. Prior to joining GCB, she served as vice president of Cash Management Sales for PeoplesBank and vice president, senior Treasury Management relationship manager for Citizens Bank. In her new role, she will be responsible for promoting financial solutions in partnership with Commercial Lending, Government Banking, and Retail. She will also play a key role in implementing marketing strategies to enhance brand awareness and strengthen the bank’s presence in the community. Esposito holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, and marketing from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and a nonprofit certification with a financial focus from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. She is committed to community involvement and actively volunteers for various organizations across Western Mass.
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Robert Fraser
MountainOne announced that President and CEO Robert Fraser was elected as chair of the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. (MBA), a one-year post that began on July 1. Fraser explained that key focus areas already in full swing for 2024-25 include creating greater awareness of the role of banks and their positive impact on communities across the Commonwealth and expanding the association’s engagement with the industry’s emerging leaders. “I am honored to have been elected to the position of chair by my peers,” said Fraser, who joined MountainOne in 2007 and has served as its President and CEO since 2014. “I truly enjoy working with our members and with the Mass Bankers professional staff team to achieve the strategic priorities for the association.”
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Country Bank President and CEO Mary McGovern recently announced the promotion of five individuals within the organization: Dale Mazanec, Jason Mourao, Tori Graffam, Crystal Mansfield, and Ashlynn Fratoni. Previously serving as vice president, Mazanec has been promoted to first vice president, Asset Mitigation. With a decade of service at Country Bank and 35 in the financial-services industry, his thoughtful approach and positive attitude make him a leader within the bank, significantly improving its asset-mitigation strategies and operations. Mourao has been appointed assistant vice president of Retail Lending Operations. Since joining Country Bank in 2019, he has excelled in bringing a fresh perspective to the loan operations team. With 10 years of banking experience as an originator, he continues to enhance his skills while pursuing further education at the New England School for Financial Studies through the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. Graffam has been promoted to assistant vice president, BSA/Fraud. Joining Country Bank in 2020, she has demonstrated exceptional vigilance in safeguarding the bank and its customers. With more than 35 years in banking, she is respected for her deep knowledge and expertise in BSA/AML/OFAC regulations. She is a liaison, ensuring adherence to evolving regulatory requirements to protect the bank and its stakeholders. Mansfield assumes the role of Customer Experience officer. In 23 years at Country Bank, she has excelled across various roles, including sales, customer service, retail management, marketing, and data analytics. Known for her commitment to excellence and customer-centric approach, she ensures that customer voices are heard and valued throughout the bank. Her dedication was recognized with the prestigious 2023 Presidents Platinum Award. Fratoni has been promoted to Lead Audit officer. In her three and a half years as senior auditor, she has consistently leveraged her extensive audit experience to drive process improvements and efficiency gains across the organization, Her leadership in audit operations reinforces Country Bank’s commitment to operational excellence and regulatory compliance.
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John Berryhill
The Botanic Garden of Smith College recently welcomed John Berryhill as its new director. Berryhill has been serving as interim director since January as part of a career at the botanic garden that began more than 27 years ago. He brings to this role an in-depth understanding of the botanic garden, a steadfast dedication to its mission, and a strong commitment to the partnerships that are at the center of its work. Berryhill has worked in many different roles during his tenure — as a garden steward tending to the outdoor collections, as an arborist caring for the historic arboretum, and most recently as landscape curator managing the outdoor team and launching several conservation initiatives. These projects and priorities have connected Smith students to the work of the botanic garden community at both a regional and national scale. In the summer of 2022, Berryhill earned a master’s degree from Smith, making him the first Smithie to serve as director of the botanic garden. His research focused on the mountain magnolia’s vulnerability to climate change, which led to the development of a conservation collection at Smith College. He has long been a proponent of social and environmental justice being central to the botanic garden’s work. This priority has led to outreach and collaborations with local Indigenous leadership and conservation organizations, which will help shape the future direction of the Botanic Garden of Smith College.
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Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, with offices in Springfield and Northampton, was recognized by Best Lawyers as a Best Law Firm in Springfield for 2025. The firm was singled out in the fields of banking and finance law, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), corporate law, elder law, trusts and estates, litigation – trusts and estates, and tax law. In addition, eight attorneys at Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin were selected for inclusion in the 2025 edition of the Best Lawyers in America for outstanding contributions to their fields. Attorney Carol Cioe Klyman was included for her expertise the fields of elder law and trusts and estates. Attorney Mark Esposito was selected by his peers in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in the fields of commercial litigation and litigation – labor and employment. Attorney Michele Feinstein was selected by her peers as a Lawyer of the Year for trusts and estates in Springfield. She was also chosen for inclusion on the Best Lawyers in America list for her outstanding contributions to the fields of elder law, litigation – trusts and estates, and trusts and estates. Attorney Gary Fentin, one of the firm’s founders, was selected for his work in the fields of banking and financial law and commercial transactions/uniform commercial code (UCC) law. Attorney Timothy Mulhern, managing partner, was included for his work in the fields of corporate law and tax law. Founding attorney Steven Schwartz was selected for his expertise in the fields of business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), closely held companies, and corporate law. Attorney James Sheils was included for his contributions in the field of commercial transactions/uniform commercial code (UCC) law. Attorney Steven Weiss was selected for inclusion for his work in the fields of bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law.
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Bulkley Richardson announced that 13 lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. These lawyers were recognized in 22 unique areas of practice. They include Peter Barry for construction law, education law and healthcare law; Kathleen Bernardo for real-estate law; Michael Burke for medical-malpractice law (defendants) and personal-injury litigation (defendants); Mark Cress for banking and finance law, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, and corporate law; Francis Dibble Jr. for bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense, labor and employment litigation, and securities litigation; Daniel Finnegan for administrative/regulatory law; Scott Foster for business organizations, including LLCs and partnerships; Mary Jo Kennedy for employment law (individuals), employment law (management), and labor and employment litigation; David Parke for corporate law and mergers and acquisitions law; John Pucci for bet-the-company litigation, general-practice criminal defense, and white-collar criminal defense; Jeffrey Roberts for corporate law and trusts and estates; Michael Roundy for commercial litigation; and Ronald Weiss for corporate law, mergers and acquisitions law, and tax law.
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Bacon Wilson, P.C., with offices in Springfield, Northampton, Amherst, and Westfield, announced that seven of its attorneys have been recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in America, including recognition in the Ones to Watch category. They include Kenneth Albano, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships); Gina Barry, elder law; Gary Breton, banking and finance law and business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships); Hyman Darling, elder law; Michael Katz, bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law; Tyler Humphrey (Ones to Watch), banking and finance law; and Daniel McKellick (Ones to Watch), real-estate law. Two Bacon Wilson attorneys were named Lawyer of the Year in Springfield for 2025: Breton for business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), and Darling for elder law.
