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Tom Senecal

Tom Senecal

The Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA), a multi-faceted banking trade group representing more than 120 banks that manage an aggregate $27 trillion in assets under custody, has named Tom Senecal, president and CEO of Holyoke-based PeoplesBank, to its board of directors. The MBA was founded in 1905 to “promote the general welfare and usefulness of banks” and today serves a number of constituencies including legislators, regulators, consumer advocates, the media, community groups and, of course, the general public. Its member banks currently employ more than 72,000 professionals who work at more than 2,000 separate locations across the state.Senecal has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He was elected president of PeoplesBank in 2016 after previously serving as the bank’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. He is a graduate of the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management (B.S. Business Administration) and is a certified public accountant. He also attended the Tuck Executive Program at Dartmouth College.

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Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank and it’s Northampton Cooperative Bank division, announced several recent promotions:

Lisa Kmetz

Lisa Kmetz

• Lisa Kmetz is being promoted to executive vice president, Retail Banking. She has been with the bank since 1998 when she started as a branch manager. She holds an associate’s degree in Business Administration from Holyoke Community College and certification in Computer Information Systems from Western New England University.

• Chelsea Depault is being promoted to vice president, Commercial Operations Officer. She originally started with the bank back in 2007 as a float teller and also worked in the Accounting Department before moving on to Commercial Lending, where she has been for the past several years as a credit analyst and then as an assistant vice president, Commercial Lending. In her new role, she will oversee the operations of Commercial Loan Servicing and Administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst.

Casey Cusson

Casey Cusson

• Casey Cusson is being promoted to vice president, branch manager. He has been with the bank since 2017, when he started as a branch manager. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and lives in Shelburne with his family.

• Lisa Granger

• Lisa Granger

• Lisa Granger is being promoted to vice president, branch manager. She has been with the bank since 2007, when she joined as a branch manager with several years of experience in bank management. She is a graduate of the New England School of Financial Studies.

• Jenicca Gallagher

• Jenicca Gallagher

• Jenicca Gallagher is being promoted to vice president, branch manager. She has been with the bank since 2010, when she joined as a branch manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst.

• Cynthia Gonzalez is being promoted to vice president, branch manager. She has been with the bank since 2003, when she joined as a branch manager. She attended Salem State College.

Dawn Hibbert

Dawn Hibbert

• Dawn Hibbert is being promoted to vice president, branch manager. She has been with the bank since 2002, when she joined us as a teller. She holds an associate’s degree from Holyoke Community College.

Chris Wilkey

Chris Wilkey

• Chris Wilkey is being promoted to assistant vice president, Information Systems. He has been with the bank since 2007, when he joined as a back-up head teller before becoming lead technology specialist in 2014, and MIS Officer in 2019.

• Julie Gonzales is being promoted to Human Resources officer. She has been with the bank since 2012, when she joined us as a teller before becoming executive assistant to the CEO and then most recently HR coordinator. She holds an associate’s degree from Greenfield Community College.

Other notable promotions:

• Matt Welcome was promoted from branch manager-in-training to branch manager. He has been with the bank for more than four years and has served as a float teller, float head teller, and was most recently promoted to branch manager-in-training for the Turners Falls branch. He now drops the in-training designation to become a branch manager in Turners Falls. He holds an associate’s degree from Springfield Technical Community College.

• Erika Kleeberg was promoted from head teller to assistant manager. She has been with the bank since 2019 and has quickly risen from teller to head teller and now assistant manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Roger Williams University.

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Cindy Jerome

Lathrop, a senior living community with campuses in Northampton and Easthampton, recently welcomed Cindy Jerome as its new chief executive officer. Johnson is a seasoned executive leader with 23 years of leadership experience in senior living communities in New England. A non-profit founded in 1989, Lathrop is a Kendal affiliate, serving older adults in the Quaker tradition. “I was delighted to receive a call inquiring about my interest in leading a Kendal community,” said Jerome. “Kendal’s values and my own have great affinity.” Both of Lathrop’s campus communities offer independent living in townhomes. The Easthampton campus is also home to The Inn, an Enhanced Living option offering meals and daily support. Jerome has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Antioch New England Graduate School. Most recently she was the senior leader of Alice Peck Day Lifecare and, prior to that, of Garden Path Elder Living.

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Trevor Brice

Trevor Brice

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a labor and employment law firm serving employers in the Greater Springfield area, recently welcomed attorney Trevor Brice to its team. A native of Newport, R.I., Brice received his law degree fromSuffolk University School of Law in Boston, where he was the recipient of the Robert Fuchs Memorial Labor Law Award. After practicing in Boston, he recently relocated to Northfield and joined Skoler Abbott.Brice has regularly advised and represented clients in state and federal courts, as well as at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the Conn. Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO), and other state agencies. He is licensed in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York, and is a member of the bar associations in those states.

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The Board of Directors of Cancer Connection announced that Chelsea Sunday Kline has been named executive director of the nonprofit. Kline’s hiring comes as Cancer Connection is poised to create and implement a new plan of strategic growth in programming, development, and outreach. Kline said she is eager to support the staff in safely reopening to provide in-person supports for participants and their caregivers, from massage, reiki, mindfulness, and more. Kline joins Cancer Connection with a wide range of applicable professional skills and expertise. Kline is a graduate of both Smith College and Harvard Divinity School and has a background as an academic program director for a local university, an interim executive director of a small non-profit, and is currently a consultant and professional life, career, and transition coach. Moreover, she contributes a regular column to the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s Living section entitled “In the Present,” featuring content about mindfulness, gratitude, and kindness.

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Patricia Begrowicz, president and co-Owner of Onyx Specialty Papers in Lee, was elected recently as chair of the board of directors of Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), the statewide business association. A respected business and community leader in Berkshire County, Begrowicz has led the rebirth of a successful manufacturing company she acquired with a partner from MeadWestvaco during the great recession. She will become the second woman to chair the board of the largest business group in the Commonwealth and the first person from Berkshire County to lead AIM since 1953. Representatives of 3,400 AIM-member businesses elected Begrowicz during the association’s annual business meeting. Members also elected Donna Latson Gittens, principal and Founder of MORE Advertising in Watertown, as clerk of the corporation, and Gregory Buscone, executive vice president and senior commercial banking officer, Eastern Bank, Boston, as treasurer. Begrowicz bought the MeadWestvaco specialty papers business with partner Christopher Mathews in December 2009 and formed Onyx Specialty Papers. The company, which currently employs 150 people, provides skilled manufacturing jobs in a region that has seen many manufacturers downsize or close. Onyx produces highly engineered papers for technically demanding applications in global markets including automotive, medical filters, fine art, decorative surfaces and filtration.

People on the Move

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Jane Albert

Jane Albert

Jane Albert, senior vice president and chief consumer officer at Baystate Health, will retire on July 1, following 20 years of service with the system. Albert joined Baystate Health in 2002 as manager of Medical Practices Marketing and developed the first marketing plan to integrate legacy physician groups into the organization known today as Baystate Medical Practices (BMP). She then expanded her scope as manager of Corporate Marketing for the whole health system. She went on to deepen her focus on the external environment in subsequent roles in Public Affairs, Strategic Communications, and Community Relations. Albert then returned to BMP to stand up its first Office of Physician Referral Services, with a focus on improving access to care. She was recruited back to the system level with a promotion to vice president of Philanthropy and executive director of Baystate Health Foundation (BHF). During four years at the foundation, she developed a comprehensive strategic plan that led to a more balanced portfolio of events, major gifts, and planned giving, all tracked by a dashboard of performance metrics. Her work led to significant growth in overall giving and greater diversification of BHF’s philanthropic activities. She was promoted again in 2017 to senior vice president of Marketing, Communications and External Relations, a role which included the areas of BHF and Government & Community Relations. She brought in experienced leaders for all three areas and oversaw dramatic growth across all her areas of responsibility. Key activities included the “Advancing Care. Enhancing Lives” brand campaign, the growth of more broad and sophisticated governmental advocacy efforts, and continued growth in philanthropy. During the pandemic, Albert’s scope was enlarged yet again to her current role. She collaborated with other members of the President’s Cabinet to develop the health system’s 2025 Consumer Strategy with a focus on access to care, a new digital platform, and the importance of recognizing the unique needs of individual patients and families.

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Ryan Shorette

Berkshire Bank announced the promotion of Ryan Shorette to senior vice president, Retail Branch Banking. In this new role, he will oversee all 105 branches across Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York. Prior to this promotion, he was first vice president, regional branch manager at Berkshire Bank for the last eight years. Shorette has more than 25 years of retail banking experience and has held a number of leadership positions. Before joining Berkshire Bank, he worked at Bank of America and Webster Bank. He has been nominated for the New Leaders in Banking Honors Award from the Connecticut Bankers Assoc. and has a proven track record of successfully developing leaders and enhancing the customer experience. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Central Connecticut State University. Outside of work, Shorette is an active volunteer, coaching youth sports for the towns of Bristol and Plainville, Conn. He has also participated in Christmas in April, the United Way Day of Caring, and Hands on Hartford, a COVID-19 virtual event assembling comfort kits for those in need. Beyond these civic efforts, he also served as an executive board member for the American Heart Assoc. Heart Walk in Hartford, Conn.

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Patrick O’Hara

Patrick O’Hara

Country Bank, announced that Patrick O’Hara has joined its Commercial Lending Division in Worcester. A 17-year industry veteran with immersive client engagement, O’Hara will architect and deliver strategies to support growth in the commercial banking portfolio. O’Hara has held several positions in commercial lending and business development with SunTrust Bank, Bank of America, Santander Bank, and, most recently, Citizens Bank covering the Worcester and MetroWest Boston markets before joining Country Bank. In his new role, he will serve Central and Eastern Mass. to support businesses throughout the region. O’Hara holds a bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College, he is accredited in Commercial Credit from Omega Performance, and has received multiple top performer and excellence awards throughout his career. He is also an avid supporter of St. Vincent De Paul and New Horizons, which supports veteran’s issues and mental health. “I’m extremely excited to join a bank with such an impressive history of helping businesses grow and thrive in our region,” said O’Hara. “Country Bank is one of the most well-capitalized banks in the market, with a tremendous reputation for integrity and service to the community.I look forward to contributing to our continued growth and success across central and eastern Massachusetts, and beyond.”

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James Martin

James Martin

Attorney James Martin has joined the Springfield office of Pullman & Comley, LLC. Martin has more than 43 years of experience practicing in the areas of corporate and business counseling, commercial real estate, real estate planning and permitting, solar and wind, and litigation. He is also recognized as a leading automotive franchise attorney throughout New England. He has handled the purchase and sale of numerous car dealerships and related real estate, franchise negotiations, floor plan and real estate financing, in addition to litigation arising from the operation of a dealership. ​​He is a member of the National Assoc. of Dealer Counsel and the Massachusetts Automobile Dealer Association. Martin received his B.A. from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District Court and the Massachusetts and U.S. Tax Court. He has been named to Best Lawyers every year since 2001 and Massachusetts Super Lawyers since 2009. He previously practiced with the law firm Robinson Donovan, P.C. The addition of Martin and his team marks a noteworthy expansion for Pullman & Comley’s Springfield office, which was established in 2019. Drawing on resources from across the firm’s eight offices, in addition to Martin’s areas of practice, the Springfield office specializes in commercial property tax appeals and eminent domain matters, employment law and more. Martin is the former chairman and a former trustee of Baystate Medical Center and was recently appointed as a trustee for Springfield Museums, where he also serves as vice chair of the Museum Committee. He serves on the Springfield Riverfront Development Commission and is the chairman of the board of directors of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic. He has also served as a youth sports coach in Springfield and Longmeadow.

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John Roberson

John Roberson

Pathlight, an organization serving people in Western Mass. with developmental and intellectual disabilities, has named human services leader John Roberson as its new executive director. Throughout his career, Roberson has designed and implemented programs tailored to meet the needs of vulnerable children and families. He brings an extensive background in leadership and operations for community-based residential programs and a passion for improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and special needs. Most recently, Roberson was vice president of Children & Families for the Center for Human Development (CHD), where he was responsible for management of a $25 million annual budget and expansion of services with local, state and federal agencies for a division that provides housing, child development, behavioral health and court guided support services. Prior to becoming vice president, he served in a variety of capacities including managing two large residential facilities as CHD’s director of Juvenile Justice Programs. Previously, he was a lead treatment supervisor for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, where he supervised treatment staff and developed treatment programs for inmates housed in the Pre-Release Center. Roberson is a member of the Child Welfare League of America and the American Correctional Association. He has served as a board member of the Correctional Association of Massachusetts, the Restorative Justice Collaborative of Hampden County, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School of Excellence. He holds an M.S. from Cambridge College in Springfield. He will assume his responsibilities as executive director of Pathlight on May 2.

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Sam Killings

Sam Killings

Jeremiah Bentley

Jeremiah Bentley

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union (UMassFive) announced the retirement of board member Sam Killings at its 55thAnnual Meeting on March 23. New director Jeremiah Bentley was elected to the open position at the virtual event.Killings is retiring from the UMassFive Board of Directors after serving since 1998. During his tenture, Killings served on the credit union’s Asset and Liability Management Committee, which he chaired for several years, as well as the Human Resources Committee and the Diversity Task Force. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and 42 years of experience as an internal auditor and assistant controller for Research Accounting at UMass Amherst. With his retirement, Killings was recently honored with the status of director emeritus, the first person to hold this title at the credit union. Bentley has been a member of UMassFive since 2015, when he moved to the area after completing his Ph.D. in accounting from Cornell University. He previously served as a volunteer on the credit union’s Asset and Liability Management Committee. He currently serves as a research foundation director for the Institute of Management Accountants, and in multiple positions with the American Accounting Association. He is also the Richard Dieter & Susan Dieter Faculty Fellow and associate professor at UMass Amherst, where he teaches financial and managerial accounting and examines how accounting systems change the way people think about and report on their performance.

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Amy Handelsman

Amy Handelsman

Shakespeare & Company, a theater performance, education, and training outfit now celebrating its 45th year, announced the appointment of Amy Handelsman as managing director, effective May 1. Handelsman accepted the position following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG), and comes to the company with more than two decades of diverse experience in theater, dance, film, and television, particularly in the areas of nonprofit management, business development, and strategic planning.In her new position, Handelsman will be responsible for championing Shakespeare & Company’s artistic vision through the development of new and expanded income streams, expansion, and cultivation of the company’s Board of Trustees; supervision of administrative, marketing, and fundraising efforts, and ongoing engagement with various constituents in the Berkshire County community. Most recently, Handelsman served as managing director of GALLIM, a movement production company based in Brooklyn, N.Y., which has staged productions at Lincoln Center’s Hearst Plaza, New York City Ballet, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Ailey II Dance Company, and other venues.She serves on the Artistic Council of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s Playwrights Conference, and has worked as a curator, dramaturge, project manager, and consultant for a wide range of clients including the Hip-Hop Theater Festival (Hi-ARTS), HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, and locally with Jacob’s Pillow and the Batsheva Dance Company’s 2018 Summer Tour.

People on the Move

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People on the Move

Paul Scully, president and CEO of Country Bank, announced eight recent staff promotions.

Mary McGovern

Mary McGovern

• Mary McGovern was promoted to executive vice president, chief financial and operating officer. She joined Country Bank in 2011 as the executive vice president and chief financial officer. She oversees the bank’s finance, operations, electronic delivery, information technology, retail banking, retail lending, facilities, and security. She holds an MBA in accounting and finance from Babson College and recently served on the board of the Baystate Health Foundation.

Miriam Siegel

Miriam Siegel

• Miriam Siegel was promoted to first senior vice president, chief Culture and Development officer. She will continue to lead the human-resources and learning and development functions, and serves as the bank’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer. Joining Country Bank in 2018, she brought 26 years of professional experience as the senior vice president of Human Resources for United Bank. She serves on the board of Behavioral Health Network, the Baystate Wing Hospital board, and the Wilbraham Personnel Advisory Board.

Jennifer Bujnevicie

Jennifer Bujnevicie

Laura Dennis

Laura Dennis

• Jennifer Bujnevicie and Laura Dennis, of the Retail Banking division, were promoted to vice presidents. Collectively, they contribute 36 years of experience at Country Bank; each began her professional banking career as a teller and has grown within the organization to oversee the Retail Banking division. Together, they bring a wealth of experience to the banking centers and are focused on providing the bank’s customers with exceptional customer service throughout its network. Both hold associate degrees in business administration and management from the New England College of Business and have attended the New England School for Financial Studies.

Alyson Weeks

Alyson Weeks

• Alyson Weeks was promoted to vice president of Human Resources and Professional Development. She has been with Country Bank for 13 years, starting as a teller and working in various other roles in the Retail Banking division, including teller supervisor, Branch Operations manager, and Retail Operations manager, before joining the Human Resources team six years ago. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Worcester State University and a master’s degree in education from American International College.

Erin Skoczylas

• Erin Skoczylas, assistant controller, was promoted to assistant vice president, assistant controller. She began her career at Country Bank 25 years ago as a part-time Operations clerk. Before transitioning to Accounting in 2008, she worked in various positions throughout the Operations department. She holds an associate degree in business administration from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor of business administration degree from Western New England University. She is also a 2017 graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.

Tracey Wrzesien

• Tracey Wrzesien of Retail Banking, Wilbraham Banking Center was promoted to assistant vice president. She has been with Country Bank for 27 years and previously served as a Retail Banking officer. She is the vice president of the Wilbraham-Hampden Rotary Club and will take over as president in July. She is a graduate of the New England College of Business and holds an associate degree in science and business administration with a concentration in finance and is also a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.

Dianna Lussier

Dianna Lussier

• Dianna Lussier has been promoted to assistant vice president of Risk Management. She has been with Country Bank for 18 years and previously served as the Risk Management officer. During her tenure with Country Bank, she has worked in various roles, including accounting representative and financial-reporting analyst. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance and accounting from Worcester State College and has attended the New England School for Financial Studies. She is currently attending the Graduate School of Banking and Wharton Leadership Program. She was also the recipient of the President’s Platinum Award in 2021.

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Springfield Museums announced that Jenny Powers has been named director of the Springfield Science Museum. A science educator for 20 years and the family engagement coordinator for the Springfield Museums for six years, Powers is ready to take her knowledge of playful learning to the Science Museum in the form of interactive, immersive additions to the museum. She also takes inspiration from the last woman who directed the Science Museum, Grace Pettis Johnson, who led the way from 1910 to 1949. Powers’ dynamic programing has filled the Museums on family-engagement days with exciting features such as bubble parties, high-fives with the Cat in the Hat, and Mount Crumpit derbies during Grinchmas. She has also been a regular guest on WWLP’s Mass Appeal, sharing hands-on science that families could explore together at home.

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Alissa Fuller

Alissa Fuller

Florence Bank is announced that Alissa Fuller joined the bank as assistant vice president, Compliance and CRA manager. She has more than 20 years of experience in retail banking, consumer lending, and compliance. Prior to joining Florence Bank, she was a compliance specialist at a local community bank. Her duties included ensuring that the organization’s operations complied with relevant laws, regulations, and policies. In her new role at Florence Bank, Fuller’s primary responsibilities will include the oversight of programs to ensure compliance with all federal and state laws that govern the bank’s operations. In addition, she will play a vital role in the encouragement and development of the bank’s Community Reinvestment efforts. She graduated from the New England College of Business and Finance in 2016 with an associate degree in business administration with a concentration in management.

