Year: 2018

SPRINGFIELD — Girls on the Run of Western MA will host a 5K celebration on Sunday, June 3, starting at 10:30 a.m. at Springfield College.

Girls on the Run is a positive, physical-activity-based, youth-development program that uses running games and dynamic discussions to teach life skills to girls in third through eighth grade. During the 10-week program, girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections, and encourage community service while they prepare for the end-of-season 5K event.

Participation in the 5K event is open to the public. The program boasts 740 girls and 190 volunteer coaches this season, and the 5K is expected to draw more than 2,000 participants. Last season’s 5K event brought together more than 1,300 individuals, including program participants, their families and friends, and community members.

The registration cost is $20 for adults and $10 for children and includes an event shirt. The run will begin on the Springfield College track and will include two loops around the campus.

The run will begin at 10:30 a.m., but the festivities, including a group warmup and talk by Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper, will begin at 10 a.m. Early arrival is suggested. To register, or more information about the event and volunteer opportunities, visit www.girlsontherunwesternma.org. Registration will also be available the day of the event beginning at 8:30 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD — The venerable Colony Club in Tower Square shut its doors on Monday after more than a century.

Joseph Collins, a Springfield attorney the club has retained to handle its closing, told the Republican that the club, which was down to 215 members from 300 in 2015, had been struggling financially for some time, and its leaders were concerned it would not be able to pay its bills come summer, a traditionally slow time for the social club.

The Colony Club was founded in 1915. First located in a home on Maple Street, the club moved to Baystate West, now Tower Square, when that structure opened in the early 1970s.

FLORENCE — Florence Bank hired Nikki Gleason to serve as vice president and branch manager of the bank’s new Springfield location, slated to open this year.

Gleason studied accounting at Springfield Technical Community College and completed the program at the New England School of Financial Studies at Babson College. She is a board member for Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity as well as a fundraising committee member Revitalize Community Development Corp. of Springfield.

She will work in the bank’s second Hampden County branch, at 1444 Allen St. in Springfield.

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of Nikki Gleason to our Florence Bank family,” President and CEO John Heaps Jr. said “She has garnered an impressive background in banking, and we feel very lucky to have her on board to help serve our customers in Springfield. I know we will be seeing outstanding results from her in the years to come.”

SPRINGFIELD — The Hampden County Bar Assoc., in conjunction with WGGB Channel 40, is holding a Lawyer on the Line event today, May 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Volunteers will provide legal advice on a variety of topics raised by callers during the evening news broadcast. Individuals needing advice should call (413) 846-0240 to speak to a volunteer.

EASTHAMPTON — Smith Brothers Insurance, with local offices in Easthampton and West Springfield, was recently appointed to the Hanover Insurance Group’s President’s Club, an elite group of independent insurance agencies from across the country.

The agency was formally recognized for its inclusion in the company’s President’s Club during a national business conference in Marana, Ariz. Accepting the honor was Jared Carillo, director of Foundation Accounts at Smith Brothers, an independently operated, top-100 broker in the U.S. with offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Agencies named to the President’s Club are recognized for delivering outstanding value to their customers through insurance expertise and responsive service. Smith Brothers was one of only 140 independent agencies recognized with this distinction across the county. The Hanover partners with 2,100 independent agents nationwide.

“Smith Brothers Insurance goes above and beyond to serve its customers, truly understanding their needs and offering valued counsel and high-quality insurance expertise,” said Richard Lavey, president, Hanover Agency Markets. “We appreciate Smith Brothers’ commitment to its customers, and we are proud to partner with its outstanding team.”

“We’re honored to be recognized with this award,” Carillo said. “This is a reflection of the importance we place on providing our customers with distinct insurance solutions and specialized insurance expertise.”

SPRINGFIELD — WGBY’s The Opioid Crisis: A Community Dialogue, which aired live on May 11, 2017, has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award.

When then-interim General Manager Lynn Page helped conceive of the special, award nominations were the furthest thing from her mind. Instead, she was focused on fostering a healing and idea-generating moment within the Western New England community around the growing concern of opioid addiction and misuse.

