Day: November 15, 2018

EASTHAMPTON — The second annual TEDxEasthamptonWomen event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Boylston Room East in Keystone Mill from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a reception to follow at Mill 180 Park. 

The independently organized program, licensed by TED, will feature local speakers and TEDWomen videos under the theme of “Showing Up.”

Launched in 2009, TEDx is a program of locally organized events that bring the community together to share a TED-like experience. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have been featured on ted.com and garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe.

TEDWomen, in its ninth year, will take place in Palm Springs, Calif. The conference will be streamed to thousands around the globe at nearly 150 TEDWomen events in dozens of countries.

TEDxEasthamptonWomen has filled its seating limit of 100 attendees. The program will also be streamed live and accessible via the internet and at local viewing parties. Viewing-party information can be found at www.tedxeasthamptonwomen.com/livestream.

“The members this year felt the need to keep the event going for the community to foster learning to the people of Easthampton and the rest of the Pioneer Valley,” said Marketing Coordinator Laura Heisig. “The hope is for other women to hear these stories and feel empowered by them to make some change in their own communities. We’re all connected in some ways, but it also can affect the larger picture of things. I think that’s what’s so powerful about this event. It’s connecting us to this larger event.”

This year’s seven speakers are: 

• Jane Fleishman, a certified sexuality educator on a mission to promote the sexual well-being of older adults;

• Caitlin Kelley, a supervisor of the Mason Square Branch Library in Springfield;

• Brianna Mangano, a graduate student at the UConn School of Social Work who has more than six years of experience in mental health and social services;

• Christine Monska, a program officer at the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts as well as a continuing-education advisor at Bard Microcollege Holyoke;

• Elizabeth O’Gilvie, Bay Path College’s Ethics Speaker in 2017 and a member of the Massachusetts Farm to School advisory board;

• Cinzia Pica-Smith, an associate professor in both the Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies and the Education Department at Assumption College in Worcester; and

• Rachel Walker, an assistant professor of Nursing at UMass Amherst, an associate director for the Center for Personalized Health Monitoring, and the first nurse ever to be named an Invention Ambassador by the American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science.

TEDxEasthamptonWomen sponsors include Julia Mines, the Boylston Rooms, bankESB, Cider House Media, CJC Lighting & Production, Easthampton Media, Finck & Perras Insurance Agency LLC, Illuminaria, Mill 180 Park, Northeast Solar, and WBOA.

For more information about TEDxEasthamptonWomen, including how to plan or attend a viewing party, visit tedxeasthamptonwomen.com.

WESTFIELD — Environmental, health, and safety regulations are constantly changing, as are the new and creative ways of managing these regulatory challenges. Every fall, Tighe & Bond holds a series of free seminars that provide an overview of recent regulatory changes along with innovative methods for managing compliance.

The final seminar for this fall will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Topics will include the use of drones for environmental assessments, the use of geographic information system tools, collecting and managing environmental projects, perfluorinated chemicals, state and federal environmental updates, and state and federal safety updates.

Anyone interested in attending can sign up by clicking here. Call Jessica Frey at (413) 572-3299 with any questions or if you have trouble signing up.

CHICOPEE — Sunshine Village recently welcomed Christine Pollender as the new director of Human Resources. With the organization serving more than 500 individuals, Pollender will oversee employee relations, benefits administration, and procedural compliance for over 260 employees at nine sites across the Pioneer Valley. With an extensive background in human resources in retail and hospital settings, she brings subject-matter expertise to navigate the recent changes to state and federal laws for employers.

Pollender received both a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in business administration from Western New England University. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute and is a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, including the local chapter, the Human Resources Management Assoc. of Western New England, where she serves on its diversity and inclusion committee. 

Sunshine Village is a nonprofit organization with a main campus in Chicopee and additional sites in Chicopee, Springfield, Three Rivers, and Westfield. Since 1967, it has provided innovative day services for people with developmental disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum.

SPRINGFIELD — BusinessWest, the business journal covering Western Mass., will honor its inaugural Women of Impact on Thursday, Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Sheraton Springfield, One Monarch Place. 

BusinessWest has consistently recognized the contributions of women within the business community and has now created the Women of Impact awards to honor women who have the authority and power to move the needle in their business, are respected for accomplishments within their industries, give back to the community, and are sought out as respected advisors and mentors within their field of influence. 

More than 80 nominations were submitted, and candidates were scored by an esteemed panel of three judges. There are eight winners in this first class. Honorees are profiled in the Nov. 12 issue of BusinessWest and at businesswest.com. This year’s honorees are:

The Women of Impact for 2018 are:

• Jean Canosa Albano, assistant director of Public Services, Springfield City Library;

• Kerry Dietz, principal, Dietz Architects;

• Denise Jordan, executive director, Springfield Housing Authority;

• Gina Kos, executive director, Sunshine Village;

• Carol Leary, president, Bay Path University;

• Colleen Loveless, president and CEO, Revitalize Community Development Corp.;

• Janis Santos, executive director, HCS Head Start; and

• Katie Allen Zobel, president and CEO, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

The Women of Impact Awards Luncheon on Dec. 6 will begin with registration and networking at 11 a.m., with the formal program to start at noon. Tickets are $65 per person, and tables of 10 are available. Tickets may be purchased online at businesswest.com/women-of-impact, or by calling (413) 781-8600. The Women of Impact program is sponsored by Bay Path University, Comcast Business, Country Bank, Granite State Development, and WWLP 22 News.