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Bulkley Richardson recently welcomed Jeffrey Roberts to the firm as counsel in the Trusts & Estates and Business practices. Roberts has handled many sophisticated estate-planning matters and complex business transactions throughout his career. His practice will continue to focus on estate planning, trusts and estates, taxation, and estate administration, as well as corporate work and business transactions primarily for closely held companies. He also has extensive experience with advice to family-owned companies with respect to business-succession planning and representation of the owner with respect to the sale of a closely held business. Roberts has practiced law at Robinson Donovan P.C. since graduating from Georgetown Law in 1974 and served as the firm’s managing partner for many of those years.

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Chris McMasters

Phillips Insurance Agency Inc. announced the promotion of Chris McMasters to the role of vice president. He is an accredited adviser in insurance and has been with Phillips Insurance for more than eight years. He is a graduate of Springfield College. “Chris has developed a strong clientele within the construction, hospitality, and manufacturing industries throughout New England,” said Joseph Phillips, president of Phillips Insurance. “His strong work ethic and creativity in developing risk-management strategies has set him apart.”

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The Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Agricultural Society, the nonprofit organization that manages Northampton’s Three County Fair and fairgrounds, has elected two new members to its board of directors, Jessica Dizek of Mapleline Farm in Hadley and Thomas Giles, former owner of Hadley Garden Center. Dizek and Giles join the society’s board, consisting of 21 other members who make up the fair’s agricultural leadership. Dizek is the fifth generation on her family’s farm. Mapleline Farm milks about 125 Jerseys and bottles their milk on the farm premises, while running a distribution business, wholesaling fluid milk products to the local area and Boston market. Prior to her taking over operating the farm full-time in 2018, Dizek held full-time employment off the farm for 20 years, most recently at UMass Amherst. She started at the university working for cooperative extension programs and eventually working in alumni major gifts. During this time, she also earned her MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. She currently serves as treasurer for the New England Jersey Breeders Assoc. and as a director for the Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Board, and is a member of the Massachusetts Dairy Advisory Board for the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center. Giles is a graduate of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, having majored in landscape operations, and first worked for the Hadley Garden Center in the spring of 1973. In January 1988, Giles and his wife, Janine, purchased the center and ran it for 33 years until selling it to Gardeners Supply Co. of Vermont in January 2020. Giles is an active member of the First Congregational Church of Hadley and is on the board of directors for Easthampton Savings Bank and has also served on the horticulture/forestry advisory committee at Smith Vocational High School.

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Heather Gawron

Annie Celdran

Annie Celdran

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) announced it has hired Development and Grants Associate Heather Gawron and Audience Development Manager Annie Celdran. Gawron has focused the past 10 years of her career on fundraising for community nonprofits in Western Mass. Most recently, she served as senior director of Development at New England Public Media (NEPM), where she focused on overseeing the nonprofit media organization’s fundraising efforts, including grants, on-air fundraising campaigns, and its planned and major giving programs, contributing to the organization’s overall budget of $10 million. Prior to NEPM, Gawron spent years at American International College as executive director of Institutional Advancement. During her tenure at AIC, Gawron was an engine for growth, strengthening and expanding the college’s alumni-engagement program on a national scale. Her stewardship work with alumni yielded remarkable growth in engagement of the alumni base and landed one of the largest-ever single donations made to AIC. She also worked closely in supporting the grant director to secure Title III funding and developed scholarship funds to help AIC students continue their education. Before AIC, Gawron worked for Alstom University, headquartered in Paris, and helped launch five international corporate university campuses across Europe and Asia. Prior to joining SSO, Celdran most recently worked for New England Public Media as the New Voices Campaign manager. She communicated regularly with donors, visitors, and volunteers and worked closely with the president, chief operating officer, and Marketing and Development personnel on ambitious fundraising campaigns. A Western Mass. native, Celdran spent some of her career in San Francisco, utilizing her client-services skills at Hanson Bridgett, LLP, a Bay Area law firm with a reputation for community engagement. At the firm, she managed the Client Concierge and Office Services departments, also bringing her creativity to various fundraising campaigns such as the firm’s annual Food From the Bar campaign in support of the SF-Marin Food Bank.

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Beth Cohen, professor in Western New England University (WNE) School of Law and former WNE Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, has been named interim dean of the School of Law by Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Maria Toyoda. Cohen will provide interim leadership following the departure of current Dean Sudha Setty, who will begin her new role as dean of the City University of New York School of Law on July 1. A School of Law professor since 1990, Cohen has also served as director of the Legal Research and Writing Program since 1999. She was the associate dean for Academic Affairs from 2009 to 2020 and the director of the Academic Support Program from 1994 to 2008. She teaches Lawyering Skills, Externship Seminar, Professional Responsibility, and Mindfulness in Law Practice, and has written a number of articles in the areas of legal education, legal writing, civic education, and name-change law. Cohen graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School and earned a diploma in Advanced International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria, from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge Law School. She also co-founded and co-directed the popular civic-education Mini-Law School Program at WNE. A search committee will be appointed to conduct a national search for a new School of Law dean. Cohen will hold her position until a new dean is appointed.

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Carolyn Martinez

Carolyn Martinez

Shannon Mumblo, executive director of Christina’s House, announced that Carolyn Martinez has joined the organization as program manager. In her new role, Martinez will work closely with Christina’s House human-services professionals and direct service staff to ensure that mothers and their children who were homeless or near-homeless are developing vital life skills and are steadily working through the program with the goal of transitioning to stable housing and self-sufficiency. Martinez brings first-hand experience to Christina’s House as a graduate of the program. She has worked in community healthcare settings for the past several years and has completed certificate programs in child behavioral health and community health. She is currently a student at Cambridge College working toward a bachelor’s degree in human services.

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Milford Federal Bank announced that Jeremy Leap has joined the Bank as senior vice president, Commercial Lending. He will lead a growing team of commercial bankers, joining Anna Case, associate vice president, Commercial Credit officer, and Operations manager; Anita Carroll, Commercial Portfolio manager; and Stephanie Saraidarian, Commercial Credit representative. Leap has 16 years of experience as a commercial lender, including in the Western Mass. region at Country Bank in Ware and People’s United Bank in Springfield, and most recently at Savers Bank in Southbridge. He is involved with the United Way and Habitat for Humanity.

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People on the Move
Linda Schmidt

Linda Schmidt

Robert Walters III

Robert Walters III

Brittany Ward

Brittany Ward

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced three recent management-team promotions: Assistant Vice President of Finance/Controller Linda Schmidt, Interactive Teller Machine (ITM) Supervisor Robert Walters III, and Hadley Branch Manager Brittany Ward. Schmidt’s career at UMassFive began in 2010 as a teller and a Call Center representative. Her role quickly progressed to a Contact Center supervisor, where she remained until 2014. That year, she moved into the Finance department, holding the title of staff accountant until 2016, and most recently serving as financial analyst. In her new position, she will oversee the Finance department, as well as perform all controller responsibilities for the credit union. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in accounting at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Walters’s career at UMassFive began in 2018 as a member service specialist in the Hadley branch, and he was most recently promoted to backup supervisor in January 2020. In his new position, he will oversee the daily operation of the ITM department, ensuring adequate staffing levels for member volume, troubleshooting the video teller machines, and ensuring members have an excellent service experience. Ward began her career at UMassFive seven years ago and has held multiple positions during her tenure at the credit union. Starting as a member service specialist, she moved on to become a retail trainer, ITM supervisor, assistant manager in the Contact Center, and most recently the ITM manager. In her new role, she will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Hadley branch, including the training and development of the branch staff.

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Bulkley Richardson recently welcomed James Moher and Michael McAndrew to the firm. Moher joined the firm as counsel in the Business and Finance department, where his practice will focus on general corporate and business matters, including mergers and acquisitions and other transactional work. He will also be active in the areas of cannabis and other emerging businesses. Moher previously practiced at a Hartford, Conn. law firm and most recently was founder and CEO of a successful startup business, giving him an insider’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by a small business. He received a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 2008 and a juris doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2011. McAndrew joined Bulkley Richardson’s Litigation department as an associate. Previously, he was a law clerk at several area law firms and served as a clerk intern to the Hon. Alfred Covello in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. He received a bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, magna cum laude, in 2018 and a juris doctor from Western New England University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 2021.

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Angelina Stafford

Angelina Stafford

Justin Kissell

Justin Kissell

Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury and Murphy, P.C. (DWPM) announced that the firm has elected Angelina Stafford as a new shareholder and welcomed to its team attorney Justin Kissell as an associate. Stafford, who was previously an associate attorney at DWPM, concentrates her practice on trust and estate matters, including estate and tax planning, estate and trust administration, business succession planning, and probate litigation. Stafford earned her juris doctor degree summa cum laude from Western New England University and her bachelor’s degree with distinction from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Doherty, Wallace in 2013, she clerked for the Connecticut Appellate Court. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Kissell joined the firm in 2021 and became an associate attorney in January 2022 after being admitted to the bar. He is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School in Boston. While at Suffolk, he was the chief note editor for the Journal of Health & Biomedical Law. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, with a minor in political science, at the University of New Hampshire. Kissell’s experience includes working as a law clerk at Rimon, P.C. in Boston, where he worked in trusts and estates, taxation, and general business. Prior to that, he was a summer intern at the Dedham District Court, working with the Hon. Judge Michael Pomarole. He is admitted to practice in the state of Massachusetts.

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The board of directors of Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services has elected Aieshya Jackson as vice president and Darren James as treasurer. Jackson is a business manager for the city of Springfield Library Department and has more than 15 years of financial-services experience. She is a graduate of Bay Path University, where she earned a master’s degree in healthcare management. She also attended the Connecticut School of Finance and Management. James is a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual and has more than eight years of financial-services and operations experience. He earned a bachelor’s degree from American International College with a concentration in communications and business.

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Western New England University School of Law announced that Professor Tina Cafaro was unanimously confirmed to serve as associate justice of the District Court. Cafaro began her legal career in 1995 as a clerk for the Hon. Justice Kent Smith of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. She then joined the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney in 1996. Since 2001, she has been a clinical professor of Law and director of Criminal Law Clinics at the Western New England University School of Law. In this role, she instructs students in both prosecution and defense clinics, and has served as a special assistant district attorney for the Hampden District Attorney’s Office. She has been an instructor for the Massachusetts Police Training Committee, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Massachusetts Trial Court Academies since 1999. Cafaro has been a member of the Hampden County Bar Assoc. education committee since 2015 and is active in her community. She has been a basketball and lacrosse coach with the East Longmeadow Youth Sports Program for nearly two decades, and previously served on the East Longmeadow Basketball Assoc. board of directors. She received her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in 1992 and her juris doctorate from Western New England University School of Law in 1995.

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OMG Inc. has hired Brianna Akers as talent-acquisition specialist. In her new role, Akers will work closely with the talent-acquisition manager and the company’s management team to develop and implement strategic hiring strategies that expand the employee base across all facilities for continued growth. She reports to Gina Williamson, talent-acquisition manager. Akers began her career at ProAmpac as a human-resources coordinator, supporting payroll, recruitment, benefits administration, and other aspects of human resources. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Western New England University and a master’s degree from Springfield College.

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Elizabeth Román will join New England Public Media’s newsroom as managing editor for news after reporting for nearly two decades at the Republican. In recent years, she has also edited El Pueblo Latino, co-founded Colectivo de Medios Latinos, and appeared as a panelist on NEPM’s “The Short List” and “Connecting Point.” In her role at NEPM, she will edit daily news stories, work to expand the diversity of sources in news coverage, and explore ways to create more Spanish-language news content. Román is a lifelong resident of Springfield and the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who migrated to Massachusetts from the island more than 40 years ago. She is a graduate of Holyoke Community College and UMass Amherst. Throughout her career as a print journalist, it has been her objective to provide accurate representation of communities of color in Western Mass., and she is excited to continue that work at NEPM.

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DDS Acoustical Specialties, LLC announced the addition of Tyler Hadley to its team as director of Marketing. He will create, implement, and manage marketing campaigns that promote the products and services offered by the company, and will develop essential communication resources that educate and inform customers about the importance of acoustics and the solutions DDS Acoustical Specialties provides to solve noise issues. Hadley brings a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Westfield State University along with more than six years of experience in marketing and communications. He has a broad knowledge of advertising, design, social media, and other marketing platforms and systems. Prior to joining DDS Acoustical Specialties, Hadley worked for Way Finders, a nonprofit organization based in Springfield, where he managed marketing and communications for the organization and its seven lines of business. He also sits on the board of directors for the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and serves on committees for the Human Service Forum and the Fair Housing & Civil Rights Conference.

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Friends of Children Inc. presented Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan with the 2022 Changemaker Award at a dinner on March 25 at the Garden House in Look Park. Sullivan was presented with the Changemaker Award to celebrate his accomplishments, advocacy, and impact. He has been a steadfast advocate for vulnerable people in the Pioneer Valley, including children and young people served by Friends of Children, since 2003. He has led initiatives to address child abuse and domestic violence. He co-founded the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin Region and serves as an advisor to its board, as well as to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Hampshire County. Sullivan was part of the core team that helped establish the Franklin County Family Drug Court. He co-founded and co-chairs Hampshire HOPE and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and North Quabbin Region to address the opioid epidemic and its devastating impact on children and families. He is a board member of the Massachusetts Children’s Trust, an organization dedicated to ending child abuse. He also testified twice to the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities in support of bills that would establish external oversight of the state’s child welfare system.

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Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the not-for-profit organization also known as MOSSO, has engaged a management team to assist in producing live classical-music concerts for Greater Springfield and Western Mass. MOSSO Chair Beth Welty (who will also serve as MOSSO’s interim librarian) announced that Douglas Evans, former CEO at the Bushnell in Hartford, Conn., will serve as management consultant. Mark Auerbach, an area public-relations consultant who was the Marketing director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1985, will serve as public-relations and marketing consultant. Northampton- and Hartford-based development specialist Nancy Wheeler of WheelerConnect will work with MOSSO as a major-gifts consultant. And Gregory Jones, who has worked in concert production with artists including Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan, will coordinate productions. Welty added that Sarah Sutherland, a MOSSO horn player with a mathematics and statistics degree, will be MOSSO’s finance director, and Lauren Winter, MOSSO’s principal horn player, will coordinate box-office operations and personnel. Matthew Anderson, who holds a bachelor’s degree in composition from the Hartt School and an MBA from the University of Hartford, will work in production.

People on the Move

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People on the Move

Lora Wondolowski, the founding executive director of Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV), and the organization’s leader since 2011, will leave her post on April 1. Her leadership has been integral to all aspects of LPV’s operations, with notable successes including the growth of the core LEAP program, the Leaders on Board initiative, building strategic partnerships, and improving and stabilizing operations and organizational processes. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the first graduating class. Upon her departure, the board plans to appoint an interim executive director until finding a permanent executive director. Wondolowski and the LPV board of directors are working with staff and stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition for LEAP participants, partners, and supporters.

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Tech Foundry, with a mission to support the region’s growing need for a qualified technology workforce and elevate underrepresented groups into sustainable careers in information technology, announced the appointment of Tricia Canavan as its CEO effective March 21. Canavan will succeed Bruce Dixon, who resigned to pursue new opportunities. Founded in 2014, Tech Foundry has offered internships, networking opportunities, and instruction to traditionally low-income, underserved populations, preparing graduates for entry-level IT work in the Pioneer Valley. These programs are offered free of charge to participants through donations from area businesses and members of the local community. With a background in nonprofit and business management, workforce development, and adult education, Canavan currently serves as executive vice president of corporate relations and advocacy for Masis Staffing Solutions. Previously, she served as CEO of United Personnel, which was acquired by Masis in May 2021. She chairs the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, co-chairs Springfield Business Leaders for Education, and serves on the boards of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, MassHire Hampden County, and the Springfield Public Forum.

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Mount Holyoke College President Sonya Stephens announced that she will step down in August to become president of the American University of Paris. Stephens joined Mount Holyoke in 2013 and served as vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of faculty before being appointed acting president in 2016 to replace Lynn Pasquerella. In 2018, the board of trustees voted to remove the ‘acting’ title. In a letter to the Mount Holyoke community, Stephens said her new role in Paris is a “unique opportunity to advance a contemporary expression of the liberal arts in France — one that brings together so many of my intellectual and administrative interests and commitments.” She added that “it has been an extraordinary honor and a privilege to serve you and Mount Holyoke since 2013 and to work in concert with brilliant and exacting students, with a faculty that is as devoted to outstanding scholarship as it is to cultivating inquiry in others and with a leadership team and staff so exceedingly devoted to our mission. It has been inspiring and motivating to work with such an engaged, thoughtful, generous, and dedicated board of trustees, and to come to know, admire, and deeply appreciate the wider alum community. While I have held different roles over these nine years, I see our work together as a continuum — one focused resolutely on the future strength of the college, on enhancing the exceptional educational experience it offers, and on the community that makes this possible, here on campus, across the nation, and worldwide.”

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Jaclyn Stevenson

Jaclyn Stevenson

Jaclyn Stevenson has been appointed director of Marketing and Communications at Shakespeare & Company, a nonprofit theater performance, education, and actor-training organization based in Lenox. In her position, Stevenson directs all marketing and communications efforts for the company and supervises the Graphic Design and Patron Services departments, including in the areas of audience engagement, retail operations, and concessions. She also serves as co-chair of the communications subcommittee of the IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility) committee, and as liaison to the Lenox Cultural District steering committee. Stevenson brings more than 20 years of communications experience to the position, having worked with a wide range of clients, including Toyota Motor Corp., CIGNA Healthcare, Disney World Sports, Spalding, and many others. Most recently, she served as director of Marketing and Communications for Columbia-Greene Community College, part of the State University of New York system. A BusinessWest 40 Under Forty honoree in 2012, she holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Bridgewater State University and a master’s degree in organization development from American International College, as well as several certifications relative to web accessibility, social-media management, and risk management.

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Susan Henrichon

Susan Henrichon

American International College (AIC) has appointed Susan Henrichon dean of the School of Education. Henrichon joined American International College in 2018, bringing more than 30 years of experience in PK-12 public education, with more than 15 years spent in senior leadership roles. Most recently, she served as the associate dean of academic programs while teaching extensively in the School of Education, and additionally serving as a senior instructor and program supervisor for graduate students. Prior to coming to AIC, Henrichon was an assistant superintendent of schools in Oxford and director of Special Education and Student Services for the Oxford Public Schools system. Before that, she was the director of Pupil Personnel Services in Monson, director of Special Education in Easthampton, director of Student Services for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville school district; special-education team leader in the Holyoke Public Schools; and assistant department head of Quality Assurance at the Monson Developmental Center. Henrichon has been recognized by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for her work. Her professional affiliations include the Massachusetts Assoc. of School Superintendents, the Worcester County Superintendents Assoc., Massachusetts Administrators for Special Education, the Western Massachusetts Special Education Directors Assoc., the Assoc. for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the Council for Exceptional Children. She received a doctor of education degree in educational administration at Northcentral University in Phoenix; her certificate of advanced graduate studies in educational administration from the University of Massachusetts; a master’s degree in education, special education, from Westfield State University; and a bachelor’s degree from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, N.H.

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Michelle Jarvis-Lettman joined Elms College as director of Financial Aid in January. She has 15 years of experience within student financial services with positions at Worcester State University, Springfield Technical Community College, Wesleyan University, University of Hartford, and Ironbridge Resources, LLC. She has presented on the topic of financial aid to many audiences, including the Massachusetts Assoc. of Student Financial Aid Administrators in 2019. Jarvis-Lettman received her master’s degree in higher education administration from Bay Path University after completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Worcester State. She was recently appointed to Worcester State’s Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. She also coaches basketball. In addition, the Elms College Graduate Admission Office recently announced the promotion of Stefany Scliopou to director of Graduate and Continuing Education Admission. She is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. After working in the hotel industry for nine years, she transitioned into higher education, where she completed her MBA degree with Elms College. For the last six years, Scliopou has worked in a graduate admission role helping non-traditional adult students embrace their next-level education endeavors. She has worked alongside students and program directors to ensure exceptional student support. In addition, she is the academic coordinator for the Elms-HCC business-degree-completion programs as well as a part-time adjunct. She serves on the board of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce events committee, and the parish council board for St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Springfield.