“We wanted the station to get involved,” Page recalled. “The opioid crisis continues to devastate our communities, and we knew we had the unique ability to bring a range of stakeholders together for a fruitful discussion about the serious health issues surrounding painkillers and narcotics. Local public television serves as a conduit for information and conversation.”

Her team’s work has since been recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England Chapter, which nominated The Opioid Crisis: A Community Dialogue for a regional 2018 Emmy Award in the category of Health/Science Program or Special. Executive Producer Tony Dunne and Carrie Saldo, the program’s host and producer, were both named in the nomination.

Moderated by then Berkshire Eagle reporter Saldo (now host of WGBY’s weekday public-affairs series Connecting Point), The Opioid Crisis: A Community Dialogue was developed in partnership with the Center for Human Development (CHD) and featured a panel of Western New England locals, including Dr. Robert Roose of Providence Behavioral Health Hospital; Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni; Chantal Silloway, Adolescent Recovery Program director at Goodwin House; Danyel Zerella, a mother in addiction recovery; Jennifer Kimball, manager of the Public Health Program at the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission; and Liz Whynott of Tapestry Health’s needle-exchange program.

With a town-hall-style discussion, the program was broadcast live from the WGBY studio in Springfield. Panelists fielded questions and comments from in-person audience members as well as Twitter and Facebook users.

“Anything can happen with live television,” Dunne said. “We were fielding social-media comments, managing audience questions, balancing panelist time. It was a lot to juggle. But we knew were doing this for the benefit of our community, covering a topic — opioid addiction — that continues to plague our region and places all across the country.”

BOSTON — The state’s total unemployment rate remained at 3.5% in April, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) preliminary job estimates indicate Massachusetts added 6,100 jobs in April.

Over the month, the private sector added 5,900 jobs, as gains occurred in education and health services; professional, scientific, and business services; other services; financial activities; and trade, transportation, and utilities. Government also added jobs over the month. From April 2017 to April 2018, BLS estimates Massachusetts has added 47,600 jobs.

The April unemployment rate was four-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.9% reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Massachusetts has now experienced a 3.5% unemployment rate for seven consecutive months. Over the year, jobs are up 47,600, with professional, business, and scientific services adding 19,200 jobs — signs of continuing growth and strength in the economy,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta said.

The labor force increased by 20,900 from 3,683,700 in March, as 19,700 more residents were employed and 1,300 more residents were unemployed over the month. Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased four-tenths of a percentage point from 3.9% in April 2017.

The state’s labor-force participation rate — the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks — is up over the month four-tenths of a percentage point at 66.0%. Compared to April 2017, the labor-force participation rate is up four-tenths of a percentage point.

The largest private sector percentage job gains over the year were in construction; professional, scientific, and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services.

HOLYOKE — The Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone in Massachusetts is sponsoring a nationwide essay contest focusing on innovative ways to prevent drunk driving. The three essay winners will receive $5,000 worth of scholarship prizes for education-related expenses.

The essay contest is open to undergraduate college students and law-school students enrolled at accredited schools in the U.S. Essays must be between 500 and 1,000 words on the following topic: “How can we prevent drunk driving and promote safe driving among young motorists?”

The winning essay will be awarded $2,500, second prize is $1,500, and third prize is $1,000. Only one essay can be submitted per student. Essays must be original content.

Each submission must include an essay as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx format); school transcript or proof of enrollment; applicant’s name, address, and phone number; school name and address; a two- to three-sentence bio; and a waiver form with a parent or guardian’s signature for applicants under 18.

The application deadline is Aug. 15. Winners will be announced on Sept. 14. Applicants can view the rules of the contest and apply online at www.marksalomone.com/scholarship.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) named Myrta Colon Groeneveld of Longmeadow, a professor of Mathematics at Manchester Community College in Connecticut, as Distinguished Alumna 2018. She will be honored at STCC’s 51st commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the MassMutual Center.

“Myrta offers a wonderful story of persistence for community-college students everywhere,” said STCC President John Cook. “In turn, with Professor Groeneveld now offering her talents as a community-college educator, STCC could not be more proud to recognize her as our Distinguished Alumna for 2018.”

