People on the Move
Sarah Stine
O’Connell Development Group (ODG) announced the appointment of Sarah Stine as president. She takes over the role from Jim Sullivan, who held the position for more than a decade and will continue to serve as president of the O’Connell Companies. Stine has been with the O’Connell Companies since 2012, starting her career at Daniel O’Connell’s Sons as a project manager. In 2022, she transitioned to ODG, where she served as Development manager and later as vice president of Real Estate Development. Throughout her tenure at ODG, she has played an integral role in facilitating zoning changes, securing municipal development approvals, and leading substantial upgrades to properties within the ODG portfolio. She has managed the design, coordination, and construction of multiple active development projects. As president, Stine will be responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of ODG and its subsidiaries. She will continue to lead efforts in sourcing new acquisition and development opportunities, while also remaining deeply involved in the management of ODG’s extensive real-estate development portfolio and the execution of current and future development projects.
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Ruth Griggs, Northampton Jazz Festival board president, has been named a Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Assoc. in its 25th annual recognition of “activists, advocates, altruists, aiders, and abettors of jazz” across the U.S. Griggs has led the Northampton Jazz Festival since 2017, when she reformed the festival board, reinstated its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, and planned the first festival since 2015, which took place in 2018 at various venues throughout downtown Northampton. The Jazz Journalists Assoc., convened in 1987, is a nonprofit organization with 250 international members that provides creative and educational resources to individuals that forward the American art form known as jazz. Since 2001, the association has identified and hailed individuals from local jazz communities across America who go beyond their basic responsibilities to sustain and expand on musical activities. The 2025 Jazz Heroes campaign is concurrent with the 30th annual Jazz Journalists Assoc. Jazz Awards for jazz musicians. Griggs was also named a Difference Maker by BusinessWest in 2022 for her decades-long career as a marketing strategist and her leadership of the Northampton Jazz Festival.
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Liz Chrystal
Country Bank announced the appointment of Liz Chrystal as the new vice president of Project Management. Her appointment represents an important step in the bank’s continued focus on operational excellence and strategic growth. Chrystal brings more than 16 years of project-management experience to her role, including the last two years in the financial-services industry. She earned her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in business administration and management and holds a project management professional certification from Bryant University. Her career began in project-management roles across a variety of sectors, including commercial healthcare and IT professional services for government agencies. She later served on the IT executive leadership team at Baystate Health, a five-site integrated health system headquartered in Springfield. Most recently, she was part of the senior leadership team at a financial-services company, where she led the Enterprise Project Management Office, Customer Success, and Business Solutions divisions. Chrystal’s dedication to quality and excellence has been recognized throughout her career, including receiving the SHINE Award from Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan for her work in integrity and quality assurance. In addition to her professional contributions, Chrystal actively supports her local community through regular donations to Springfield Rescue Mission and the Cupboard Pantry in West Springfield.
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Teach Western Mass (TWM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the educator workforce in Western Mass., announced that its founding executive director, Pema Latshang, will step down from her role at the end of April. Latshang launched TWM in 2016 with a bold, community-driven vision: that every student in Springfield, Holyoke, and surrounding communities in Western Mass. deserves an excellent teacher who reflects their identity and understands their lived experience. Under her leadership, TWM launched and expanded its flagship teacher residency program, placing more than 200 mission-driven educators in Springfield and Holyoke classrooms. During her tenure, Latshang and her team also launched several innovative initiatives aimed at cultivating high-quality educators, including the Teach Western Mass Residency; the Black, Latine, and Educators of Color Fellowship; TWM’s AmeriCorps Professional Corps; partnerships with American International College, Smith College, and Generation Teach; and the Certified Teachers Program and the Graduate Fellowship. These initiatives have collectively supported and trained hundreds of diverse educators who now serve students across the region, creating lasting impact in public-school classrooms. TWM’s board of directors has engaged the Financial Development Agency of Amherst to guide the leadership transition. In the interim, longtime TWM leaders Julie Anderson, deputy director of Strategy and Operations, and Lisa Doherty, deputy director of Programs, will continue leading the organization.
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Brenda Petell
MountainOne recently welcomed Brenda Petell as vice president, Community Engagement officer. In this role, she leads community-engagement efforts across the Berkshires and South Shore, strengthening partnerships, advancing philanthropic initiatives, and furthering MountainOne’s long-standing commitment to the communities it serves. Petell brings a wealth of experience to MountainOne. Most recently, she served as director of Volunteer Engagement at Berkshire United Way. With a background in finance, people operations, and process improvement, her insights will be key in modernizing process and enhancing MountainOne’s community-engagement initiatives. Petell will soon be named the 2025 recipient of the Girls Inc. of the Berkshires She Knows Where She’s Going Award, which honors her ongoing work as an outstanding local female leader who serves as a role model for young women. As part of her responsibilities, she will oversee MountainOne’s Community Dividend Program, coordinate corporate giving, and ensure that MountainOne’s support aligns with initiatives that reflect the company’s mission. She will also lead employee volunteer efforts, financial-literacy programs, and storybook programming.
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Alignable, the largest online networking platform for small businesses, announced that Judy Herrell of Herrell’s Ice Cream has been elected as Northampton’s 2025 Business Person of the Year. Alignable’s 2025 Local Business Person of the Year contest logged more than 333,000 votes, 77,000 recommendations, and 4,750 winners across the U.S. and Canada. The largest online networking platform for business owners, alignable.com invited its more than 9 million members to shout out local business leaders who have gone above and beyond guiding peers and supporting entire communities.
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Nicole Blais
Nicole Blais, CEO of Holyoke, Chicopee, Springfield Head Start Inc. (HCS Head Start), was recently elected to the New England Head Start Assoc. (NEHSA) board of directors. Her first role at HCS Head Start, in 1996, was as Parent Education and Support specialist, where she was responsible for ensuring that performance standards and other regulations related to parent involvement were upheld at all times. She spent the next decade developing and implementing various parent and family-engagement programs, supervising a team and speaking and presenting throughout the Commonwealth, as well as at National Head Start Assoc. conferences across the country. In 2012, she transitioned to the position of director of Community Engagement, and for the next 10 years, she identified, maintained, and grew collaborations with outside agencies and community initiatives, local media outlets, political and community leaders, and funders. In 2021, Blais stepped into her current position as CEO of the regional organization. She has served multiple terms on the Massachusetts Head Start Assoc. board of directors, which serves as the voice of nearly 30 Head Start and Early Head Start organizations across Massachusetts, before accepting this new election onto the New England Head Start Assoc. board. Blais also serves the community as a Springfield Regional Chamber ambassador and Holyoke Rotary Club member. She attended Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and did her graduate studies in nonprofit management and philanthropy at Bay Path University.
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Peter Pan Bus Lines announced that Mary Davila has made transportation history as the first woman awarded 2 Million Mile Motor Coach Operator status and inducted into the Safe Driving Hall of Fame by the National Safety Council. This prestigious achievement recognizes her impeccable driving record — 2 million miles without a single preventable accident. Davila began her career in 1996 in Peter Pan’s New York City Division, and has spent 28 years transporting passengers safely through the busiest cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. She is the first female motorcoach operator to reach the 2 million-mile milestone, breaking barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field. The National Safety Council’s Million Mile Award is one of the most respected honors in the transportation industry, and Peter Pan boasts 170 drivers who have received this distinction. With her achievement, Davila moves into an elite group of more than 40 Peter Pan drivers who have at least 2 million accident-free miles. In addition, Peter Pan has nine 3 million-mile drivers, and is home to the first two 4 million-mile drivers in the U.S., Ed Hope and Andy Anderson.