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Tahirah Amatul-Wadud

Tahirah Amatul-Wadud

The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR Massachusetts) announced that Tahirah Amatul-Wadud has been chosen to serve as its new executive director. Amatul-Wadud is an attorney based in Springfield with more than 16 years of experience in corporate, family, and civil-rights law. A former staff attorney with Western Massachusetts Community Legal Aid before entering private practice, she served as a commissioner with the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women from 2014 to 2020. In 2016, she rose to national prominence serving as the principal attorney on behalf of the residents of Islamberg, N.Y. against Robert Doggart, an anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist who had planned a violent attack against the community. In 2018, she ran for Congress in Massachusetts’ first district, securing 30% of the vote. She served as vice president of the board of directors at CAIR Massachusetts from 2016 to 2018 and its president since 2018, and during her tenure has overseen the organization’s restructuring and rapid growth. CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

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Darcy Young

Darcy Young

The Irish Echo, the premier news title in Irish America since 1928, presented Darcy Young with a Top 40 Under 40 award at its 15th annual event at Rosie O’Grady’s in New York City on Feb. 25. The popular event is a celebration of the Irish and Irish Americans who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields of work before reaching age 40. Young was selected for her service to Irish community. A former Colleen, she currently serves as the communications chair for the Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee and has served on the board and many of the subcommittees. The Springfield St. Patrick’s Parade Committee promotes and celebrates Irish heritage in Western Mass. through enriching experiences for its members, yearly honorees, and scholarships for students. One of her favorite volunteer efforts is chaperoning the Colleen and her court every year as they travel to a variety of public presentations to share their Irish heritage. She is also a member of the John Boyle O’Reilly Club. Young has served as a media professional for more than a decade, first at ABC and FOX news affiliates and most recently as director of Digital Public Relations at Garvey Communication Associates Inc. and a video producer at New England Corporate Video. She also serves on the executive board of the Children’s Study Home.

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ArchitectureEL Inc. (AEL) recently welcomed a new member, Marco Crescentini, to its team as senior project architect. ArchitectureEL Inc. provides professional design services on a wide range of projects, including both new buildings and renovations to existing structures. The firm boasts significant experience in accessibility, historic preservation, educational and commercial design, as well as extensive experience in both private and multi-family residential development. “I am thrilled to hold a position on the AEL team, as they are a group of creative and hardworking individuals,” Crescentini said. “I hope to contribute to the success of the company and to collaborate on some of the intriguing and influential jobs we have before us.”

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Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV) announced new campaign co-chairs for the LEAP 2023 campaign, Jason Randall and Ayanna Crawford. Both are alumni of the class of 2013. They will be leading the effort to connect with businesses and potential applicants about the benefits of LPV’s LEAP program. Randall is director of Human Resources at MGM Springfield and a current LPV board member. He is involved with Springfield Works and Springfield Business Leaders for Education. Crawford is president of AC Consulting and Media Services and specializes in communications workshops in the New England area. She currently leads an after-school program for girls, positions herself as an educator in the Springfield Public Schools, and works for state Rep. Orlando Ramos. In its 11 years, more than 300 individuals representing more than 100 companies, organizations, and municipalities have participated in LEAP. The program has filled a critical need for a leadership program that builds a network of emerging leaders to address the challenges and opportunities of the region. LPV will begin accepting LEAP applications in April, with an application deadline of July 1.

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Hubert Benitez

Hubert Benitez

The American International College (AIC) board of trustees announced that Hubert Benitez, DDS, PhD has been unanimously selected as the 12th president of the 137-year-old institution. Benitez will succeed President Vince Maniaci, who is retiring after 17 years of service. Benitez will join American International College on April 11. In his most recent position, Benitez served as vice president for Strategic Initiatives and Academic Innovation and as acting chief inclusion officer at Rockhurst University (RU) in Kansas City, Mo., a comprehensive institution of higher learning that offers educational programs to a diverse student population in business, communications, education, engineering, healthcare, humanities, performing and visual arts, science, and mathematics. Among his responsibilities, Benitez had direct oversight of strategic planning, institutional effectiveness, accreditation and assessment, distance education/e-learning, and the Prosperity Center for Financial Opportunity. Prior to Rockhurst, Benitez served as president and CEO of Saint Luke’s College of Health Sciences in Kansas City for almost five years, where he provided visionary and strategic leadership that included growing and diversifying the college’s academic portfolio; promoting a culture of assessment; increasing the visibility of the institution through community presence, engagement, and outreach efforts; engaging in recruitment and enrollment-management practices that increased the college’s population while meeting the needs of a new and diverse demographic of students; and implementing a financial strategy that increased the institution’s fiscal stability and outlook. Benitez received his first doctoral degree in dentistry from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Latin America. He subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Connecticut Health Sciences Center, later earning a PhD in higher education administration from Saint Louis University’s College of Education and Public Service. He is a graduate of the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, and he completed the Executive Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He has dedicated the last two decades to higher education as an academic and administrator, and 15 years prior as a clinician. A member of numerous academic organizations, boards, and advisory committees past and present, Benitez currently serves on the board of directors for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City and the board of trustees for Cristo Rey Kansas City, a Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth high school; is a peer reviewer for Middle States Commission on Higher Education; is a member the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Kansas City Public Schools; and is a member of the KC Rising Steering Committee, a body of the KC Rising initiative, composed of business and community volunteers from across the Kansas City metropolitan area who are committed to regional collaboration. His professional associations include the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, the American Assoc. of Hispanics in Higher Education, the American Dental Assoc., and the Golden Key International Honor Society, among others. In addition to an extensive selection of published works, Benitez has been a guest lecturer in the U.S. and abroad and has been the recipient of federally and privately funded research grants. His work ethic and commitment has been recognized by Univision Kansas City for his ongoing support for Hispanic heritage and by Universidad Piloto of Colombia for forging international and interdisciplinary exchange programs. He has been a recipient of the Hispanic Heritage Award and received special recognition for service to the community through Excellence in Education. His contributions to Suffolk County from the Office of Minority Affairs have been praised, in addition to being selected as one of the Top 25 Advocates for Latino Empowerment in Long Island, N.Y.

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Carla Banas

Freedom Credit Union has hired Carla Banas as branch officer for its Ludlow location. She brings more than 16 years of banking experience to her role, the last several of which were in Ludlow, where she specialized in commercial banking. In her new role, Banas will oversee the daily operations of the branch, ensure the growth and development of employees, ensure exceptional customer service for members, and grow new business by cultivating lasting relationships. Outside her professional role, Banas is on the board for Women to Watch and serves as community outreach chair. She is also a member and past president of the Ludlow BNI Core Connections chapter and is active in the East of the River Chamber of Commerce. In her previous position, she was recognized for her work with employed veterans by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

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Elena Hovagimian

Elena Hovagimian

Elena Hovagimian has been promoted to director of Agriculture at the Eastern States Exposition (ESE) after a 25-year career spanning agriculture and education, IT, and retail sales management at the West Springfield fair and trade-show facility. Hovagimian, who succeeds retiring Director of Agriculture Donna Woolam, will oversee all agriculturally based events year-round as well as the hundreds of animals entered in shows and contests, educational presentations, the Creative Arts department, the Fiber Festival of New England, the Gold Medal Wine and Cheese competitions, and retail sales for the Farmers Market, Storrowton Village Museum Gift Shop, and Christmas Shop. Hovagimian joined the Eastern States Exposition staff in October 1997 as a part-time data-entry clerk, and shortly thereafter became assistant to the Agriculture manager. In addition, she took on the Management Information Systems (MIS) coordinator duties, supervising and implementing the computer systems and programs in the company. In January 2007, she became a full-time staff member at ESE as Agriculture and Education/MIS coordinator. She was responsible for coordinating and producing more than 119 agricultural events throughout the year and during the Big E. She also increased the efficiency of all facets of the department through the use of computer software and technology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from UMass Amherst, a master’s degree in innovative thinking and entrepreneurial business practices from Bay Path University and a certificate for online journalism from UMass. She graduated from the International Assoc. of Fairs and Expositions’ (IAFE) Institute of Fair Management in 2015, and earned her certified fair executive status from the IAFE in 2018. During her career, Hovagimian led a cross-functional team to innovate and promote New England agriculture in a virtual environment, maintaining the pillars of the Exposition’s mission. She also developed processes and systems of efficient software and technology applications to allow for day-to-day business to continue in a remote environment. She developed four attractions outside of the Big E, including the Big East Youth Cattle and Jackpot Show, the Fiber Festival of New England, and the Wine and Cheese competitions. Hovagimian is an active member of the IAFE, where she chaired the agriculture and education committee in 2020 and was website technology committee chair in 2017. She is also a member of the North American Livestock Show and Rodeo Managers Assoc. and the Massachusetts Cheese Guild Advisory Board.

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Tanzania Cannon-Eckerle

Tanzania Cannon-Eckerle

Attorney Tanzania Cannon-Eckerle has rejoined the Royal Law Firm full-time in a partner-level position as chief legal and administrative officer. Her practice includes matters involving labor relations, discrimination, harassment and retaliation, wrongful discharge, workers’ compensation, employee privacy, wage and hour law, leave laws, and matters involving business, including business planning, business formations, business contracts and negotiations, franchise law, and licensing and permitting. Her preventive work includes drafting a variety of employment-related manuals and contracts, such as executive agreements, compensation and commission agreements, and severance and settlement agreements. Cannon-Eckerle obtained her juris doctor degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.

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Rae Brown

Rae Brown

Freedom Credit Union announced it recently promoted Rae Brown to the role of branch officer for its Northampton and Easthampton locations. She previously served as the assistant branch officer at the Main Street, Springfield office. “Rae has been with us for nearly eight years and has proven herself to be a wonderful leader, dedicated to providing outstanding service to our members and committed to the success of her team,” Freedom Credit Union President Glenn Welch said. “She is the perfect person to oversee our two branches in Hampshire County.” Brown has more than two decades of experience in banking, including more than 11 years in Hampshire County. She has an associate degree from Springfield Technical Community College and is also a notary public.

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Carli Ross

Carli Ross

Carli Ross recently joined Raipher, P.C. in Springfield as a personal-injury and civil-litigation attorney. Ross is a passionate advocate who began her legal career concentrating on criminal defense and employment discrimination work. She joined the practice in November and became the firm’s 16th lawyer. Ross completed her undergraduate degree at the University of California Santa Cruz in 2017, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and legal studies. She then went on to earn her juris doctor degreee from Western New England University School of Law in 2021, graduating cum laude.

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Comcast named Saif Malik vice president of Finance for the company’s Western New England region, which serves more than 300 communities across Connecticut, Western Mass., Vermont, Western New Hampshire, and New York. In this role, Malik will oversee finance and accounting, warehouse and materials, information technology, facilities, fleet management, and environmental health and safety. Malik joined Comcast in 2007 as senior manager of Finance for Comcast’s Greater New Haven area, where he was responsible for the financial growth of technical operations, marketing, warehouse, and customer service centers. He most recently served as senior director of Finance for the Western New England Region, providing strategic direction for technical operations, construction, and Comcast Business functions, including the region’s capital expenditures. Prior to joining Comcast, he was manager of financial planning and analysis for AT&T. Malik earned his master’s degree in economics from the University of the Punjab and his MBA in finance from Oklahoma City University. Over the past seven years, he has served on the board of CRIS radio, an organization that provides audio access for people who are blind or print-challenged.

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Curtis Haines

Curtis Haines

OMG Inc. has added to its Technical Services department with the addition of a technical-support specialist in its OMG Roofing Products division. In his new role, Curtis Haines will provide the roofing sales team with expanded technical product training and technical support in the field. Additionally, he will work with the new-product-development team to assist in expanding the company’s product lines. He reports to Stephen Childs, Technical Services manager. Haines comes to OMG Roofing Products with eight years of technical and product management experience from ITW/Permatex in Hartford, Conn. Most recently, he was involved in inside technical sales. Earlier, he had been a technical services manager and an associate innovations manager for the company. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University.

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The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) recently welcomed 14 new board members. As Springfield YPS continues to concentrate its efforts on business and career development, networking, social and cultural involvement, and community activism, its diverse membership comes from a wide range of professions and backgrounds united by a commitment to make Springfield a better place to work, live, play, and stay. New board members include Nikai Fondon of the “She Did That!” podcast, Tyler Hadley of DDS Acoustical Specialties, Kara Bombard of Performance Foodservice, Isabella Brady-Prankus of the Gray House, Julie Fruscio of Dominion Dealer Solutions, Russ Kelly of LUSO Federal Credit Union, Emily Burr of PeoplesBank, Christopher Scuderi of Charter Oak Wealth Partners, Jessica Colson of Girls Inc. of the Pioneer Valley, Drew McConaha of Train for Life, Stefany Scliopou of Elms College, Kara Sotolotto of LiftTruck Parts & Service Inc., Lauren Martin of the Markens Group, and Alaina Macaulay of the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. The new board members join existing board members Jack Yvon of Charter Oak Financial, Melissa Cuzzone of EBS Insurance Brokers, Ashley Batlle-Ramos of Beauty Batlles Lounge, along with Andrew Mankus of UMass Dining, treasurer; Amie Miarecki of Christopher Heights of Belchertown, immediate past president; and Heather Clark of the Baystate Health Foundation, president.

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Priscilla Kane Hellweg

Priscilla Kane Hellweg

Enchanted Circle Theater’s executive and artistic director, Priscilla Kane Hellweg, has stepped down after 40 years of service, having grown Enchanted Circle from a small touring educational theater company into a nationally recognized leader in the field of arts integration. The board of directors is currently working with a consultant and staff on temporary management while studying various governance models. The organization will announce the plan by the end of the school year. Under Hellweg’s direction, Enchanted Circle has become the regional leader in the field of arts integration, working district-wide in public schools throughout Western Mass. and collaborating with more than 60 community partner organizations, developing work that bridges arts, education, and human services. She received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network and was a finalist for Excellence in Leadership in 2018. She has received a Champions of Arts Education Award from the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts in Education and a Millennium Award from the National Guild of Community Arts Educators for her commitment to making quality arts education accessible to all. In 2016, Enchanted Circle was nominated to represent Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Cultural Council to receive the Creativity Connects Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Its work was highlighted in the national PBS series, American Graduate, for its Shakespeare program that combats summer learning loss in Holyoke Public Schools. Enchanted Circle received the 2015 Commonwealth Award, Massachusetts’ highest honor in arts, sciences, and humanities; received the 2013 Arts and Humanities Award for Outstanding Organization from NEPR; and was named Outstanding Arts Collaborative in 2011 from Arts/Learning. Hellweg has created district-wide arts-integration initiatives to enhance academic achievement for Holyoke, Amherst, Northampton, and Westfield public schools, and has collaborated on the development of several Teacher Training Institutes with numerous partners, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Teaching American History grants. She has taught professional-development workshops for many district-wide school systems in Massachusetts and Connecticut, including the Wang Center in Boston, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the History Institute at the University of Massachusetts, and the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton. She has been adjunct faculty at the University of Hartford, Hampshire College, and Westfield State University. She has also co-written and directed several site-based historical plays for educational and cultural tourism sites.

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Melissa English

MP CPAs recently announced the promotion of Melissa English to senior audit manager and Tim Provost to senior tax manager. English works with clients across a variety of industries, including nonprofits, manufacturers, distributors, and other small to medium-sized businesses. She is also the lead professional for the firm’s employee benefit-plan practice. She performs technical reviews of employee benefit-plan audits and is frequently called upon to assist with research regarding plan issues. Her experiences with benefit plans include working on Internal Revenue Service examinations, voluntary plan corrections, and self-corrections of plan errors. English joined the firm in 2001 and has more than 20 years of audit experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Westfield State University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and AICPA’s Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center. She is very active in the community as a volunteer board member of the Down Syndrome Resource Group of Western Massachusetts and the Chicopee Galaxy Youth Athletic Assoc., of which she is also a co-founder. Provost provides consulting and tax solutions to a diverse group of clients including individuals, partnerships, limited-liability companies, corporations, and trusts. He also has experience working with international affiliates on foreign tax issues, and specializes in working with high-net-worth clients and with private equity firms and their owners. Provost joined the firm in 2008 and has more than 13 years of experience in personal and business taxation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Westfield State University and a master’s degree in accounting and taxation from American International College. He is a certified public accountant and a member of AICPA. He is very active in the community as a volunteer board member of the West Springfield Youth Basketball Assoc. and a volunteer youth basketball coach.

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Melissa Stefanowich

Melissa Stefanowich

Country Bank announced that Melissa Stefanowich has joined its Retail Banking division. An experienced leader who has been in the retail banking industry for 14 years, she will serve Western Mass. in her new role at Country Bank. Stafenowich joins Country Bank from Westfield Bank where she was a Retail Banking officer, branch manager, and mortgage specialist. She was responsible for the leadership and management of branch service, sales, operations, and team development. She worked for Chicopee Savings Bank for eight years before it merged in 2016 with Westfield Bank. She is a supporter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts.

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After a nationwide search, Bay Path University announced that Frank Rojas has joined the university as the new vice president of Enrollment Management. In this role, he will oversee many duties, including creating and driving the strategic vision for enrollment, overseeing all aspects of enrollment operations, executing a comprehensive enrollment plan, and identifying and employing strategies that clearly demonstrate the university’s value proposition and align with institutional goals. Rojas has extensive experience in higher education, most recently as chief operating officer and executive vice president at Los Angeles Pacific University. In that position, he led a team that successfully drove enrollment growth and increased revenue, while implementing marketing plans and strategies for an online university that also integrated a focus on student support. As an educator, he is a strong advocate in providing access to learners, including marginalized students in post-secondary higher education. During his career, he has been a results-oriented leader committed to building profitable growth and return on investment both domestically and internationally. He earned a Ph.D. in organizational development and change and a master’s degree in organizational leadership through Fielding Graduate University. In addition, he received an executive MBA through Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from DeVry University.

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American International College (AIC) has appointed Michael Dodge associate vice president for Academic Affairs following a national search. Dodge has been with AIC since 2018, previously serving as dean of Student Success and Opportunity. As dean, he had oversight of the tutoring and advising programs on campus and the James J. Shea Memorial Library, and was instrumental in the success of the AIC’s Plan for Excellence (APEX) program for students, serving as director of the program. In addition, he served as the principal investigator for the U.S. Department of Education Title III Grant program. While maintaining several of his previous responsibilities, as the associate vice president for Academic Affairs, Dodge will serve as the chief of staff to the executive vice president for Academic Affairs (EVPAA), including responsibility for day-to-day operational support for all areas reporting to the EVPAA, including the schools of Business Arts and Sciences, Education, and Health Sciences. Among his many areas of responsibility, Dodge will represent the Office of Academic Affairs to internal and external constituencies to develop comprehensive and integrative structures and processes to support student success and timely graduation. In addition, he will assist in the institution’s assessment processes and support development of meaningful and measurable institution, program, and course student-learning outcomes. He will research and analyze new program proposals from concept to market. Prior to joining AIC, Dodge worked for more than a decade at UMass Amherst in a variety of teaching and administrative roles. He earned his doctorate in educational policy, leadership, and administration at UMass Amherst after first earning his master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree in secondary education and English at the State University of New York Oswego.