Groeneveld praised the faculty and staff at STCC for helping her pursue her dreams, noting that “STCC gave me a way to succeed here. It was not the courses or the language instructions, it was the supportive faculty and staff.”

Groeneveld first came to STCC after she moved from Puerto Rico to Springfield. She wanted to get medical care for her son, who has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a condition causing severe seizures. To better communicate with doctors, she began taking ESL courses at the college. She continued and earned an associate degree in early childhood education in 1999.  She began working as an advocate for families of children with disabilities and began her service on the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services citizen advisory board.

After working as a lead teacher for Head Start, she returned to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Westfield State University. She went on to the University of Connecticut to complete a master’s degree in mathematics.  While at Uconn, she began teaching math classes at Westfield State, Manchester Community College (MCC), and STCC. She taught developmental courses at STCC and MCC in Spanish.

Groeneveld began working full-time at MCC in fall 2008.  She redesigned the developmental math program at MCC and helped obtain a grant to rewrite the developmental math curriculum and construct and implement a dedicated computer lab for instruction and testing.

Because of improvement in student success, Groeneveld was chosen to be a National Academic Transformation Scholar to mentor and train college and university faculty across the country.  She developed the curriculum and continues to train instructors for programs such as Summer Training and Retention Services, Reaching Education Achievement for College Transition (now called Smart Start), and the ALEKS self-study program for underprepared students.

She was named coordinator of Developmental Math at MCC, a position she still holds, and also served as Math Department chairman. She quickly attained full professorship and was awarded the MCC College Employee Leadership Award in 2014 and 2016 for her dedication to students. On April 5, MCC awarded Groeneveld the Jonathan M. Daube Award for her commitment to providing access to students with disabilities.

GRANBY — OTELCO hired David Chaplin as an outside plant field technician to work out of its Granby office.

In this position, Chaplin is responsible for all aspects of OTELCO network maintenance and customer service in Granby, including both the central office and the outside plant. He also serves as special projects contributor and emergency coverage backup in the Shoreham, Vt. market.

“Dave brings experience and expertise to OTELCO that will benefit the OSP team and other work groups as well. He has quickly become a valuable asset,” said OTELCO Director Wade Moffett.

Chaplin comes to OTELCO with 31 years of service as a technician at Verizon Communications. Most recently, he worked as an engineering project manager at UC Synergetic.

“I am excited to bring my years of telecommunications experience and passion for service excellence to the customers of OTELCO,” Chaplin said. “They deserve our very best, and I’m glad to be part of the team making that happen every day.”
OTELCO Inc. provides wireline telecommunications services in Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, and West Virginia. The company’s services include local and long-distance telephone, digital high-speed data lines, transport services, network access, cable television, and other related services.

SPRINGFIELD — DevelopSpringfield announced it will restart renovation work on the Springfield Innovation Center in mid-June, the Republican reported.

MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, sent DevelopSpringfield a commitment letter this week regarding project financing, according to Nicholas Fyntrilakis, chairman of the DevelopSpringfield board of directors, who hopes the local agency can close on $1.8 million in loans by the end of May.

Fyntrilakis pegged the new project budget as just more than $7 million, an increase from the original $5.5 million budget.

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) is offering a free, four-week, intensive training course for experienced kitchen workers who want to quickly advance their culinary skills.

The grant-funded course, “Line Cook Training,” will run Monday through Friday, June 4 to June 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the new HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Holyoke. The classes will be taught by Warren Leigh, HCC Culinary Arts professor and professional chef. Class topics include moist and dry cooking methods; soups, stocks, and sauces; knife skills; culinary math; and ServSafe and TIPS certifications.

“This training is for experienced cooks, food preparers, and food-service workers who want to refresh or strengthen their culinary skills to meet the growing demands of today’s industry,” said Kermit Dunkelberg, HCC assistant vice president of Adult Basic Education and Workforce Development. “It will prepare participants to work in a fast-paced, high-volume restaurant environment and be competitive for job openings at top employers in the region, such as MGM, which is now hiring for the August opening of its new resort casino in Springfield.”

