Day: September 6, 2018

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) announced the promotion of Nicolle Cestero to senior vice president for Human Resources and chief of staff.

Cestero joined AIC in July 2011 as the associate vice president for Human Resources. Since that time, she has assumed increasing levels of responsibility and scope of duties. In 2012, she was named vice president for Human Resources and Title IX coordinator, and was promoted to senior vice president for Human Resources and Title IX coordinator in 2016.

In her new role, Cestero will continue to lead AIC’s Human Resources unit, where she has established best practices in all areas, including staff recruiting and hiring, employee relations, and succession planning. As chief of staff, she will serve as advisor to the president and will play an integral role in the implementation of AIC’s strategic plan. Cestero will oversee the college’s legal matters and support presidential and institutional initiatives to ensure project deadlines are met and targeted outcomes attained. She serves on the president’s cabinet and supports the board governance and nominating committee; the finance, pension, and insurance committee; and the compensation committee of the board of trustees.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from the University of West Florida, Cestero received certification as a professional in human resources (PHR) and attained the designation of certified professional from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM-CP), which recognizes human-resource professionals who implement policies on strategies, serve as point of contact for staff and stakeholders, and perform operational human-resource duties.

AMHERST — The Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst announced two new directors for the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship. Gregory Thomas, who brings diverse experience in corporate America, was named the center’s new executive director, while Stephen Brand, who has taught entrepreneurship at colleges and universities across the country, will serve as the new associate director.

For the past 20 years, Thomas has held various senior-level global manufacturing, finance, and control roles with Corning Inc. During the last five years at Corning, he was a strategist in the Emerging Innovation Group, focusing on bringing new products, processes, and businesses to market. He has also served as the president of the UMass Amherst Alumni Assoc. board. He will begin his new duties Oct. 1.

Thomas, whose experience includes work as a consultant to nonprofit organizations, is a prolific volunteer and an accomplished fundraiser. A 1991 alumnus of UMass Amherst, Thomas earned an MBA in finance and operations management at Clark Atlanta University. In his new role as executive director, he will have overall responsibility for the Berthiaume Center, and will work with external constituents on campus and throughout the region to develop and execute value-adding partnerships in service of the center’s mission.

Brand comes well-prepared for this ‘student-facing’ role, having taught entrepreneurship and worked closely with student entrepreneurs at Babson College, Case Western Reserve University, Olin College of Engineering, and others. At Babson, he was co-director of the Summer Venture Program and collaborated with emerging entrepreneurs in Kuwait, Egypt, and Saudia Arabia. Most recently, he was executive director of Global Learning and Development at Bay Path University.

Brand holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, a master’s degree in interactive technology in education from Harvard University, and a doctorate in management from Case Western Reserve University.

“We are so excited to have Gregory and Stephen joining the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship,” said Tom Moliterno, interim dean of the Isenberg School of Management. “With a fantastic new team in place, the Berthiaume Center will continue to move forward well into the new academic year. While welcoming Gregory and Stephen, I would also like to thank the previous leaders, Bill Wooldridge and Birton Cowden, for their work to establish and grow the center since its founding in 2014.”

Thomas and Brand will join Carly Forcade, operations and student engagement specialist; Amy LeClair, office manager; and Molly O’Mara, communications, events, and constituent relations coordinator, all of whom joined the center during the past year. Bruce Skaggs, Management Department chair, serves the center as its academic coordinator, ensuring alignment of curricular offerings in entrepreneurship across the school and center. The Berthiaume Center is the entrepreneurial hub for UMass Amherst, with strong connections around the Pioneer Valley.

SPRINGFIELD — Unify Against Bullying Executive Director Christine Maiwald announced that the organization is accepting grant applications online. The organization will be awarding $15,000 in microgrants, which can be anywhere from $500 to $2,000. Paul Mitchell and its Neon product line will award an additional $1,000 grant.

“Our number-one goal is to inspire youth of all ages and to ignite their ideas as to how to prevent bullying,” Maiwald said. “We encourage parents, guidance personnel, teachers, administrators, and charity partners to also apply. Their programs must be dedicated to anti-bullying education and furthering the Unify mission: to bring an end to bullying through the celebration of true diversity.”

In addition to providing the seeds for children to come up with ideas on how to prevent bullying, Unify’s high-school students attend events and are given the opportunity to speak with younger students on the value of celebrating differences. The students are also bringing education to their younger peers in school to explain what bullying is and the effects it has on an individual.

The organization has a committee of volunteers who will select the applicant initiatives that best reflect and advance the organization’s mission. “This is the third year that Unify will be awarding grants that will educate and benefit youth from pre-school to high school and the community at large,” Maiwald noted.

WESTFIELD — An information session for Westfield State University’s master of arts programs in counseling and applied behavior analysis programs will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. in the lobby of the Horace Mann Center, 333 Western Ave., Westfield. Individuals interested in careers such as behavior analysts, clinicians, family and marriage counselors, and guidance or adjustment counselors should consider attending to find out how a graduate degree can help them attain one of these positions.

The Department of Psychology offers a 60-credit graduate program designed to serve the student who plans to enter the applied fields of counseling or psychology after receiving the master’s degree. The program offers four specialized tracks: school guidance counseling, school adjustment counseling (non-licensure), forensic mental-health counseling, and mental-health counseling.

Westfield State University also offers a 48-credit master of arts program in applied behavior analysis for individuals who work, or aspire to work, in a number of different settings, such as schools (including regular and special-education classrooms), business and industry, healthcare, and other community-based settings.

“Westfield State’s graduate training in counseling meets all requirements for entry licensure in school counseling and all pre-master’s content and field experience requirements for mental-health counselors,” said Robert Hayes, chair of WSU’s graduate programs in Psychology. “We particularly value small classes for technique-related courses, where graduate candidates receive outstanding individual attention, as well as group supervision during the development of their counseling skills. Counseling is both a science and an art, and our graduate training program attends to both.”

Attendees of the information session will have an opportunity to speak with faculty and members of the outreach team about the program and its application process. The $50 application fee will be waived for all attendees. To RSVP, visit www.gobacknow.com. For more information, call (413) 572-8020 or e-mail [email protected].