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Western New England University School of Law Professor Jennifer Levi has been named an inaugural fellow in a new Salem State University program of the Berry Institute of Politics (IOP). Levi will share this honor with former Boston Mayor Kim Janey for the spring 2022 semester. Levi is a lawyer, professor, and nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues who has dedicated their career to fighting for the rights of women, children, the poor, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) clients. Currently, Levi serves as director of the Transgender Rights Project for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and as professor of Law at Western New England University. Throughout their career, Levi has led legal fights for transgender equality across a range of contexts, including in the areas of family law, education, healthcare, incarceration, military service, and beyond. As rising or seasoned professionals, fellows share their knowledge, skills, and experiences with students who are exploring and pursuing careers in politics and public service. As current practitioners, fellows support students building practical skills that will supplement what they are learning through academic courses. Through one-time and ongoing engagement, fellows serve as resources and mentors to students. During their visits, IOP fellows will participate and lead both curricular and co-curricular programs.

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Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg

Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg

Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg as the college’s executive director of Human Resources. Rivera-Riffenburg has worked in human resources for more than 25 years. She started her career as a personnel assistant and most recently worked as director of human resources for Chicopee Public Schools. Her previous employment featured positions in human resources for the town of Amherst, Medtronic (formerly Covidien), Hot Mama’s Foods, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Coca-Cola. She is also an adjunct professor at Bay Path University and Western New England University. Rivera-Riffenburg began her undergraduate education at HCC before transferring to Baker College, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human resources management. She holds master’s degrees in communications and information management from Bay Path University and in organizational leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a Society for Human Resources Management certified senior professional, an HCRI senior professional in human resources, and a certified K-12 Title IX coordinator.

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The New England Financial Marketing Assoc. (NEFMA) welcomed Mary Cate Mannion, a digital PR analyst for Garvey Communication Associates Inc. and producer for New England Corporate Video, as the keynote presenter for its virtual Awards Show on Feb. 11. The event featured the winners of awards for the most creative, innovative, and successful campaigns across several different financial-services categories. Mannion’s presentation, “What’s Old Is New: How the Age-old Art of Storytelling Will Set Your Existing Media Channels on Fire,” explained how brands can generate meaningful and measurable engagement while shedding all that extra budget weight of meaningless and empty impressions. Included in her presentation were best-practice examples from HarborOne Bank, Mascoma Bank, Monson Savings Bank, Needham Bank, and PeoplesBank. Mannion has worked in the Holyoke-Springfield DMA as an anchor/reporter for ABC, CBS, and FOX News affiliates; in Bismarck, N.D. as an anchor/reporter for an NBC News affiliate; and in Portland, Maine as a reporter for an ABC News affiliate. She won a Broadcaster’s Award for her work and was nominated for two Midwest Emmy Awards. She is a graduate of Emerson College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. She is also currently a board member of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf and a member of Women in Film & Video New England.

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New England Public Media has named Deepa Krishna director of Finance and Accounting. Krishna will oversee the nonprofit media organization’s $10 million budget, working directly with internal departments as well as community funders and grantors. A licensed certified public accountant, Krishna joins NEPM from the Connecticut Airport Authority in Windsor Locks, where she served as the accounting manager for Bradley International Airport and five general aviation airports, overseeing annual budgets and managing federal and state grants for the nonprofit organization. Prior to that, she was the finance manager for Bristol Hospital and Healthcare Group. She received her master’s degree in commerce and accounting from Madurai Kamaraj University, India, and her bachelor’s degree in commerce and accounting from Mahatma Gandhi University, India.

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Colin Griswold

Colin Griswold

OMG Roofing Products promoted Colin Griswold to the position of codes and approvals engineer. In his new role, he will manage product approvals for OMG Roofing’s product portfolio as well as assist the new-product development team in addressing code and approval issues. In addition, he will work closely with OMG’s private-label customers and code and approval officials with product evaluations, developing technical product specifications, as well as maintaining code approvals and keeping abreast of technical changes and advancements in the commercial roofing industry. Griswold started with OMG Roofing Products in 2013 in the manufacturing area. Since then, he has held positions as a laboratory technician in the company’s New Product Development & Innovation department, and most recently in the Technical Services department as a technical support specialist. He is a member of the Single-Ply Roofing Industry and holds an associate degree in engineering from Springfield Technical Community College.

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Nourse Farms Inc. announced that founder and President Timothy Nourse has transitioned from overall leadership of Nourse Farms to chairman of the board of directors. He is leaving the day-to-day operational oversight in the hands of John Place, who has been promoted to CEO. Over the past 90 years, Nourse Farms has grown to be a leader in berry-plant propagation in North America and now produces more than 30 million strawberry plants in addition to 6 million raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, currant, gooseberry, elderberry, asparagus, rhubarb, and horseradish plants each year to customers around the world. Tim Nourse is recognized as a pioneer in tissue-culture propagation, having built the first lab at Nourse Farms over 40 years ago. Establishing this capability in the 1980s was a key to growth and innovation for customers around the world. Before joining Nourse Farms as chief operating officer in 2019, Place built his career in Pennsylvania at Keepsake Farm. He holds a degree in agriculture and animal science from the University of Delaware and is a highly accomplished farmer and successful business executive.

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Tom Bernard

Tom Bernard

Tom Bernard, who just wrapped up his last term as mayor of North Adams, has been selected to lead Berkshire United Way (BUW) as the new president and CEO starting Jan. 24. Bernard earned his bachelor’s degree from Williams College and later his master of public administration degree from Westfield State University. After a decade working in Boston and then as a freelance writer, he began a long career in the nonprofit sector. Bernard first served as development officer at Mass MoCA, followed by nearly 10 years at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts as director of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations, then executive assistant to the president, and eventually director of Business Affairs. He was the director of Special Projects at Smith College before becoming mayor in 2018.

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Chelsea Depault

Chelsea Depault

Marjorie Smith

Marjorie Smith

Erica Josephson

Erica Josephson

Tony Worden, CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank and its Northampton Cooperative Bank division, announced three promotions within the bank. Chelsea Depault is being promoted to AVP, Commercial Operations officer. She originally started with the bank back in 2007 as a float teller and also worked in the Accounting department before moving on to Commercial Lending, where she has been for the past several years as a credit analyst and then as an AVP, Commercial Lending. In her new role, she will oversee the operations of commercial loan servicing and administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass. Marjorie Smith is being promoted to senior commercial credit analyst. She has been with the bank since 2010, when she started as a teller. In the years since, she worked for the Residential Lending department in various roles before joining the Commercial Lending side as a credit analyst. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Houghton College. Erica Josephson is being promoted to senior commercial credit analyst. She has been with the bank since 2019, when she joined as a credit analyst with several years of experience in credit underwriting at two other local institutions. Since coming on board, she has played a critical role in shepherding customers’ PPP loans through to forgiveness. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Vermont.

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Bulkley Richardson announced that Elizabeth “Liz” Zuckerman has been promoted to partner in the firm’s Litigation department. Zuckerman joined the firm in 2014 as an associate in the Litigation department, where her practice focuses on general commercial litigation, First Amendment issues, and defamation. She has a proven history of successfully litigating complex cases in both state and federal courts. “Liz is an incredible asset to the firm,” said Dan Finnegan, managing partner at Bulkley Richardson. “Her keen insight and unshakeable confidence has helped shape her into a formidable lawyer. Not only is she a skilled litigator, but she is compassionate, making her an effective advocate for her clients.”

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Jim Hickey

Jim Hickey

Florence Bank hired a Greenfield native with 25 years of strategic marketing experience with a focus in the banking sector to serve as vice president and director of Marketing Operations. Jim Hickey stepped into the new role in mid-November after keeping his eye on Florence Bank for many years because he respects its creative marketing strategy, customer-focused approach to banking, and community engagement. Previously, Hickey was vice president of Account Service at Communicators Group, a marketing communications firm in Keene, N.H. He has also served as vice president and director of Marketing for Westbank, a financial institution formerly based in West Springfield. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UMass Amherst. He has experience in areas that include account management, creative development, media-plan execution, and media buying. He said Florence Bank has a well-established brand, and the challenge for him and the Marketing team moving forward will be paying homage to that brand and evolving it. “Our goal is to keep the brand fresh and take it to the next level.”

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Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. (MBK) announced the promotions of Christopher Soderberg, Ian Coddington, and Briana Doyle to senior associate; Daniel Eger and Brenden Cawley to tax supervisor; and Corey Jenkins, Chelsea Russell, Eric Pinsoneault, Kara Graves, and Matthew Nash to senior manager.

Christopher Soderberg

Christopher Soderberg

• Soderberg has been a member of the Audit department at MBK since 2018. He primarily focuses on not-for-profit, commercial, taxation, and HUD engagements. In his new role as a senior associate, he will take on a larger leadership position at the firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounts and management, as well as an MBA with a concentration in financial planning, from Elms College. He is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Ian Coddington

Ian Coddington

• Coddington is a licensed certified public accountant in Massachusetts who has been working in the firm’s audit department since 2018. His work is predominantly focused on review and compilation, commercial, not-for-profit, employee benefit plans, and business valuation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Westfield State University and an MBA from Fitchburg State University. He is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Briana Doyle

Briana Doyle

• Doyle started working at MBK in 2018. As a member of the firm’s Audit department, she works on employee benefit plans, not-for-profits, HUD, and commercial engagements. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in accounting from Nichols College. She is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Daniel Eger

Daniel Eger

• Eger has been with MBK since 2005, working primarily with large companies and corporations as well as high-net-worth individuals. He has more than 20 years of accounting experience, handling many of the most complicated tax-preparations in these areas, including multi-state tax preparation. He leads the tax intern program at MBK, which has resulted in numerous hires in the firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from American International College and is member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Brenden Cawley

Brenden Cawley

• Cawley joined MBK in 2020 after spending eight years as a tax professional at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Boston. He provided tax and consulting services for large investment companies with a focus in private equity and credit funds. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Boston College and is an enrolled agent with the Internal Revenue Service, as well as a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Corey Jenkins

Corey Jenkins

• Jenkins joined MBK in 2019 after spending five years as a public accountant in New York. She is a leader within the firm’s NFP division, working primarily on audits of not-for-profit organizations and multi-family housing entities. She received her master’s degree in accounting from the University at Albany and her bachelor’s degree from the College of Saint Rose in Albany. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and is a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and New York. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Chelsea Russell

Chelsea Russell

• Russell began her career with MBK as an intern in 2015 and has been working full-time in the Accounting and Audit department since June 2016. In her role as manager, she is a key player in the Accounting and Auditing department and primarily focuses on not-for-profit, commercial, and employee benefit-plan engagements. She received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Westfield State University and her master’s degree in accounting from Bay Path University. She is licensed as a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She also co-leads the firm’s community-outreach program.

Eric Pinsoneault

• Pinsoneault joined MBK in 2018. Before that, he worked in public accounting in the Greater Boston area for BDO USA, LLP. He has experience providing audit and attest services for a variety of industries, including technology, manufacturing, transportation, and energy. He currently works closely with many privately held businesses in Western Mass. He received an MBA and a master’s degree in accounting from UMass Boston. He is a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Kara Graves

Kara Graves

• Graves is a licensed certified public accountant in Massachusetts and has been with MBK since 2011. She holds a bachelor of accountancy degree from Roger Williams University and a master of accountancy degree from Western New England University. She is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and CPAmerica and serves on the audit committee for the United Way of Hampshire County.

Matthew Nash

Matthew Nash

• Nash has been with MBK since 2011 and focuses on audit, review, and compilation engagements. He is a key leader on the commercial, not-for-profit audit, and pension engagement teams. He is presently a senior manager leading engagement teams on a day-to-day basis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Nichols College and an MBA from Elms College. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and has been a certified public accountant in Massachusetts for the past three years. He is also a board member and treasurer for Springfield School Volunteers, where he also serves on the investment and finance committee, as well as a Ronald McDonald House Golf Tournament committee member.

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Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. also recently welcomed Danny Krasin, Olivia Calcasola, Anthony Romei, and Samantha Calvao to the firm.

Olivia Calcasola

Olivia Calcasola

• Calcasola is an associate in the firm’s Taxation department. Prior to MBK, she worked for two years as a senior corporate tax associate for a Boston-based firm. She received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in accounting from UMass Amherst.

Danny Krasin

Danny Krasin

• Krasin joined the Accounting and Audit department at MBK. He started his career in private accounting and transitioned to public accounting in 2018. In his role as an associate, he will focus on a vast array of audit engagements, including not-for-profit, commercial, employee-benefit plans, and HUD. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from American International College and his master’s degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University.

Anthony Romei

• Romei joined the firm’s Accounting and Audit department. He began his career on public accounting in 2019, and will primarly focus on not-for-profits and HUD engagements. He received his bachelor’s and masters degrees in accounting from Elms College.

Samantha Calvao

Samantha Calvao

• Calvao joined the firm as a paraprofessional. She received her associate degree in accounting from Holyoke Community College and is a candidate to receive her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern New Hampshire this summer. She was also recently awarded the PwC LLP Scholarship by the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.

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Western New England University (WNE) President Robert Johnson announced the appointment of Kristine Goodwin as the university’s vice president of Student Affairs. Goodwin is charged with developing and maintaining an energized approach to cultivating an engaged student environment where learning, academic success, career readiness, and personal development are top priorities. She will oversee the university’s departments of Athletics, Career Education, Residence Life, Community Standards and Education, Student Involvement and Leadership Development, Inclusive Excellence, and the Center for Health and Wellness. Goodwin earned a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University and a master of education degree from UMass Lowell before graduating magna cum laude from the UMass School of Law in 2020. A senior executive in higher education for more than 20 years at multiple institutions, most recently having worked as an attorney and adjunct faculty member teaching ethics, Goodwin succeeds interim Vice President for Student Affairs Bryan Gross, who will return to his previous position as vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing.

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Mark Esposito

Mark Esposito

Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. announced Attorney Mark Esposito as a new shareholder in the firm. Esposito joined the firm in 2017 and has a wide-ranging, litigation-focused practice. He represents clients in general, commercial and probate litigation, labor and employment matters, administrative law, and criminal cases. He has counseled various public-sector labor unions and employees in collective bargaining, arbitration, and litigation, and represents clients in state and federal courts as well as before administrative agencies. A summa cum laude graduate of Boston University School of Law, Esposito was a member and note editor of the Boston University Law Review. Prior to law school, he graduated magna cum laude from Williams College, where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society.

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Vanessa Martínez

Vanessa Martínez

Holyoke Community College (HCC) Professor of Anthropology Vanessa Martínez is the recipient of the 2022 Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award from Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. Through academic work that focuses on storytelling, culturally responsive instruction, and cultural humility, Martínez invites diverse groups of students to learn about community-based organizations, advocate and fundraise for community needs based on engaged research, and think critically about the role they play in their communities. One example is the Women of Color Health Equity Collective, a Springfield-based nonprofit organization she co-founded that seeks to provide communities of color better access to maternal health, therapeutic services, and support. Through the collective, students learn about the social determinants of health and the role social inequality plays in health outcomes while researching community needs and developing advocacy plans to help create change. Martínez is also coordinator of HCC’s Honors Program and leads a new community leadership certificate program at the college to give students formal training to continue work at community organizations and take on leadership roles. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbus State University, a master’s degree from Georgia State University, and a PhD from UMass Amherst. In 2011, she received the Latino Teaching Excellence Award from then Gov. Deval Patrick, and in 2015 she was selected as a leadership fellow by the American Anthropological Assoc. In 2020, she received the Elaine Marieb Award for Teaching Excellence, HCC’s highest faculty honor. She has been teaching at HCC since 2006.

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The Springfield Museums announced that Emilie Czupryna has joined the staff as director of Development. She arrives in her new role ready to build a strong development team as the Museums focus on their new strategic plan, which includes the objective of long-term fiscal sustainability. She assistant director of External Affairs for Communication & Events, and was promoted to associate director of College Events. In 2017, she was selected for the position of assistant director of Development and in 2018 was promoted to associate director of Development. “I am thrilled to be working with such a wonderful team here at the Springfield Museums,” Czupryna said. “I look forward to enhancing the vision and strategic goals of the Museums through individual philanthropic support and corporate partnerships.”

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Brittany deRonde

Brittany deRonde

OMG Roofing Products, a leading manufacturer of fasteners, adhesives, and installation-productivity tools for the commercial roofing industry, named Brittany deRonde to the newly created position of Product Development chemist. In her new role, deRonde will work with the product managers and development team to address unmet market needs with innovative new adhesive and sealant solutions based on advanced engineering. She reports to Cecile Mejean, director of New Product Development & Innovation. She comes to OMG with significant technical experience. Most recently, she was with ProAmpac in Westfield, where she was a Product Development engineer. Earlier, she worked for Mondi Tekkote of Leonia, N.J. in various engineering and technical management positions supporting product-development efforts. She holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in polymer science and engineering, both from UMass Amherst, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Rutgers University.

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Ruth Banta

Ruth Banta

Pathlight’s executive director, Ruth Banta, announced her retirement after almost 20 years with the organization. Pathlight, established in 1952 and headquartered in Springfield, is a pioneer in services for children, teens, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the four counties of Western Mass. Banta came to Pathlight in 2003 and served 14 years as its chief financial officer and vice president of Administration. She was named executive director in 2016. In her tenure as executive director, she has led Pathlight through a period of growth, as well as steering it through the rocky waters of a global pandemic. Some of the highlights of her tenure as director include revenue growth of 14% and 22% growth in net assets, leaving Pathlight in a strong financial position. Under her leadership, Pathlight created the first program in this part of the state to serve an individual in a community residence who needed full-time ventilator support. Pathlight also acquired 13.5 acres of previously state-owned land to replace two antiquated community homes with three modern, five-bedroom homes for people with intellectual disabilities. The Milestones day program, located in Hadley, grew by 55%, while there was a 100% increase in adult services through Family Support and Autism Connections. Banta also supported the development of an innovative sexuality and relationship curriculum through Whole Selves. Most recently, she oversaw the purchase of a new building in Northampton to house programs in Hampshire County, including Whole Children, Milestones, and Family Empowerment. She also supported infrastructure developments for remote services and work, electronic health records, and online training.

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Jessica McGarry

Jessica McGarry

Country Bank announced that Jessica McGarry has been promoted to first vice president, team lead for its Commercial Lending division in the East. McGarry, who joined Country Bank in 2017, has more than 20 years of experience in financial services focused on commercial lending. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business from Nichols College, was a recipient of the Forty Under 40 designation in 2014 from Worcester Business Journal, and was a member of the Leadership Worcester class of 2015-16.

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Jonathan Van Beaver

Jonathan Van Beaver

The Diocese of Springfield hired Jonathan Van Beaver as the new director of Development. Van Beaver will be responsible for all diocesan fundraising efforts, including overseeing the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA), which funds ministries that help the elderly; mothers and families in crisis; the homeless; and youth. He will also oversee the Foundation Grants, which support Catholic schools, the Newman Catholic Center at UMass Amherst, and lay and social ministries. A graduate of Providence College and convert to Catholicism, Van Beaver most recently worked for Guidance in Giving, which provides fundraising services to Catholic dioceses and schools nationwide. He has worked with the Diocese of Providence, helping to raise more than $2 million. He also helped the Diocese of Worcester, raising $6 million during the pandemic. In addition to working with the diocese, Van Beaver will assist parishes.