Applicants for the course must have at least two years of experience in the culinary industry. For more information or to register, call Ann Rocchi, job placement assistant, at (413) 552-2753 or Milissa Daniels, career development counselor, at (413) 552-2042.

SPRINGFIELD — On Saturday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Shriners Hospitals for Children – Springfield will offer a safe and effective way to dispose of important papers and personal documents.

For a donation to benefit the hospital, Infoshred LLC of East Windsor, Conn. will provide shredding services. The public is invited to start their spring cleaning by gathering all the papers cluttering their office or home, and bring them to the hospital to shred.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The West of the River Chamber of Commerce will present its second job fair, with the tagline “local jobs for local people,” on Tuesday, May 22 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Storrowton Tavern & Carriage House.

This event gives local business owners the opportunity to meet with local residents and students who are looking for employment opportunities. Area students will be showcasing their talents and networking skills as they explore local opportunities, while more seasoned professionals who want to better their career will also present their experience and preparation for today’s job market.

Employers in the area interested in participating as a vendor can register online at www.westoftheriverchamber.com.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Partners for Community Action Inc. will host bimonthly financial-literacy workshops starting Wednesday, July 11 and continuing every Wednesday through Aug. 1. Sessions run from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 721 State St., Springfield, and are free and open to the public.

Workshops are facilitated by the agency’s on-staff, nationally certified credit counselors. Series learning objectives include budgeting, credit, managing money, and debt. Participants completing the course will be presented with certificates of achievement, documenting an additional skill to enhance participants’ résumés or include in their personnel files on the job.

Refreshments will be served, and raffle prizes will be offered. Call Springfield Partners at (413) 263-6500 to register.

SPRINGFIELD — Peter Shrair, managing partner of Cooley Shrair, P.C., announced the appointment of attorney Leslie Jordon to the firm.

Jordon has practiced family law since 1991. Her practice has focused on marital dissolution actions involving high-net-worth estates, complex support proceedings, and high-conflict custody matters. She spent the first 17 years of her career practicing in Los Angeles, where she was certified by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California as a family-law specialist and was recognized as a Rising Star for three consecutive years by Southern California Super Lawyers.

A graduate of Brown University and the Northwestern University School of Law, Jordon has been active in the bar and has held leadership positions in national and local organizations. She served as chair of the Family Law Section of the American Assoc. of Justice (formerly the Assoc. of Trial Lawyers of America), was on the executive committee of the Family Law Section of the Beverly Hills Bar Assoc. as well as the board of governors of the Women Lawyers Assoc. of Los Angeles, and was appointed to the Sole Practitioner and Small Firm Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Assoc.

Jordon has also lectured and moderated panel discussions on the subject of family law for the Family Law Section of the Assoc. of Trial Lawyers of America, the International Bar Assoc., and the Law Education Institute, co-sponsored by the Family Law Section of the American Bar Assoc., and has been a contributing author to multiple continuing legal-education programs.

Since the inception of her career, she has engaged in pro bono work, receiving an award from the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law for distinguished service to the cause of justice of low-income families in Los Angeles County and representing economically disadvantaged litigants in court. She has also volunteered her time as a judge in the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. Mock Trial Program, a competition for high-school students in the Commonwealth.

WESTFIELD — At the firm’s annual stockholder’s meeting, Tighe & Bond announced the promotion of Principal Planner Tracy Adamski to vice president.

Adamski, who joined Tighe & Bond in 2001, is an American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) professional with 24 years of experience. She provides the firm’s clients with a broad range of planning expertise in regulatory compliance, environmental permitting, land-use planning, grant writing, and public outreach.

Adamski has employed her in-depth knowledge of local, state, and federal environmental and land-use laws and regulations to successfully permit a broad range of complex projects throughout the Northeast. This includes renewable-energy power-generation facilities, electric utility infrastructure, resource-area enhancements, municipal infrastructure improvements, and coastal infrastructure. She is currently coordinating permitting efforts on several coastal projects to address climate change in the city of Quincy, developing petitions related to siting energy-facility infrastructure in Eastern Mass., and assisting communities across Massachusetts with stormwater-management compliance programs.