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Cheryl Malandrinos

Cheryl Malandrinos

Cheryl Malandrinos was installed as the 2022 president of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV), a nonprofit trade association with more than 1,800 members. The installation of officers and directors was held on Jan. 14 at the RAPV headquarters and was also livestreamed on Facebook. Malandrinos started her professional real-estate career in 2014 and quickly became involved in RAPV. She has served on the board of directors for three consecutive years and has been involved in several committees. The RAPV named her Realtor of the Year in 2019. In addition to her association involvement, she devotes her time to other community-outreach programs such as Rick’s Place in Wilbraham, Christina’s House in Springfield, and as treasurer for WriteAngles Inc. The following individuals were installed as 2022 officers: Lori Beth Chase of LAER Realty Partners as president-elect, Arlene Castellano of Maria Acuna Real Estate as treasurer, Peter Ruffini of RE/MAX Connections as secretary, and Elias Acuna of Maria Acuna Real Estate as immediate past president. Directors include Shawn Bowman of Trademark Real Estate, Brenda Cuoco of Brenda Cuoco & Associates, Peter Davies of Borawski Real Estate, Janise Fitzpatrick of Jones Group Realtors, Luci Giguere of Landmark Realtors, Sharyn Jones of Executive Real Estate, Michelle Stegall of Property One, and Clinton Stone of Property One.

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John Anz

The Loomis Communities announced that John Anz, former director of Development and interim executive director for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO), has joined Loomis as director of Development and Community Engagement. He will be responsible for fund development and outreach to the three Loomis-affiliated senior-living communities: Applewood in Amherst, Loomis Village in South Hadley, and Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing in Springfield. Anz joined the SSO as Development director in 2019 and served as interim executive director of the organization from April through December 2021. He has a 20-year career in development that includes independent schools, the YMCA, and music and the arts. Prior to joining the SSO, he worked as director of Development at Berkshire Hills Music Academy in South Hadley.

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

Kevin J. O’Neil, chairman of the board of directors of Greenfield Cooperative Bank (GCB) and its Northampton Cooperative Bank division, announced the promotion of Anthony Worden to chief executive officer. Last year, Worden took over as president of GCB, following the planned retirement announcement of former President and CEO Michael Tucker. Worden’s promotion to CEO culminates a transitionary year and overall succession plan put in place by the board of the bank. Worden is a director, executive committee member, and former chair of the governance committee for the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region; a former director of the Franklin County Community Development Corp.; and a former director of Berkshire Brewing Co. of South Deerfield. He received his bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and his MBA is from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, and he is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Paul Lambert

Paul Lambert

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) board announced the hiring of Paul Lambert, former vice president of Enshrinement Services & Community Engagement at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as interim executive director of the SSO. Lambert succeeds interim Executive Director John Anz, who left the SSO to take a position at another organization. Lambert will start in the position immediately. Lambert’s professional experience includes nearly 20 years with the Basketball Hall of Fame, initially as vice president of Guest Experience and Programming, and more recently as vice president of Enshrinement Services & Community Engagement. Prior to the Hall of Fame, Lambert served as director of Event Production for the NBA, working on the development and execution of live programming, grassroots initiatives, and international events, including the NBA Jam Session program, numerous All-Star Games, successfully staged events in Canada and Mexico, and numerous initiatives and events throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia. Before working in the basketball industry, Lambert enjoyed a career in professional theater, including his roles as general manager of the Cape Playhouse in Dennis for seven years and as executive director of the Westport (Conn.) Country Playhouse. He also served as a production stage manager for many years. Lambert serves on a number of local boards and community organizations, including the National Conference for Community and Justice; former board chair of New England Public Media; the Loomis Communities; and the boards of the Cape Cod Center for the Arts, the South Hadley Cultural Council, Longmeadow UNICO, and the Springfield Rotary. He is a graduate of Boston College, cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in English and theater.

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Greg LaCasse

Greg LaCasse

Whittlesey announced the promotion of Greg LaCasse, CPA to director, effective immediately. LaCasse joined the firm in 2017 and has more than 25 years of experience in public and private accounting, including Big 4 experience and four years in the private sector, serving as the chief financial officer for an international retail and consumer goods IT consulting firm. LaCasse is an active member of Whittlesey’s real-estate, construction, and manufacturing niche and specializes in providing tax and advisory services to both businesses and individuals with a focus working with clients in the professional-service, real-estate, retail, wholesale, construction, and manufacturing and distribution industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Central Connecticut State University and a master’s degree in taxation from the University of Hartford. He also pursues continuing professional education in taxation and business-advisory services. He is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.

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Alexander Cerbo

Alexander Cerbo

The Royal Law Firm recently welcomed attorney Alexander Cerbo to its team. Cerbo received his bachelor’s degree from Assumption College and his juris doctor from Western New England University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the state of Massachusetts. Prior to joining the Royal Law Firm, he worked at Rhode Island Legal Services (RILS), a nonprofit legal-aid organization dedicated to providing high-quality legal representation to low-income individuals. As their rent-relief specialist, he assisted more than 60 indigent tenants and their families secure more than a half-million dollars in federal funding to pay rental arrears as a result of financial hardship experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before his time at RILS, Cerbo served as a law clerk to Judge Robert Fields of the Western Massachusetts Division Housing Court. The Royal Law Firm is a boutique, corporation-side-only law firm operating throughout New England.

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Following a rigorous national search, the New England Public Media (NEPM) board of directors selected Matt Abramovitz as the new president of NEPM, starting Feb. 1. Abramovitz joins NEPM from New York Public Radio, where he is currently serving as vice president of Programming for WQXR, one of the nation’s leading classical-music stations. During his tenure, he developed new digital content, diversified programming, and established innovative partnerships, including a collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera that produced the critically acclaimed podcast “Aria Code.” He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received his master’s degree from Cornell University.

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The Children’s Museum at Holyoke celebrated 40 years of growth and service earlier this year, and hopes to accelerate its success with the appointment of new Executive Director

Jenny Powers

Jenny Powers

. She succeeds Susan Kelley, who retired earlier this year. Powers’s background includes work in public school and museums, as well as a long history of volunteering with Girl Scouts in Holyoke. The Children’s Museum at Holyoke was founded in 1981 by the Junior League and was incorporated in 1984. It exists to ensure that any child who is interested can take advantage of the educational and cultural programming. Powers hopes to build on this legacy and to increase community partnerships and bring the museum outside of its four walls into the community.

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People on the Move

Kevin DeRosa

Greenfield Savings Bank (GSB) announced the hiring of Kevin DeRosa as vice president for its Retail Distribution Network. He will be responsible for overseeing the retail operations of all GSB offices and the bank’s contact center, which includes teller and customer service in the lobbies, the call center, and the teller services offered through the bank’s network of Teller Connect ATMs, which provide GSB teller service via video. DeRosa earned a bachelor’s degree in business finance and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire. He graduated from the CUNA Management School as a certified credit union executive and has also earned the designation of credit union compliance expert. He has recently received a National Excellence Award from the Credit Union National Assoc. for developing a solutions-based sales program. He is also an adjunct professor at Vermont State Colleges and at the Community College System of New Hampshire, where he has taught since 2014. He is very active volunteering in the Claremont, N.H. area at Riverstone Church and has been a past board member and treasurer of the Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce. He is also a past member of the Norwich, Vt. Business Council.

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Collins Electric announced a change in leadership, with Larry Eagan taking the reins as company president and CEO, Patrick Egan assuming the role of vice president of Finance, and Andrew Collins, the son of the company’s recently retired co-president, assuming the role of vice president of Operations and beginning the fifth generation of family company ownership. Established in 1906, Collins Electric serves commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities across Western Mass. Eagan was co-president with Joseph Collins until Collins’ retirement in late 2020. Eagan has been with the company for more than 30 years, representing the fourth generation of family ownership. He and Joseph are the great-grandsons of the company co-founder, Timothy Collins. Another great-grandson, Egan, joined the company in 2019, previously serving as the CFO and COO of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Andrew Collins first joined Collins Electric in 2011. He is a graduate of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 7 apprenticeship program and Johnson & Wales University. He has been working as an estimator and project manager for the company for the last several years. He is a great-great-grandson of Timothy Collins.

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Sue Drumm

April Healey

The Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV) announced its annual award winners at the association’s Holiday Celebration meeting on Dec. 8 at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel. The Realtor of the Year is Sue Drumm of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. The Affiliate of the Year is April Healey of Norcom Mortgage. The Realtor of the Year Award is the highest form of recognition the association can bestow on a Realtor member. It is given to a member based on association activity, community activity outside the association, and business activity. A Realtor since 2009, Drumm has served on the RAPV board of directors since 2013. She has also served on the community service, education fair and expo, finance, government affairs, and member engagement committees. Drumm has given back to the community through her active involvement with the community service committee, including conducting toy drives and assisting with the Shriners Hospitals for Children blanket drive to benefit the committee’s effort. She has also coordinated RAPV new-member orientation and participated in the Mayoral Minute with Agawam Mayor William Sapelli. The Affiliate of the Year Award is the highest form of recognition the association can bestow on an affiliate member. It is given based on affiliate membership activities related to the association, community service in activities outside the association, and business activity. A member of RAPV since 2002, Healey is the loan officer at Norcom Mortgage and has served on the community service and affiliate-Realtor committees. She has demonstrated a tremendous amount of support to the association and community outreach and volunteered in RAPV’s community-service efforts by helping and taking the lead in serving neighbors in the Franklin County Community Meals Program and getting involved with her local Rotary Club. She has also conducted financial-management workshops for teens and single moms in Franklin County.

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The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) board announced that interim Executive Director John Anz, who formerly served as Development director, will be accepting another position outside of the SSO. Concurrently, the board has begun the process of identifying and hiring a new interim leader for the organization. The SSO management committee will serve as the committee to conduct the search process. Anz said the announcement about his new position will be shared at a later date in order to allow the hiring organization to inform internal staff and related constituencies. “It has been my great pleasure and privilege to be a part of this important cultural partner in our community these past few years,” he said. “Despite the many recent challenges we have faced, I have complete confidence in the current leadership of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. I look forward to the SSO’s triumphant return to the concert stage and continuing to be a patron and supporter now and in the years to come.”

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The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) announced the promotion of Colleen Kucinski to director of Education Impact and Partnerships, and the appointments of Meredith Lewis as director of Community Impact and Partnerships and Bandhana Sinha as business analyst. Kucinski, who celebrated her sixth anniversary at CFWM in September, will now direct post-secondary programs, Western Mass Completes, and other initiatives, including a forthcoming focus on supporting a strong start for all children. Prior to administering CFWM’s $2 million scholarship and interest-free loan program as a senior program officer at the foundation, Kucinski spent more than 20 years working directly with students at area colleges, including Greenfield Community College, where she served as director of Career Services and later as director of Admission. She earned a master of education degree at Springfield College. In her new role, Lewis has oversight of all aspects of community investments, including the design, implementation, and monitoring of grant-making activities to direct the foundation’s community-impact goals. She previously served as director of Content, Education, and Family Experience for PJ Library, a global literacy program, as well as in a variety of roles, including managing editor and chief operating officer, at 70 Faces Media. She received her master of public administration degree and a master’s degree in Hebrew and Judaic studies from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. In a newly developed position, Sinha is responsible for leveraging technology and data to drive productivity and innovation. In recent work, she served as an IT business analyst for Equinix and a business initiatives consultant for Wells Fargo in the San Francisco Bay area. Sinha received her post-graduate diploma in management from New Delhi Institute of Management and her bachelor’s degree in business management from Bangalore University.

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Zhaojun ‘Steven’ Li of the Western New England University (WNE) College of Engineering has been elected to serve as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Reliability Society’s 2022 president. Li is an associate professor with the Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management at WNE. He currently serves on the editorial board for IEEE Transactions on Reliability and is the lead editor of IEEE Access Reliability Society Section. He served as the vice president for publications of the IEEE Reliability Society in 2019 and has been the treasurer since 2020. He also served as a board member of the IISE Quality Control and Reliability Engineering Division. He is an ASQ-certified reliability engineer and Caterpillar Six Sigma Black Belt. His research interests include data analytics, applied statistics, operations research, and reliability engineering. He is a senior member of IEEE and IISE. Li was named Engineer of the Year by IEEE Reliability Society in 2020. He received his PhD in industrial engineering from the University of Washington. Established in 1884, the IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. The IEEE Reliability Society promotes recognition of the reliability profession, develops and disseminates reliability best practices, and is a resource for collaboration among reliability professionals.

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Care Coordinate, a statewide network that provides access to high-quality and cost-effective home- and community-based services, of which LifePath is a partner, named Sean Rogers its managing director. A senior-level executive with extensive home-care and community-based experience, Rogers most recently served as vice president of Strategy and Development at Amedisys, a leading provider of in-home healthcare for older adults. Additionally, he has held state government leadership positions at the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, where he served as director of Operations, and with the Department of Mental Health as director of Budget and Core Services for the metro-suburban region. In this new position, Rogers will leverage the strength of Care Coordinate’s network of aging-services access points (ASAPs) to offer a single, statewide entity for insurance plans, accountable-care organizations, and other providers and payers to manage and administer long-term services and supports that drive quality care and improved outcomes for its partners. Services offered include in-home case management, care transitions, provider-network management, third-party billing and claim operations, and consultative solutions. Rogers received his education and training in human-resource management, financial systems, administration, and leadership from the U.S. Coast Guard. He is currently on the board of directors of the Home Care Aide Council and serves as president of the board of the Home Care Aide Foundation.

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Valley Community Development announced Alexis Breiteneicher has been named executive director. She comes to Valley after almost eight years at Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), where she served as director of Development. Before that, she was the Development manager for the Trustees of Reservations and worked for the Melville Charitable Trust in Boston. She also has considerable experience working with nonprofit organizations that support low-income communities, with an emphasis on finding solutions to homelessness. Board President Peter Jessop had been serving as interim executive director prior to Breiteneicher’s hire.

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HCC Foundation Inc., the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College, has added four new members to its board of directors, including three alumni. Wendy Fox (’16) is director of Curriculum Development for Onramp Invest, a crypto-asset management company. A graduate of HCC and the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, Fox worked with the UMass Foundation board and UMass alumni board as an administrative fellow for corporate engagement at the university. Maura Greaney (’93) is director of Philanthropy, Development Communications, and Special Events for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Greaney has an extensive background in nonprofit fundraising, grant writing, event planning, and development. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College and a master’s degree from UMass Boston. Erin Godfrey is director of Odyssey House, a program of Viability, a Holyoke nonprofit that supports individuals with disabilities and other societal advantages. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College whose husband, Chris Godfrey, attended HCC through the support of the college’s veterans programs, and both were involved with the HCC Military Club while he was a student. Camille Theriaque (’12) is a licensed clinical social worker with MiraVista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke. As a student at HCC searching for a second career, Theriaque, a retired Holyoke firefighter, received a 29 Who Shine award from the state Department of Higher Education as well as a prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Mount Holyoke College and a master’s degree at Smith College.

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Darlene Rodowicz

Darlene Rodowicz

The Berkshire Health Systems board of trustees announced that a leadership transition will take place at BHS early in the new year. David Phelps, president and CEO, announced that he will leave BHS in early 2022, concluding a 31-year career of service to the local community, with 28 as the system’s chief executive. The 20-member board unanimously voted to appoint Darlene Rodowicz as the next president and CEO. Bart Raser, chair of the board, highlighted key successes from Phelps’s distinguished career as CEO, including rehabilitating the financial resources of the once-troubled health system, implementing substantial technological and facility improvements such as the Crane Center for Ambulatory Surgery and the BMC Cancer Center, building BHS’s affiliated long-term-care company, developing important clinical partnerships like Berkshire Medical Center’s membership in the Dana-Farber Cancer Care Collaborative, and cultivating important relationships with local and state leaders that elevated the status and reputation of Berkshire Health Systems across the Commonwealth. Raser also praised Rodowicz as a strong leader with more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, a deep knowledge of the Berkshire community, and a sterling reputation among government leaders and healthcare colleagues across the Commonwealth. He particularly highlighted her leadership in orchestrating BHS’s successful pandemic response over the past two years. Rodowicz joined BHS in 1984 and served in various positions of increasing responsibility, including as chief financial officer from 2005 to 2020, when she was appointed executive vice president. She holds an MBA from Western New England College and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from UMass Amherst.

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Tyler Humphrey

Tyler Humphrey

Viktoriia Protsyk

Viktoriia Protsyk

Troy Tanzer

Troy Tanzer

Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that Tyler Humphrey, Viktoriia Protsyk, and Troy Tanzer have joined the firm as associate attorneys. Humphrey is a member of Bacon Wilson’s business, corporate, and finance team. He has significant experience in business matters, including real-estate transactions, business formations, and dispute resolution. He has been practicing law for seven years, having earned his juris doctor degree cum laude from Suffolk University Law School in 2015, and a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State College in 2012. He was named to the Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch list for 2021-22 in the area of banking and finance law. Protsyk is a member of Bacon Wilson’s estate planning and probate team. She is licensed to practice in both Massachusetts and Connecticut, and will sit for the Florida bar exam in February 2022. Fluent in both Russian and Ukrainian, she received her juris doctor degree cum laude in 2021 from Western New England University School of Law, and earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Central Connecticut State University in 2018. Tanzer is a member of Bacon Wilson’s land use, zoning, and development team. He earned his juris doctor degree in 2021 from Western New England University (WNE) School of Law, having also earned an MBA the same year from WNE. He received his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from WNE in 2017. He volunteers his time to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance clinic in Springfield, providing assistance with tax-return preparation and electronic filing. He works primarily from Bacon Wilson’s Amherst location.

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Henry “Joe” Long Jr.

Henry “Joe” Long Jr.

American International College announced that Henry “Joe” Long Jr. joined AIC as associate vice president for Institutional Advancement on Nov. 29. Long will oversee all development operations, including major gifts, planned giving, annual giving, grants, advancement services, and constituent records. With more than 20 years of experience in fundraising, team building, and securing major and planned gifts, he comes to AIC from UMass Amherst, where he served as the executive director of Development for Libraries. At UMass Amherst, he partnered with a dedicated staff to enhance philanthropic support for all three library locations and strengthen donor stewardship and communication. Prior to UMass, Long worked at Springfield College for more than a decade with success in major giving, athletics development, and parent giving. Additionally, he has held numerous advancement leadership roles at Plymouth State University, including alumni director and interim director of advancement. Long served as a member of the board of directors for the Council of Advancement and Support of Education, District I, from 2009 to 2016, and currently serves on the African American Development Officers (AADO) network and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Diverse Philanthropy and Leadership Conference committee. His wife, Moira Long, is the head women’s volleyball coach at Springfield College.

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Douglas Scanlon

Douglas Scanlon

Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Douglas Scanlon to the college’s Institutional Advancement team as its first development and external communications coordinator. Scanlon comes to HCC after serving for seven years as communications specialist in the Development office at Springfield College. Before that, he worked as assistant director of Institutional Marketing for Elms College in Chicopee. At HCC, he will be responsible for creating print, digital, and event-related messaging to support donor engagement, community engagement, and fundraising. He started on Nov. 29. Scanlon holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from St. Bonaventure University in New York.

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Rosey Mazza

Rosey Mazza

LUSO Federal Credit Union recently announced the appointment of Rosey Mazza as vice president of Lending, as well as the promotions of Wilbraham staff members Timothy Tracy and Stephen Lopes to branch manager and assistant branch manager, respectively. Mazza has close to 20 years of retail banking experience and previously served as LUSO’s Lending department manager for more than 14 years. As the newly appointed vice president of Lending, she will oversee the planning, directing, and organizing of the strategic and operational activities of LUSO’s retail and commercial lending programs. LUSO also promoted two Wilbraham-based member service representatives. Tracy has served the community as a senior member service representative at the Crane Park branch for the last four years. As branch manager, he will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the branch with Lopes’ assistance. Lopes began his career with LUSO in 2017 as a member service representative at the main branch and transitioned to the Crane Park location in 2020 as the head teller.

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Steve Herrell, founder of Steve’s Ice Cream in Somerville and Herrell’s Ice Cream in Northampton, announced the release of his new book, Ice Cream and Me. The book is somewhat biographical and contains stories from his 41 years as an innovator in the ice-cream industry. It is illustrated by local artist Allie Martineau. Herrell started ice-cream making at his business, Steve’s Ice Cream, in 1973, offering a creamy and dense ice cream and originating the mix-in. He created such notable flavors as Cookies ‘n’ Cream and Heath Bar Crunch. These innovations revolutionized the ice-cream industry. Ice Cream and Me is available at Broadside Books, A2Z Science and Nature, and Booklink Booksellers, all in Northampton; Amherst Books in Amherst; Odyssey Bookstore in South Hadley; and on Amazon.

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Yamilca Nogué

Yamilca Nogué

The Children’s Study Home (CSH) announced that Yamilca Nogué has been named the new director of Community Relations and Development. She joins the CSH senior leadership team and will work closely with the Executive Director and CEO William Dávila. Nogué brings more than a decade of experience in nonprofit and human services. Prior to joining the Children’s Study Home, she worked as a fundraising event coordinator for a large Western Mass. program and during that time also supervised its homefinding team, recruiting foster homes. She has a passion for working with and advocating for children. In addition to her professional experience, she has remained actively involved in her community and serves as a volunteer for the WNBA Her Time to Play program. Nogué is the first woman of color and first Latina to hold this position. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in counseling foundations and her MBA at Bay Path University. She is also a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts.

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Mary Cate Mannion

Mary Cate Mannion

Willie Ross School for the Deaf (WRSD) announced that Mary Cate Mannion has joined the school’s board of trustees. Mannion works for Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi) and is a former news anchor and reporter for Western Mass News. Mannion said her hard-of-hearing sister is part of the inspiration behind her joining the school’s board of trustees. Her sister underwent surgeries and gained more language access through hearing aids and the use of American Sign Language (ASL), and is now an educator at a school for the deaf and hard of hearing on the West Coast. Mannion is a public relations analyst and video producer with eight years of storytelling experience. She previously worked as a news reporter for WMTW-TV in the Portland, Maine area, and prior to that was at Western Mass News. She earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Emerson College.

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Mary Akers

Mary Akers

The board of directors of Work Opportunity Center Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities obtain employment in the community and promoting social inclusion, has appointed Mary Akers as its new executive director. Akers replaces long-term Executive Director Robert MacDonald, who retired after 40 years. Following a 15-year career at American International College, where she served as associate athletic director and senior woman administrator, Akers joined Work Opportunity Center as its first assistant executive director in February 2015. She has held the position of interim executive director since January 2021. Akers holds an associate degree in business management from Elizabethtown Community College, and she received both her bachelor’s degree in business and MBA from American International College.

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Carolyne Hannan

Carolyne Hannan

Comcast has named Carolyne Hannan senior vice president of the company’s Western New England Region, leading a team serving more than 300 communities across Connecticut, Western Mass., Vermont, Western New Hampshire, and New York. In this role, Hannan is the top executive responsible for all aspects of the business, including customer experience, sales, marketing, operations, and financial performance. Hannan, who has held a series of progressively more senior management positions at Comcast over the past 17 years, returns to the Western New England Region, where she previously served as vice president of Sales and Marketing from 2008 to 2010. In her most recent role, Hannan served as vice president of Sales & Marketing for Comcast’s Freedom Region, which serves customers across Greater Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Northern Delaware.

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United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region has added four new members to its staff team, allowing it to enhance its work with partner organizations, donors, and general operations. The new hires will augment the organization with their combined experience in leadership, education, marketing, donor relations, database management, and accounting. They are all eager to be part of a nonprofit that impacts the community in a positive way. Jenny Coeur will serve as United Way’s program coordinator, Jenna Farrell as donor relations manager, Jennifer Nhong as database assistant, and Cathy Zimmerman as the organization’s bookkeeper. Coeur, who began her work at United Way in mid-July, was previously a teacher and Math Department chair at Applewild School in Fitchburg. She has 13 years of experience in public and independent education as a community-focused teacher, program developer and coordinator, and department chair. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Hampshire College and a master of education degree from UMass Amherst. Farrell took on her role as donor relations manager in mid-September and will apply the experience she gained in the nonprofit world at UMass Amherst and skills she honed while working at for-profits in marketing and event management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western New England University. Nhong started in her new role in early October and will help manage United Way’s database. She worked for 13 years at MicroTek, a nonprofit cable manufacturing company in Chicopee, in production, quality, and planning and management. Zimmerman has worked as an accountant for Temp-Pro, Argotec, Sisters of Providence, and Holyoke Medical Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Elms College. She began her new role in early October.

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Catherine Rioux

Catherine Rioux

Monson Savings Bank announced the recent promotion of Catherine Rioux to commercial portfolio officer. She will be based out of the Monson Savings Bank Loan & Operations Center at 75 Post Office Park in Wilbraham. Rioux is very involved in the local communities. She is a member of the Ludlow Rotary Club and the Monson High School scholarship committee, and volunteers with local organizations, including St. Patrick’s Church and I Found Light Against All Odds. She is a graduate of Western New England University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She is also a graduate of the New England School of Financial Studies and the Springfield Regional Chamber Leadership Institute. Rioux has had the unique opportunity of working in many departments of the bank, gaining vast knowledge of the industry. In 2006, she started her career with Monson Savings Bank as a high-school intern in the Human Resources department. When her internship ended, she accepted a position as a receptionist, shortly after moving to the Retail department. In 2013, she joined the Residential Lending department as a residential loan servicer. In early 2015, she accepted a position in the Commercial department as a commercial loan servicer. She thrived in this department and would go on to become a junior credit analyst before being promoted to credit analyst. Prior to this most recent promotion, she served as commercial portfolio manager.

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Matt Eddy

Matt Eddy

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union recently introduced the newest leader of its Northampton VA Medical Center branch, Matt Eddy. Eddy began his career at UMassFive three years ago as a member service specialist at the credit union’s King Street, Northampton branch, where his standards for outstanding service quickly created a rapport among the Northampton membership and built the foundation for his promotion to manager of the Northampton VA Medical Center branch. In his new position, he now oversees the day-to-day operations of the Northampton VA Medical Center branch, including leading a team that cultivates a positive banking experience with each member interaction. He is also in charge of maintaining branch compliance.

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Lachlan Harris

Lachlan Harris

Florence Bank promoted Lachlan Harris to the position of information security administration officer. Harris joined Florence Bank in 2016. Prior to his recent promotion, he had served as the information and cybersecurity administrator. In his new role, he will be responsible for security protocols throughout the bank’s information infrastructure. He is a certified information systems security professional and also a member of the Global Information Assurance Certification Advisory Board.

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Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts (JFS) announced the appointment of Gabriela Sheehan as its new Berkshires resettlement coordinator. Sheehan comes to JFS with master’s degree in career and technical education from Northern Arizona University, and more than 10 years of experience teaching in the Pittsfield public-school system. In addition, she served on the United Educator of Pittsfield board for two years, and recently taught ESL to multilingual students in grades 5-8 at Du Bois Middle School. She will join JFS’ New American Program to facilitate the reception and placement of Afghan evacuees in Berkshire County, including coordinating with legal, housing, education, government, advocacy, and social-service agencies and businesses to advance opportunities for refugees to survive, integrate, and thrive in Berkshire County. She will also work closely with volunteer leaders and organizations taking part in resettlement efforts. She will begin her new position on Dec. 6. Sheehan credits growing up in a multi-lingual, bicultural home, and her late father, Ramiro Guerrero, who was a champion for justice for the Latino community in the Berkshires, for giving her the incentive to become a strong advocate for immigrant families. She looks forward to sharing her passion for cultural diversity with the greater community.

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Cecile Mejean

Cecile Mejean

OMG Inc., a Steel Partners company and a leading manufacturer of fasteners, adhesives, and construction-productivity tools marketed through its FastenMaster and Roofing Products divisions, named Cecile Mejean director of the New Product Development & Innovation Department for its OMG Roofing Products division. She will lead the new-product development team, driving product and application innovation for the division. In addition, she will lead the Technical Services organization in delivering technical product support and managing codes and approvals. She reports to Peter Coyne, senior vice president and general manager. Mejean joins OMG Roofing Products from Saint-Gobain High-Performance Materials. She spent the past nine years in research and development and business-leadership roles, most recently as business manager for the electronic market. Before Saint-Gobain, she held research positions at Yale University Medical School and Harvard University. She holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and materials science from Yale University and master’s degrees in soft matter, colloids, and polymers from the University of Bordeaux and in chemical engineering from the Ecole National Superieure de Physique et Chimie de Bordeaux, both in Bordeaux, France.

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Mike Kelly

Smith Brothers Insurance hired Mike Kelly as private client practice leader. He is responsible for private-client growth initiatives, client service, and enhancing the company’s people-focused culture. Kelly brings 15 years of experience in the insurance industry on the agent, broker, and carrier sides, with key leadership roles in high-net-worth personal lines. Most recently, he was vice president, regional executive for PURE Insurance, a carrier that specializes in financially successful families.

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Dr. Simone Alter-Muri

Dr. Simone Alter-Muri, Springfield College’s director and professor for Art Therapy/Counseling and Art Education Programs, recently received the American Art Therapy Assoc. (AATA) 2021 Outstanding Creative Applied Practice Award (OCAPA). Alter-Muri received her honor during the AATA’s recent 2021 virtual awards ceremony. The criteria for this award included personal art making that emphasized social justice, resilience, and the promotion of art therapy in the community. Alter-Muri’s art making has demonstrated a commitment to creative practice and has significantly influenced the art-therapy community with these art-based practices. She has demonstrated support for the value of art in art therapy as evidenced by both personal and professional practice as an artist and art therapist. The OCAPA is designated for an active member of the AATA whose contributions as an artist and art therapist (or student in a current art-therapy program) have significantly influenced the art-therapy profession. The AATA is dedicated to the growth and development of the art-therapy profession. Founded in 1969, the association is one of the world’s leading art-therapy membership organizations. Its mission is to advance art therapy as a regulated mental-health profession and build a community that supports art therapists throughout their careers.

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Diane Brunelle

Diane Brunelle

Dennis Duquette

Dennis Duquette

Mark O’Connell

Mark O’Connell

The Elms College board of trustees appointed three regional leaders — Diane Brunelle, Dennis Duquette, and Mark O’Connell — to serve on the board. Brunelle, a 1984 alumna, is president of the Elms College Alumni Assoc. and has been a member of the association since 2012. She is a retired nurse executive who has more than 30 years of experience serving in leadership positions at acute healthcare facilities in both Massachusetts and Vermont, including Shriners Hospital for Children, Baystate Health, Holyoke Medical Center, and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. She has served on numerous boards throughout her career and was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Elms in 2013. Brunelle was a member of the college’s first RN-to-BSN class. She also received her master’s degree in nursing administration from the University of Massachusetts and is a graduate of the Wharton Nursing Leaders Program through the Wharton School and Leonard David School of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Duquette is head of Community Responsibility for MassMutual in Springfield and president and CEO of the MassMutual Foundation. He and his team are responsible for setting corporate community-relations strategy development and driving community investments, philanthropy, and community-impact program management for the firm nationally. Duquette has worked in financial services for 40 years; he began his career at MassMutual just out of college and then worked for Fidelity Investments in Boston for 27 years. He returned to MassMutual in his current role in 2016. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College, graduating cum laude with a double major in communications and English. He earned a master’s degree in administrative studies, also from Boston College, and later earned a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern University. He currently serves on the board of directors at the Jump$tart Coalition in Washington, D.C. as well as the community and government relations committee for the Springfield Museums. O’Connell is a principal in Wolf & Company’s assurance group and is the firm’s president and CEO, responsible for leading Wolf’s overall strategic direction. He has more than 40 years of experience providing audit and financial reporting services to both privately held and publicly traded financial institutions, as well as holding companies (including community banks and mortgage banking institutions) across New England. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western New England University and is a former board member and board president with the Children’s Study Home in Springfield.

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Marylou Fabbo

Marylou Fabbo

Timothy Murphy

Timothy Murphy

Amelia Holstrom

Amelia Holstrom

Meaghan Murphy

Meaghan Murphy

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced that two of its attorneys, Marylou Fabbo and Timothy Murphy, have been selected to the 2021 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list in the field of employment and labor law. Additionally, attorneys Amelia Holstrom and Meaghan Murphy were named to the 2021 Massachusetts Rising Stars list. Fabbo has been selected to Super Lawyers 11 times and was twice prior named to the Rising Stars list. A partner and head of the firm’s litigation team, she represents employers in litigation before state and federal courts as well as agencies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. She also has more than 25 years of experience providing legal advice to clients to reduce the risk they will unknowingly engage in illegal employment practices. Murphy was selected to Super Lawyers for the third time after twice being named to the Rising Stars list. Focusing his practice on labor relations, union campaigns, collective bargaining and arbitration, employment litigation, and employment counseling, he has been included in The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2013 and was named Lawyer of the Year in 2015, 2019, 2020, and 2021. He is very active within the local community, sitting on boards of directors for several area organizations, including the Human Service Forum and Community Legal Aid. Holstrom and Murphy have both been selected to the Massachusetts Rising Stars list for the fourth time. Massachusetts Rising Stars recognizes no more than 2.5% of the lawyers in the state. Holstrom defends employers against claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful termination, as well as actions arising under the Family Medical Leave Act and wage-and-hour laws. She also frequently provides counsel to management regarding litigation-avoidance strategies. She was awarded the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. Community Service Award in 2016, and was named in 2017 as an Up & Coming Lawyer by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly at its Excellence in the Law event. Murphy advises clients regarding all employment-related matters, including compliance with state, federal, and local laws, as well as discipline of employees. She also creates workplace policies for clients and represents them in various forums, including at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, government agencies, and in state and federal court.

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Antonio Dos Santos

Antonio Dos Santos

Crear, Chadwell, Dos Santos & Devlin, P.C. announced that Partner Antonio Dos Santos was selected to the 2021 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list in the field of real estate. Dos Santos focuses his practice on all facets of commercial real estate, commercial finance, and general business law. He has significant experience representing developers, investors, and lenders regarding complex commercial real-estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, financing, zoning, and permitting. Additionally, he represents many closely held businesses regarding entity formation, succession planning, mergers and acquisitions, and financing. Active in the community, Dos Santos currently serves as general counsel for a local nonprofit organization, providing advice for all its day-to-day operations, including its development of affordable housing in Massachusetts and throughout the U.S. He also currently serves as chairman of the Westmass Area Development Corp. board of directors.

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Nancy Creed

Nancy Creed

After more than a decade serving the Springfield Regional Chamber (SRC) and overseeing the region’s economic growth, Nancy Creed is stepping down from her position as chamber president to help care for her elderly mother. Creed served as the president of SRC since 2016, and as vice president of Marketing and Communications for five years prior to her appointment as president. She successfully navigated the chamber through several challenges, the most recent being the COVID-19 pandemic. During Creed’s tenure, she repositioned the chamber as a regional organization for businesses in Western Mass., creating a channel for the voices of the Pioneer Valley to be heard by key stakeholders in the eastern part of the Commonwealth. Creed developed a successful future for SRC by establishing educational programming for businesses and dynamic networking opportunities for professionals, engaging members across all industries, creating a minority business council to better support the growing business sector, and issuing informative legislative updates for the community that are now pillars of the chamber’s mission and will continue after her departure. To ensure an orderly transition, Creed will remain president until either a successor is appointed by the chamber’s board of directors, or no later than April 21, 2022. The board has engaged a search committee and recruiter to find the best candidate to serve as the next president of the Springfield Regional Chamber.

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Teressa Bezenar

Teressa Bezenar

Garrett Kelly

Garrett Kelly

Melanson announced the hiring of two of its newest managers, Teressa Bezenar, CPA, CFE, and Garrett Kelly, CPA. Bezenar has been in the accounting profession for more than two decades and recently joined Melanson’s Commercial Services team. Her focus is in taxation for individuals, corporations, flow-through entities, and estates, and she has extensive knowledge in construction and real-estate businesses. She received a master’s degree in accounting and a graduate certificate in forensic accounting at Southern New Hampshire University in 2017 and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Metropolitan State University in 1998. She earned her CPA licensure in Minnesota in 2002 and Missouri in 2020. In 2018, she became a certified fraud examiner. She holds memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Minnesota Society of Certied Public Accountants, the National Society of Leadership and Success, and Delta Mu Delta. She spends some of her spare time volunteering with the American Legion Auxiliary, American Legion Riders, Minnesota Patriot Guard, and Knots of Love. Kelly has been a tax accountant for more than five years and has joined Melanson’s Commercial Services team in Merrimack, N.H. He provides tax planning, compliance, and prep for high net-worth individuals and a variety of businesses. His other areas of focus include bank taxation, real estate, and flow-through entities. He received his master of taxation degree at Baylor University in 2016 and a bachelor of business administration degree, accounting in 2015. In 2018 he received his CPA licensure. He is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Before his recent move to New Hampshire, he enjoyed working with and volunteering his time as a youth leader at his church.

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Alicia Valentine

Alicia Valentine

Florence Bank promoted Alicia Valentine to the position of assistant vice president and cash-management relationship officer. She brings 15 years of banking knowledge to her new position. In this role, she will provide support to the bank’s commercial customer base by utilizing her in-depth knowledge of cash-management products and services while proactively developing existing relationships and new business opportunities. During her tenure at the bank, Valentine has been the recipient of the President’s Award, which is given to employees who demonstrate superior levels of performance, customer service, and overall contribution to the bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Assumption College. She is also an active member of her community, serving as a board member for Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts.

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W.D. Cowls Inc. recently welcomed Arthur Haskins as director of Real Estate and Community Development. With a career spanning more than two decades, Haskins has worked on all facets of real estate and community building. He has overseen the completion of numerous mixed-use, commercial, and residential developments in New England and has a strong understanding of real-estate development, with expertise in new-construction management, affordable housing, residential brokerage, land sales, permitting, homeowner associations, property management, and conservation land trusts. Most recently, for Beacon Communities, Haskins managed North Square’s residential development, construction, completion, and 100% lease-up of 130 new residential units, which include one-, two-, and three-bedroom affordable apartments for households both 50% and 30% below area median income. His initial efforts in Amherst were related to developing a residential community on the campus of Hampshire College, marketing and completing all initial pre-sales related to Hampshire’s cultural-village concept for Veridian Village. Haskins draws from multi-generational Haskins family sawmill and timberland roots in the Quabbin Valley of Massachusetts. He grew up in Greenfield and spent four years attending school in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Scott Keiter

Scott Keiter

Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park announced the addition of a new member to its board of trustees: Scott Keiter, president of Keiter Corp., a construction company based in Florence. His wealth of knowledge in building, development, sales, operations, and human resources made him a unanimous choice to join the team. Keiter has served on other community boards, including the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, New England Support Team, Smith Vocational & Agricultural School, and the Cutchins Programs for Children and Families. He brings his commitment to the community, family, sustainability, and progress to Look Park’s volunteer board, which also includes Sharianne Walker, Michael Wall, Nancy Reeves, Robert Ostberg, Anthony Villani, and Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz (ex-officio).

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Scott Branscomb

In a move to support growth, outreach, and overall program quality, the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club (PVRC) hired Scott Branscomb as head coach. Branscomb, who speaks Spanish and English, will work with PVRC Executive Director Ben Quick and organization leadership to continue PVRC’s post-pandemic recovery. Branscomb rowed competitively for UMass, where he graduated with dual degrees in Spanish and comparative literature before earning a master’s degree in teaching from the University of New Hampshire. In his 14 years of rowing experience, he has served community and club programs in a variety of roles. He worked the last four years in Connecticut as director and head coach of Middle School and Development Programs for Greenwich Crew. Among his achievements there, he operated an outreach program for students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Greenwich Public Schools. At the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, Branscomb returns to the waters of the Connecticut River, where he first rowed, and to his roots in the nonprofit world, where he feels at home.