“Tracy is a thoughtful team leader and has exhibited exceptional leadership, impact, and influence in many areas, including serving as the champion of Tighe & Bond’s 2018 Leadership Institute,” said Tighe & Bond President and CEO David Pinsky. “Over the years, she has demonstrated her technical expertise on a wide variety of complicated projects. This is a well-deserved promotion.”

Adamski works out of Tighe & Bond’s Westfield office. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and is a member of the American Planning Assoc. and the New England Water Environment Assoc.

HOLYOKE — The holographic Kat Von D “Metal Crush” limited-edition powder highlighter carton produced by Hazen Paper Co. was named Product of the Year at the 2018 annual meeting of the Assoc. of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators (AIMCAL), held in Charlotte, N.C. Hazen also received Product Excellence awards for a Marc Jacobs “Decadence” perfume box and a Burmester Porsche “Music to Your Ears” brochure.

“We’re always pleased when our customers obtain recognition for extraordinary packages that take advantage of our capabilities,” said John Hazen, the company’s president. “They challenge us to continue to develop new and better products. Together, we work to intrigue and delight consumers and improve revenues, while doing our part to operate conscientiously and sustainably.”

HOLYOKE — Improving the academic success of Latino students will be the subject of a talk on Wednesday, May 23, by Carlos Santiago, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, featured speaker at an afternoon event focused on strengthening Holyoke Community College (HCC) as a Hispanic Serving Institution.

Santiago’s talk, “Latinx Students in Public Higher Education” — rescheduled twice before because of snowstorms — will begin just before 3 p.m. in HCC’s Leslie Phillips Theater, followed by a question-and-answer session.

That talk will be introduced at 2 p.m. by a faculty and staff panel discussion concentrating on HCC’s future as a Hispanic Serving Institution, or HSI. On the panel will be HCC Spanish professors Raúl Gutiérrez and Mónica Torregrosa; Myriam Quiñones, coordinator of HCC’s Multicultural Academic Services program; and Michele Snizek, HCC director of Retention and Student Success.

“Our goal is to develop a common understanding of our Hispanic Serving Institution designation and collectively form a vision of HCC as an effective HSI,” said HCC President Christina Royal.

‘Hispanic Serving Institution’ is a federal designation for colleges and universities where more than 25% of the student population is Hispanic. HCC received status as an HSI in 2017. As an HSI, HCC is now eligible for federal grants that can be used to improve services and programs that benefit all students.

The HSI event is part of HCC’s year-long strategic planning initiative. Earlier in the day, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., HCC will be holding a “Future Walk” celebration in the hallways and theater lobby in the Fine & Performing Arts building. In addition to music and refreshments, HCC will unveil its new strategic plan — including mission, vision, and values statements and a timeline showing how the plan was developed — and solicit feedback.

A reception in the theater lobby will follow Santiago’s talk. All events are free and open to the public.

BERLIN, Conn. — Comcast announced the appointment of Beverly Elliott as vice president of Engineering for the company’s Western New England Region, which is headquartered in Berlin, Conn. and includes more than 300 communities in Connecticut, Western Mass., Western New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York.

In this role, Elliott oversees Comcast’s network operations, including construction, product engineering, and overall system integrity, as well as the reliability and resiliency of Comcast’s converged, fiber-optic network. Recently, she was responsible for the rollout of Comcast’s new 1-Gb internet service.

Elliott has more than 20 years of industry experience and has held a number of roles in engineering, project management, and marketing at Comcast since she joined the company in 2005. Prior to her new role, she served as vice president of the region’s Project Management Office, where she created and managed the execution of plans and cross-functional teams to ensure new initiatives and product launches were rolled out smoothly. One of her key initiatives was to implement the company’s multi-year strategy to transform the customer experience. Before Comcast, Elliott worked for Cablevision for six years and also spent five years at BET/Action Pay-Per-View service in Santa Monica, Calif.

A graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in English, Elliott has earned certification as a Six Sigma Green Belt, completed Comcast’s Executive Leadership Career Advancement Program, and more recently completed the Comcast Women in Leadership Program at Wharton School of Business. She also is a two-time finalist for the Connecticut Technology Council’s Women of Innovation award and in 2015 was honored as a Woman of Power by the Urban League of Southern Connecticut. Elliott is one of the executive sponsors of Comcast’s Women’s Network, a regional employee resource group that provides opportunities for women and their allies to connect with each other while empowering them to advance their careers through professional growth opportunities.

WARE — Country Bank announced that Russell Fontaine has joined its team as first vice president of Sales and Market Management, while Yvonne Santos has joined the team as vice president of Market Development. These two newly created positions allow the bank to further focus its efforts on market management and development within its various markets throughout Hampshire, Hampden, and Worcester counties.

With 27 years in the financial and retail-services industry, Fontaine is an experienced sales manager and has held various positions over the years in sales, management, and customer contact solutions. His earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from Westfield State University. He also graduated from the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking and earned a Wharton Leadership certification.

Fontaine served on the board of directors for Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity for the past five years and chaired the Habitat Restore committee. He is also an avid supporter of the United Way and Western Mass. Special Olympics.

Santos joins Country Bank from United Bank, where she worked for the past 33 years in various roles, with her most recent position being vice president, area manager in the Ludlow and Indian Orchard markets.

Santos is actively involved in the Ludlow Community Center, the United Way, and Relay for Life, and is on committees of the Rotary Club of Ludlow (chair of the scholarship committee), the Gremio Lusitano Club, the East of the River Chamber of Commerce, and the Portuguese American Citizens Club. She has received the Rotary International Paul Harris Award, the Ludlow Education Association Award, the Friend of Education Award, and the United Cooperative Bank President’s Award.

SPRINGFIELD — Big Y Foods Inc. recently opened its seventh Big Y Express gas and convenience store at 471 Cooley St. in Springfield. The other six Massachusetts stores can be found in Lee, Pittsfield, Hadley, Longmeadow, Wilbraham, and South Hadley.

The new Springfield location boasts eight gas pumps and free air machines for tire inflation. Inside the store, selections include donuts, pastries, and store-baked muffins; Green Mountain Coffees; fresh fruit; gourmet sandwiches and salads; milk and numerous other cold beverages; as well as bread, candy, snacks, tobacco products, lottery, and ice.

The store director of this location is Yanira Febus. There are currently seven employees, and Big Y is looking to hire one or two more. The site formerly operated as Ultra Gasoline, and all Ultra employees were encouraged to apply for a position with Big Y. The store will be open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, 365 days a year.

LENOX — Renaissance Investment Group, LLC, an independent, SEC-registered investment-advisory firm, announced the appointment of Chris Silipigno to the role of chief operating officer. He will be responsible for providing operational leadership within the firm, as well as coordinating strategic business-development efforts across the region.

“We are very excited to have Chris join the firm,” said Trevor Forbes, president and chief investment officer. “Chris’ extensive senior leadership experience and financial expertise will serve our clients well at Renaissance. His presence provides increased depth, thereby enabling us to deliver even greater levels of service to our clients. Chris will draw upon his professional experience to enhance our offerings to the non-for-profit community and our business partners. He will provide Renaissance with long-term continuity at a senior level.”

Silipigno comes to Renaissance with nearly 20 years of senior leadership positions in both operational and business-development functions for nonprofit and for-profit enterprises. His experience spans all facets of the mortgage banking industry, nonprofit development, organizational effectiveness and leadership, performance management, and revenue growth areas.

Most recently, he brought his business acumen to City Mission of Schenectady, N.Y., an inner-city nonprofit dedicated to helping the homeless, abused, and impoverished to become sustainable. During his tenure, the organization grew exponentially, receiving regional and national acclaim for its accomplishments. Previous to this role, he held multiple positions at the vice-president level within the banking and finance industry. His accomplishments include building and managing divisions responsible for originating more than $750 million in annual loan volume.

Chris earned a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from SUNY at Albany and a master’s degree from George Mason University, and he holds his FINRA Series 65 registration.