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Monson Savings Bank recently announced the hiring of William Toth as branch manager of the East Longmeadow location at 61 North Main St. Toth will be assisting customers with all of their banking needs, including loan applications and closing needs of borrowers. Additionally, he will be responsible for planning, organizing, and directing branch operations, as well as fostering an environment of teamwork. He has been in the banking industry for 26 years, with his experience in retail banking spanning 19 of those years. He most recently served as branch manager of Arrha Credit Union’s West Springfield location. There, his responsibilities were to oversee the day-to-day operations of the branch, while assisting new and current members with their financial and banking needs. He assisted members with consumer-loan applications, credit-card requests, and home-equity line of credit questions and document closing. He served as the primary resource to employees and oversaw the training of new and current branch staff. Toth has strong roots in the local communities, and is involved with the West of the River Chamber of Commerce, East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, and the Security & Loss Prevention Assoc. He is a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College with an associate degree in business administration.

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Jaren Makuch

Jaren Makuch

OMG Roofing Products has expanded its customer service department with the addition of Jaren Makuch as a customer service representative. In his new position, Jaren is responsible for assisting customers placing orders and in funneling product and technical questions to the organization. He is initially responsible for working on national key accounts as well as supporting the company’s Mid-West sales region. He reports to Karen Young, customer service manager. Makuch brings more than 10 years of customer-service experience to OMG. He joined OMG Roofing from Baystate Health, where he was a customer service representative for six years. Earlier, he was a customer service representative at FM Facility Maintenance in Hartford, Conn. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University.

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Kimberley Lee, vice president of Resource Development and Branding for the Mental Health Assoc. Inc. (MHA), has accepted Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi’s invitation to join his newly created Community Advisory Board to provide long-range planning and support for the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee. The regional correctional facility houses both pre-trial and sentenced women primarily from Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester, and Berkshire counties and offers a range of integrated clinical services and specialized programs that address rehabilitation. Cocchi outlined the board’s mission as one of developing long-range planning for the facility and building relationships and resources to assist women as they re-enter the community. Lee, who joined MHA in 2018 as its first vice president of Resource Development, is well-known for her work in the nonprofit sector. She previously served in communications and development roles for several other locally based nonprofit organizations, including CHD, Square One, the Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Community United Way.

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Square One recently elected a new slate of officers to its board of directors. The election was held at the agency’s annual meeting on Oct. 15. Taking on the role of chairperson is Andrea Hickson-Martin of Bay Path University. The vice chair seat will be filled by attorney Corrine Ryan of Community Legal Aid. Moving into the treasurer position is Kate Kane of Northwestern Mutual, assisted by Julie Quink of Burkhart Pizzanelli, P.C. Colleen Stocks, assistant superintendent of the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center, will serve as the board’s clerk. New to the full board of directors are Lavar Click-Bruce of the city of Springfield Mayor’s Office and Leonard Underwood of Upscale Socks and Upscale Photography.

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William Burke III

William Burke III

William Burke III will chair the Springfield College board of trustees for the 2021-22 academic year. A board of trustees member since 2004, he will lead the governing body of the college, which is responsible for major decisions and changes on campus, and comprises an integral part of the progress and advancement of the college. Burke was chief operating officer of Newell Brands, a Fortune 200 global marketer of consumer and commercial products with worldwide sales of more than $10 billion. The company has a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Yankee Candle, Sharpie, Paper Mate, Parker, Elmer’s, Yankee Candle, Coleman, Marmot, Rawlings, Oster, Sunbeam, Mr. Coffee, Graco, Baby Jogger, Calphalon, Contigo, First Alert, Jostens, and Rubbermaid. Burke’s 13-year career with Newell Rubbermaid started as president of American Saw, where he was recruited to integrate a privately held company, Lenox, into Newell Rubbermaid. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola College (now Loyola University), and also received an MBA from Loyola College Sellenger School of Management.

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Jaclyn Cronin

Jaclyn Cronin

Jeremy Saint Laurent

Jeremy Saint Laurent

The Royal Law Firm recently welcomed attorneys Jaclyn Cronin and Jeremy Saint Laurent to its team. Cronin received her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University and her juris doctor from Western New England University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the state of Connecticut. Saint Laurent joins the firm with extensive litigation experience, having worked as the head of the Litigation department for the city of Springfield. The Royal Law Firm is a boutique, corporation-side-only law firm operating throughout New England.

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Joe Desormier has joined Clayton Insurance Agency as an account executive/producer. Desormier graduated from Granby High School in 2017 and continued his education at Worcester State University (WSU), where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. “I am extremely excited for my journey here at Clayton to finally be underway,” he said. “Having a great team of co-workers by my side to help me along the way will be an incredible benefit, and I look forward to being a productive member of the team.”

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Sudha Setty

Sudha Setty

Western New England University (WNE) School of Law Dean Sudha Setty has been elected to serve on the advisory committee of the American Bar Assoc. (ABA) Legal Education Police Practices Consortium. The consortium aims to contribute to the national effort examining and addressing legal issues in policing and public safety, including conduct, oversight, and the evolving nature of police work. The consortium leverages the ABA’s expertise and that of participating ABA-accredited law schools to collaborate on projects to develop and implement better police practices throughout the U.S. The advisory committee provides input and advice concerning the general direction of the consortium, suggests ideas for appropriate law-student participant assignments, and advises on other relevant matters. Setty became dean of the School of Law in 2018 and has served on the faculty since 2006. She is the author of National Security Secrecy: Comparative Effects on Democracy and the Rule of Law and the editor of Constitutions, Security, and the Rule of Law, and has written dozens of articles on national-security law and policy. In 2018, she was elected to membership in the American Law Institute. She is also a founder of the Workshop for Asian-American Women in the Legal Academy, an effort to support current and aspiring members of the legal academy and to diversify its ranks, which held its inaugural workshop in 2021.

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Erica Flores

Erica Flores

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced that Attorney Erica Flores has been recognized as one of the 2021 Top Women of Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. She will be honored at an award ceremony recognizing the top 50 female legal professionals in Massachusetts on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at Boston Marriot Copley Place. Flores has been with Skoler Abbott since 2013 and was named a partner earlier this year. She defends employers in single-plaintiff and class-action litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, wage and hour violations, contract disputes, and other employment issues. She also advises clients with respect to compliance challenges, personnel policies, and day-to-day employment issues, and provides custom training programs and materials on a variety of important topics, including sexual harassment, paid and unpaid leave, and ADA accommodations. Flores has been an invited speaker at educational events sponsored by local chambers of commerce, the Employers Assoc. of the NorthEast, the CMEA Employers Assoc., and other organizations, and has been published in BusinessWest, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Massachusetts Law Review. She is also an editor of and contributor to the New England Employment Law Letter and volunteers her time as president of the board of directors of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. She received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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Janice Ward

Janice Ward

Greenfield Savings Bank Wealth Management and Trust Services named Janice Ward first vice president and trust officer. She joins GSB Wealth Management and Trust Services with more than 19 years of experience in the industry, and will assist clients with financial-planning, estate-settlement, and trust-administration services throughout the Western Mass. area, including the Berkshires. Ward graduated from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She then received a juris doctor degree at Western New England University and has been a licensed attorney in both Massachusetts and New York since 2005. In 2012, she earned the designation of certified financial planner. She is the co-founder of the Berkshire County Estate Planning Council, and after serving as president for five years, she is currently a director. She has many active professional connections with CPAs, attorneys, investment and insurance professionals, and financial planners throughout Franklin, Hampshire, Hamden, and Berkshire counties.

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Jennifer Halpin

Jennifer Halpin

Florence Bank promoted Jennifer Halpin to the position of assistant vice president, Human Resources and affirmative action manager at the main office in Florence. Halpin is a seven-year employee of Florence Bank who brings extensive knowledge and skills to her new position, in which she will lead and direct the routine functions of the Human Resources department, including hiring and interviewing, payroll administration, benefits, and overseeing and implementing the bank’s equal-employment opportunity and affirmative-action policies and plans. During her tenure at the bank, she has been the recipient of the President’s Award, which is given to employees who demonstrate superior levels of performance, customer service, and overall contribution to the bank. Halpin holds an associate degree in business administration from Berkshire Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UMass Amherst.

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Morgan Stanley announced that John Pappas, a financial advisor in the firm’s Springfield Wealth Management office, has been named to Forbes magazine’s list of Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors. The Forbes listing is a select group of individuals who were born in 1981 or later, have a minimum of four years of industry experience, and lead — or are viewed as potential leaders of — their teams. The ranking, developed by Forbes’ partner, SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience, and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews.

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Nathan Leveille

Nathan Leveille

Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Nathan Leveille as its new staff associate of Grants Development and Management. Leveille, an HCC graduate from the class of 2001, returns to the college with more than 15 years of experience in grants development and management through his positions at Springfield Technical Community College, where he had worked as grants manager and staff assistant in the Development Office since 2005. He started his position in the office of Resource Development at HCC on Oct. 18. After graduating from HCC with his associate degree in liberal arts, Leveille went on to Westfield State University for his bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a concentration in public and corporate communications.

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In an effort to defend science and combat misinformation, Richard Peltier, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences in the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, has started writing a free, weekly newsletter called Up in the Air on Substack, a digital subscription newsletter platform. Peltier, an expert in air pollution, aims to offer “objective analysis of science — mostly air quality and health, but occasionally dipping my toes in other directions where I might have something to say.” He conducted urgent research at the start of the pandemic to test whether healthcare workers could safely reuse face masks designed for one-time use. In general, using innovative approaches and novel designs and applications of instrumentation, he focuses his research on advancing knowledge of particulate matter and its impact on human health. Peltier’s expertise is often sought by national media outlets and such agencies as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization, for which he serves on the Global Air Pollution and Health Technical Advisory Group. Subscribe for free at 20000breaths.substack.com/about.

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Caitlin Trites

Caitlin Trites

Bill Kemple

Bill Kemple

Trina Moskal

Trina Moskal

The Wealth Transition Collective Inc., a values-based, full-service financial-planning firm in Holyoke, recently announced personnel news regarding three team members. Caitlin Trites recently passed the Securities Industry Essentials and Series 6 exams and has been promoted to registered client relationship manager. She has 13 years of financial-services industry experience. Bill Kemple was recently awarded Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor designation. CPFA designees are financial professionals that demonstrate expertise and experience working with qualified retirement plans. During the CPFA certification, candidates spend two months learning about fiduciary services for qualified retirement plans. Kemple recently celebrated his one-year anniversary with the Wealth Transition Collective and brings more than 13 years of financial-services experience helping individuals, families, and small business owners oversee their fiduciary affairs. Trina Moskal has joined the firm as a Medicare planning specialist. She will be responsible for new business development as well as working with firm clients on their individual Medicare and Social Security planning needs in the pre- and post-retirement life stages. Moskal has held a number of leadership positions in the healthcare community, and earned a master’s degree in healthcare management from Bay Path University.

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Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso, CFP has been named a member of the 2021 Chairman’s Council of New York Life. Members of the Chairman’s Council rank in the top 4% of New York Life’s more than 12,000 licensed agents in sales achievement. Deliso has accomplished this level of achievement for 10 consecutive years. Deliso has been a New York Life agent since 1995 and is associated with New York Life’s Connecticut Valley General Office in Windsor, Conn. She is a member of Nautilus Group, an exclusive advanced-planning resource for estate-conservation and business-continuation strategies. She is president and owner of Deliso Financial and Insurance Services, a firm focusing on comprehensive financial strategies that help position clients for a solid financial future. She has been working in the financial field for more than 30 years, her first seven in public accounting and the balance working in the financial-services industry. A certified financial planner, Deliso has developed an expertise in assisting business owners and individuals protecting and securing their and their family’s future. Her extensive experience has led to a focus in certain fields, such as cash-flow planning, risk management, investment, retirement, and estate planning. Deliso currently serves on and has held chairman of the board positions at Baystate Health Foundation and the Community Music School of Springfield. She is also a former board member of the YMCA of Greater Springfield and Pioneer Valley Refrigerated Warehouse, a former trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and a member of the Bay Path University advisory board.

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Two employees who have been coordinating UMass Amherst’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic since March were recently honored by Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy for their efforts. Ann Becker, campus Public Health director and a clinical associate professor in the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, and Jeffrey Hescock, executive director of Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Management, were awarded the Chancellor’s Medal at a recent tribute dinner. Hescock and Becker are the co-directors of the university’s Public Health Promotion Center (PHPC), which has been the home to the UMass COVID testing and vaccination programs. The Chancellor’s Medal is the highest honor the campus bestows on individuals, and is given for exemplary and extraordinary service to the university. Becker and Hescock had worked together before the pandemic on urgent issues of campus public health and safety, including their successful effort to stem a campus meningitis outbreak. When COVID-19 hit, they once again combined their respective expertise in public health and emergency management to quickly develop a response strategy for the campus, including the establishment of the PHPC, which became one of the largest asymptomatic COVID testing resources in the Commonwealth. They continually evolved the PHPC from a testing site to a vaccination clinic as well.

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Jenna Rahilly

Jenna Rahilly

Florence Bank appointed Jenna Rahilly to serve as vice president and Human Resources Operations director. She is a 23-year veteran in the banking industry with 28 years of professional human-resources experience. Rahilly most recently served as vice president of Human Resources for a local credit union. Her duties included the overall management of the credit union’s human-resources function, which encompassed the development and implementation of policies related to employee relations, organizational development, recruitment, compensation and benefits, training, and human-resources compliance. Rahilly studied at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English.

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Eric Frazier

Eric Frazier

Eric Frazier joined OMG Roofing Products as the market manager for its growing line of roofing adhesives. In his newly created position, Frazier is responsible for developing marketing strategies and sales-execution plans for the adhesive-product category, including OMG’s popular line of OlyBond500 adhesives. In this capacity, he will work closely with product management, marketing communications, as well as the field sales team to deliver adhesive solutions to OMG customers. He reports to Adam Cincotta, vice president of the Adhesives & Solar Business unit. Frazier has extensive experience in brand and product-line commercialization as a product marketing manager. He comes to OMG from Techtronic Industries of Anderson, S.C., where he spent more than six years, most recently as group product manager responsible for leading product development and marketing efforts within its Ryobi and Hart brands. He holds a master’s degree in marketing from Southern New Hampshire University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.

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Professor Jennifer Taub of the Western New England University School of Law has recently been elected to the American Law Institute (ALI), the leading independent organization in the U.S. producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. The organization includes judges, lawyers, and law professors from the U.S. and abroad, selected on the basis of professional achievement and demonstrated interest in improving the law. Taub will join 24 new members from across the country to advance the ALI mission to clarify the law through restatements, principles, and model codes. At WNE School of Law, she teaches civil procedure, white-collar crime, and other business and commercial law courses. A legal scholar and advocate, she is devoted to making complex business-law topics engaging inside and outside of the classroom. Her scholarly research and writing centers on corporate governance, banking and financial market regulation, and white-collar crime. Similarly, her advocacy is focused on ‘follow the money’ matters, promoting transparency and opposing corruption. Her book, Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime, was published in 2020 by Viking Press. Penguin Books published the paperback edition of Big Dirty Money last month with a new subtitle: Making White Collar Criminals Pay, with a new preface and epilogue updates.

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Andrea Kwaczala, assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering (BME) in the Western New England University College of Engineering, has been named a 2021 Woman of Innovation for her efforts in post-secondary academic innovation and leadership by the Connecticut Technology Council (CTC) and the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Inc. Kwaczala was among 11 exceptional Connecticut women recognized for their achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the 17th annual Women of Innovation awards held virtually on Oct. 14. Women of Innovation finalists are nominated by their peers, co-workers, and mentors and are selected based on their professional experience, history of innovation, ability to think creatively and solve problems, and demonstration of leadership. The Post-Secondary Academic Innovation and Leadership award is granted to a woman working in the post-secondary academic setting who has created and fostered STEM programs in curriculum development, student research, and teacher-student collaborations. Each finalist has secured outside funding to support her work and/or received peer recognition for her leadership and innovation. The prestigious awards were earned by women innovators, role models, and leaders in STEM disciplines. They were selected from a field of 26 finalists — the scientists, researchers, academics, manufacturers, student leaders, entrepreneurs, and technicians who are catalysts for scientific advancement throughout Connecticut.

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Arwen Staros Duffy

Arwen Staros Duffy

Arwen Staros Duffy, currently assistant vice president for Development at the University of Southern California (USC), has been named vice chancellor for advancement at UMass Amherst. Duffy will begin her new position Nov. 15. Duffy has served in her leadership role at USC since 2014. She oversaw record fundraising efforts for the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Gould School of Law, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, Price School of Public Policy, Rossier School of Education, and Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work as part of the Campaign for USC. Previously, she served as senior vice president for Development and External Affairs at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. A Yale University graduate in art, she was also vice president of Advancement for the California Institute of the Arts, where she earned her MFA in 1994. Duffy began her career in higher-education advancement at UCLA, where she secured support for the School of the Arts and Architecture and College of Letters and Science.

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Andrew Tulis

Andrew Tulis

Florence Bank promoted Andrew Tulis to the position of assistant vice president and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) officer at the main office in Florence. Tulis is a 10-year employee of Florence Bank and brings extensive knowledge and skills to his new position. In this role, he will be responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations by developing and adhering to policies and procedures that oversee the bank’s BSA program, anti-money-laundering program, and Office of Foreign Asset Control compliance. Tulis studied at New York University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He attended the New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College, graduating with honors in 2016.

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Caroline Cay Adams

Caroline Cay Adams

Caroline Cay Adams, education director for the Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center, received the Janet McCoy Excellence in Public Education Award from the American Assoc. of Zookeepers during a virtual presentation held Aug. 31. Adams was honored for her work creating Kids Go Wild, a multi-week, hands-on education program that is delivered to children in schools and afterschool programs throughout Western Mass., specifically targeting at-risk youth. Kids Go Wild provides a fun, interactive way for children to learn about different animal species through cross-hatched science, literacy, and art lessons, with each lesson meeting educational standards set by the Massachusetts Board of Education. During the pandemic, Adams adapted Kids Go Wild into a virtual program, showcasing the flexibility and versatility of the program.

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Jeff Resnikoff

Jeff Resnikoff

Theresa Raleigh

Theresa Raleigh

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union introduced the two newest additions to its senior management team: Jeff Resnikoff, vice president of Lending, and Theresa Raleigh, vice president of Human Resources. Resnikoff comes to UMassFive with more than 13 years of experience in the credit-union world following his long tenure at Hudson Valley Credit Union in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Over his 13-year career there, he rose from Contact Center representative to eventually become the assistant vice president of Consumer Lending. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from State University of New York at New Paltz. Resnikoff takes over a loan portfolio of $400 million and will oversee all functions of the Consumer Lending department at UMassFive. Raleigh comes to UMassFive from SeaComm Federal Credit Union in upstate New York, where she served as vice president of Human Resources for the past 16 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She will oversee all employee hiring, training, recognition, and diversity program efforts at UMassFive.

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Michael Moran

Michael Moran

Barr & Barr, a national construction-management firm, announced the appointment of Michael Moran as the new executive vice president and director of Operations for the New England Region. Moran brings more than 30 years of experience in executive leadership, construction, real-estate development, and operations from multiple industries to Barr & Barr. He began his career after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned in the Civil Engineer Corps (Seabees) of the U.S. Navy. He has worked in recreation, hospitality, health and wellness, and healthcare, where he last served as president and chief administrative officer of Baystate Health’s Eastern Region. Stephen Killian, the current director of Operations of the New England Office for more than 18 years, strategically grew the company within the New England Region. He will be staying on to assist Moran in the transition, and will focus on key projects in the region.

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Kim Lyons

Kim Lyons

Dalkia Aegis, EDF Group, a leading provider of co-generation technology in the Northeast, hired Kim Lyons for the role of Client Relations manager. In this position, she will help Dalkia Aegis build and maintain relationships with current customers to better understand their goals and manage client needs. She joins the team with more than 15 years of experience in client-management positions. Lyons is a graduate of UMass Amherst with a degree in psychology and sociology. She spent more than 15 years as a strategic accounts executive serving the automotive industry, providing advanced consultative needs analysis, sales, and long-term service. In her new role, she will manage the current accounts of Dalkia Aegis, helping clients achieve and maintain the best results from their investment.

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Joseph Tiraboschi has been promoted to deputy chief at Springfield College. He has been a member of the Springfield College Police Department since 2017, most recently serving as administrative lieutenant, where he supervised more than 40 personnel members, including officers and dispatchers. In addition, he managed all crime statistics, managed certification in accordance with the Massachusetts State Police, and directed all department policies and procedures. Prior to his role as administrative lieutenant, Tiraboschi worked as detective sergeant, overseeing all criminal and non-criminal investigations, while also taking on the responsibilities of background investigator, internal-affairs investigator, and sexual-assault investigator. A 2013 graduate of the Massachusetts State full-Time Police Academy, Tiraboschi transitioned from a Springfield College Police Department dispatcher to a full-time police officer in 2013. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Springfield College in 2010, and he is currently on pace to earn his master’s degree in counseling from Springfield College in 2022.

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Lisa Murray

Lisa Murray

Citizens Financial Group named Lisa Murray its Massachusetts president, succeeding Jerry Sargent, who will continue to oversee New England and upstate New York as Citizens’ Northeast Region executive. Murray, who has been at Citizens for 24 years, leads a team that provides strategic and financial advice to not-for-profit organizations and professional-services clients such as legal, accounting, and consulting firms. As Massachusetts president, she will represent Citizens in an official capacity across the Commonwealth and continue to report to Sargent. Murray has been working with the Pine Street Inn, the largest homeless-services provider in New England, for more than 20 years and is currently a member of its board of directors. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and the Mass Taxpayers Forum, and is on the board of the Economic Development Advisory Committee in her hometown of Lexington. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut.

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William Dziura

William Dziura

Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts (JAWM) announced the hiring of a new development director, William Dziura. He will work to plan and evaluate fundraising campaigns and activities; secure financial support from individuals, foundations, and corporations; and develop further relationships with the community. Dziura earned a bachelor’s degree in English and history from Elms College and a master’s degree in English literature from Trinity College. Most recently, he held the position of director of Annual Giving at the Elms, while simultaneously working as an adjunct professor. Prior to his career in fundraising, he worked as an eighth-grade English teacher at Mater Dolorosa School in Holyoke, and director of Student Engagement and Leadership at the Elms.

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Western New England University (WNE) College of Engineering Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Dr. Andrea Kwaczala has been named an Engineering Unleashed 2021 Fellow by the Kern Foundation. The honor recognizes faculty for their contribution to engineering education, specifically entrepreneurial engineering. This grant will support the Making with Purpose Workshop Series. These are monthly hands-on events running throughout this academic year. The workshop is intended to introduce students to the entrepreneurial mindset in an inclusive community within the makerspace facilities within the College of Engineering. Some activities align with Kwaczala’s research in assistive technology, such as building rapid prototypes of body-powered prosthetic devices and low-tech assistive technology to improve activities of daily living. Other activities are geared toward understanding a product’s marketspace and learning about manufacturing in scale-up, such as glowing LED pumpkins for Halloween decor and laser-cut jewelry to sell at the holidays. The projects are intended to promote technical skills and coach students to use a growth mindset. Engineering Unleashed is a community of 3,800 faculty members from 160 institutions of higher education, powered by KEEN, a 50-partner collaborative that shares a mission to graduate engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset who are equipped to create societal, personal, and economic value. The Engineering Unleashed faculty-development workshops are elements of KEEN’s multi-institutional activities. Kwaczala is one of 27 individuals from institutions of higher education across the country to receive this distinction.

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Country Bank President and CEO Paul Scully announced the appointment of four prominent business professionals to its board of trustees and four new corporators from local businesses within the communities it serves. Attorney Richard Maynard, owner of the Law Offices of Richard H. Maynard, P.C., and Elizabeth Rappaport, partner at Century Investment Co., both from Western Mass., have joined the board of trustees. New trustees from Central Mass. include Ross Dik, owner of Knight-Dik Insurance in Worcester, and Stacy Luster, general counsel and assistant to the president of Worcester State University, who will also serve as a corporator. Newly appointed corporators include Jennifer Cooke, director of Retirement Plans at CIG Private Wealth Management; Melissa Fales, Loan Program coordinator at Quaboag Community Development Corp.; William Trudeau, executive vice president and partner at HUB International LLC; and Kyriakos Konstantaki, co-founder and principal at Amcomm Wireless.

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Sudha Setty

Sudha Setty

Western New England University School of Law Dean Sudha Setty has been named 2021 Human Relations Award winner by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), a human-relations organization whose mission is to champion social justice for all; fight bias, bigotry, and racism in all forms; and work toward building strong and inclusive communities. Each year, the NCCJ presents the Human Relations Award to individuals or corporations that have actualized in their daily lives the values and mission of the organization. These individuals and companies have demonstrated their commitment to fostering social justice and cooperation among all races, religions, cultures, genders, abilities, and sexual orientations. Setty became dean of the School of Law in 2018 and has served on the faculty since 2006. She is the author of National Security Secrecy: Comparative Effects on Democracy and the Rule of Law and the editor of Constitutions, Security, and the Rule of Law, and has written dozens of articles on national-security law and policy. In July 2018, she was elected to membership in the American Law Institute. Her leadership of the School of Law has been characterized by a commitment to social justice; diversity, equity, and inclusion work; and supporting excellence in teaching, learning, and research. In May 2019, the School of Law founded the Center for Social Justice, which has quickly grown to be a regional hub of research, advocacy, education, and activism. In April 2021, the faculty of the School of Law adopted an anti-racism and cultural-competency graduation requirement, making it the first law school in the region to do so. Setty is also a founder of the Workshop for Asian-American Women in the Legal Academy, with its inaugural workshop being held in 2021, an effort to support current and aspiring members of the legal academy and to diversify its ranks. She was recognized on the Lawyers of Color Power List in 2020; was recognized as part of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s Top Women in the Law in 2019; was awarded Western New England Law School’s Catherine J. Jones Professor of Year Award in 2009, 2016, and 2018; received the 2017 Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award from the Connecticut Bar Assoc.; and was recognized in 2015 as a Trailblazer by the South Asian Bar Assoc. of Connecticut.

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Elms College announced the retirement of Kathleen Scoble, dean of the college’s School of Nursing, effective Sept. 10. The college has been conducting a national search for Scoble’s successor since she notified the college of her retirement this past January. When Scoble joined Elms College in 2003, the Division of Nursing consisted of one baccalaureate program with 100 students. In the 2020-21 academic year, there were nearly 500 nursing students enrolled in the 12 programs that now comprise the School of Nursing. Scoble established several forward-looking programs, such as the Doctor of Nursing Practice and the Master of Science in Nursing programs, as well as the Accelerated Second Degree program. In March 2019, she helped create a unique partnership with the Episcopalian University of Haiti to offer a continuing-education certificate program that prepares the future Haitian nursing workforce to deliver competent, patient-centered care within their communities. In recognition of her stewardship of the School of Nursing, Scoble has been named dean emerita of the School of Nursing, becoming the first Elms College dean to receive this distinguished title. The college has also created the Kathleen B. Scoble Leadership in Nursing Award, which will be presented each year to the nursing student who best exemplifies the ideals of servant leadership, as demonstrated by Scoble, through academic excellence and the individual’s impact on the School of Nursing, Elms College, and the greater community. On Sept. 13, Teresa Kuta Reske — associate dean of Graduate and Doctoral Studies for the School of Nursing and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program — became interim dean of the School of Nursing and will remain in that role until a new dean is hired.

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Christopher Myhrum

Christopher Myhrum

Best Lawyers in America recognized attorney Christopher Myhrum in the categories of environmental law and litigation – environmental. He has received this prestigious recognition every year since 1991. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers in America has become universally regarded as a definitive guide to legal excellence. The nationwide list of attorneys included in the upcoming 28th edition is based on more than 4.3 million confidential and detailed evaluations from more than 41,000 leading attorneys on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Myhrum works with environmental consultants; federal, state, and municipal officials; and other lawyers seeking opportunities for learning and collaboration rather than acrimony and contention. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College Law School and a cum laude graduate of New York University. He is a board member of Westmass Area Development Corp., where he serves as a director and land inventory committee member.

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Ariel Clemmer, director of the Western New England University School of Law Center for Social Justice, was named a 2021 Emerging Women Leader in Law by the Women’s Bar Assoc. (WBA). The award honors women attorneys who have demonstrated professional excellence or had a significant professional achievement in their first 12 years in the legal profession, and promote the status of women in the legal profession or contribute meaningfully to the equal participation of women in a just society. The university’s Center for Social Justice works toward advancing social justice through research, advocacy, education, innovation, and public engagement. It is designed to strengthen collaborative efforts between the School of Law and the region to work toward a more just, equitable, and inclusive society. In addition to providing services like a Consumer Debt Initiative and a Sealing and Expungement initiative to the community, the center has conducted Know Your Rights trainings, provided financial support for initiatives that seek to measure and mitigate the legal fallout from COVID-19, and hosted nationally recognized speakers like Evan Wolfson, the legal architect of the marriage-equality movement. Clemmer is among six to receive this prestigious award. The 2021 awardees will be celebrated and honored at the WBA’s annual gala on Monday, Oct. 25.

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Dr. Lynnette Watkins

Dr. Lynnette Watkins

Dr. Lynnette Watkins, an ophthalmologist and healthcare administrator and leader, has been named president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care. Currently the group chief medical officer for the Baptist Health System/Tenet Healthcare – Texas Group, she will begin her new role at Cooley Dickinson on Sept. 27. Since joining Baptist Health System/Tenet Healthcare in 2017, she has been a member of a team that has provided executive oversight for the multi-hospital system that stretches across the state, with more than 3,600 beds and $3.45 billion in patient revenue. She also has significant leadership experience in community-hospital settings. In addition, Watkins has ties to Massachusetts and the Mass General Brigham system, having completed her residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where she began her clinical career in ophthalmology and oculoplastic surgery and served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. Before joining the Baptist Health System, Watkins held the position of chief medical officer and chief operating officer at Paris Regional Medical Center in Paris, Texas. She has also served as chief medical officer in Tenet’s Abrazo Community Health Network in Arizona. Her career as a healthcare executive began in Mishawaka, Ind., where she was vice president and chief medical officer for the Saint Joseph Health System/Trinity Health. Watkins earned her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed her internship in internal medicine at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City before coming to Boston in 1995 as a resident in ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. After residency, she completed a fellowship in oculoplastic surgery at the University of Iowa, then returned to Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where from 1999 to 2004 she directed the emergency ophthalmology service and walk-in clinic and was an attending physician in the Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Service.

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Brian Rucki

Brian Rucki

Amanda Carpe

Amanda Carpe

Bacon Wilson announced that Brian Rucki and Amanda Carpe have joined the firm as associate attorneys. Rucki is a member of the real-estate team, and Carpe has joined the probate and estate-planning department. Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, Rucki spent five years practicing law in Westfield, where he worked on all aspects of real-estate transactions including purchases, sales, refinances, and title work, as well as estate-planning matters. Previously, he also served as a clerk in the solicitor’s office for the town of Agawam, where his work focused on municipal law. He attended Western New England University School of Law, earning his juris doctor laude in 2016. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in 2013. Carpe comes to Bacon Wilson with five years of experience in estate planning, estate administration, guardianship, conservatorship, and residential real estate. She previously practiced in Ludlow and Worcester. In addition to her work in estates and probate, she clerked for the Hampden County Juvenile Court and interned with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, where her work focused on juvenile and child-welfare law. She earned her juris doctor in 2016 from Western New England University School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University in 2013.

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Joseph Deady

Joseph Deady

Kaitlyn Malin

North Brookfield Savings Bank announced the promotions of Joseph Deady and Kaitlyn Malin within the Operations department. Deady has been promoted to Digital Services manager/fraud analyst. He will be responsible for ensuring the bank is using all possible digital products to align with its strategic goals and the needs of our customers, while overseeing account fraud. He joined the bank as a teller in 2011 and has held various roles, including supervisor and management roles and finally fraud analyst in the Operations department in 2015. Most recently, he held the title of Operations specialist and fraud analyst, handling debit-card fraud claims and account compromises and processing and reviewing international wires. Deady has more than 10 years of professional banking experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He is also ACH-certified. He supports his local communities by volunteering his time and attending fundraising events for local, community-focused organizations like Camp Putnam in New Braintree. Malin has been promoted to Operations specialist. She holds an associate degree from Mount Wachusett Community College. She previously held the position of Operations customer service representative, where she was tasked with answering customer calls and connecting customers and non-customers with appropriate staff to assist them. She also was responsible for reviewing all daily Operations reports. Before coming to the bank in November 2020, she worked as a teller at Athol Savings Bank. In her three years, there she assisted customers with transactions, concerns, and other inquiries. In her new role, Malin will be responsible for reviewing reports to mitigate fraud and risk for both the bank and customers as well as servicing customers’ online banking needs and completing account modifications such as travel notifications.

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J. Williar Dunleavy, chairman of Berkshire Bank and its parent company, will retire in September, the bank announced. He will be succeeded on the board of both the bank and Berkshire Hills Bancorp by David Brunelle, currently vice chairman. Brunelle is co-founder of Northe Pointe Wealth Management in Worcester. He has been on the board since 2017. Dunleavy took over as chair of the board in late 2019, when Bill Ryan, formerly the chief exective of Banknorth, gave up the position for health reasons.

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Joseph DaSilva

Joseph DaSilva

Richard Glejzer

Richard Glejzer

Jeannette Smith

Jeannette Smith

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) recently welcomed three new vice presidents to its executive team: Joseph DaSilva, vice president of Administration and Finance; Richard Glejzer, vice president of Academic Affairs; and Jeannette Smith, vice president of Student Affairs. DaSilva has worked in public higher education for more than 28 years, the last 21 at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). During his tenure as vice president of Administration and chief financial officer, he provided executive-level vision, leadership, planning, and direction, and managed all aspects of fiscal operations, facilities management, Campus Police, Information Technology, Student Financial Services, and Human Resources/Employee Benefits and Operations Center. Glejzer was most recently the interim dean of Graduate Studies at Muhlenberg College, and previously served as provost and dean of Faculty at Marlboro College for 10 years. Prior to joining Marlboro, he served as professor and chair of English at North Central College and as chair of the college’s academic programs and policy committee. Among his other institutional duties, he served on the college’s steering committee and the dean’s academic advisory committee. He was a faculty liaison to the board of trustees. Earlier in his career at North Central, Glejzer revised the composition program as the director of Writing. Smith is a scholar-practitioner with 16 years of work experience in higher education, having worked most recently as the associate dean of Student Affairs and Engagement at Evergreen State College. She was previously employed at Truckee Meadows Community College, the University of Nevada Reno, and Elmhurst College. Her practice areas of experience include student unions, residence life and dining, academic advising, financial aid, shared governance, and student employment. Her scholarship areas of interests include policy, equity, financial aid, and student development.

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Sam Einzig

Sam Einzig

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union recently introduced Sam Einzig as the newest member of UMassFive’s Retirement Planning and Investments team available through CUSO Financial Services, L.P. He supports the credit union’s team of CFS financial advisors by scheduling appointments, sending appointment reminders, and helping with advisor administrative duties and service work. As an advisor assistant, he is also now the primary contact for current and prospective clients looking to work with the credit union’s trio of financial advisors. Einzig has worked at UMassFive as a member service specialist since September 2018, prior to taking on his latest role with the Retirement Planning and Investments team. He is licensed as a producer of life insurance and accident and health or sickness insurance in Massachusetts, and is currently pursuing his FINRA Series 7 and 66 securities licenses. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where course studies in music business and taxation in the music industry kindled his interest in the financial world, as well as helping people.

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Country Bank announced several recent staff promotions. Julie Yi has been promoted to senior vice president, controller and Operations. She has extensive experience in finance and operations and serves on Country Bank’s senior management team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and is a certified public accountant. Justin Calheno has been promoted to assistant vice president, Retail Lending. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Westfield State University and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies. He serves as a board member for the Ludlow Boys and Girls Club. Lisa Saletnik has been promoted to assistant vice president, Business Systems. She holds an associate degree in health science from Bay Path University and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies. Mackenna Hogan has been promoted to Commercial Banking Administration officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from UMass Amherst. Antonio Palano has been promoted to assistant vice president, Retail Lending. He holds an associate degree in business administration from Springfield Technical Community College. Newly appointed officers include Sam Pursey, Erin Skoczylas, Ashley Swett, and Sarah Yurkunas. Pursey has been promoted to Relationship Management officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from UMass Amherst. Skoczylas has been promoted to assistant controller. Erin holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western New England University, an associate degree in business administration from Springfield Technical Community College, and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies. Swett has been promoted to Customer Care Center officer. She is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies. Yurkunas has been promoted to Relationship Management officer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Bay Path University, a certificate from the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. in Fundamentals of Credit Analysis: Intro to Commercial Lending, and is currently enrolled in the New England School for Financial Studies.

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Mary Cate Mannion

Mary Cate Mannion

Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi) announced that veteran ABC News affiliate reporter and anchor Mary Cate Mannion has joined the team as a digital PR analyst and will be responsible for planning, producing, and editing video content; photo supervision; and writing posts for digital dissemination on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and the Google Ads Display Network, but not Tik Tok, as well as working directly with media publications. She is working in GCAi’s Springfield edit suite with award-winning video producer Darcy Young and planning digital campaigns with award-winning digital marketer James Garvey, who is based in GCAi’s Marina del Rey, Calif. office. Mannion is an award winner in her own right, receiving a Broadcasters Award and two Emmy nominations during her tenure as an anchor and energy-news reporter with NBC News affiliate KFYR-TV. Her reporting was also used in an investigative segment by John Oliver on HBO’s Last Week Tonight, and she has served as a correspondent for Headline News. She earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Emerson College. She crossed paths with Young during her time at Western Mass News, when she emceed the Springfield Colleen Contest, for which Young is a long-time volunteer. Mannion also her singing skills during an American Idol audition in Boston and was successful for six rounds. Mannion has also achieved considerable success as a competitive Irish dancer, something she is still enthusiastic about today as a member of Springfield’s Claddagh School.

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Mercedes Maskalik, formerly the director of Marketing at CUE Inc., a membership and professional-development nonprofit organization, has been appointed assistant vice president for Marketing and Communication at Western New England University. In her new role, Maskalik will oversee the university’s Division of Marketing and External Affairs, whose mission and purpose is to broadly and creatively share the story of Western New England University regionally, nationally, and internationally. In her previous position as director of Marketing at CUE, Maskalik was responsible for the development, coordination, and management of all marketing and communications efforts to promote the CUE brand, the professional learning community, and the professional learning events. She received her master’s degree in organizational communications from Central Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Southern Connecticut State University. An active member of a number of international associations, Maskalik’s professional affiliations include the American Marketing Assoc., the Public Relations Society of America, and the European Assoc. of Communications Directors. She is the co-author of Social Marketing Environmental Issues, a theoretically grounded text on social-marketing strategies for influencing environmental behaviors.

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Bryan Czajkowski

Bryan Czajkowski

Market Mentors, a marketing, advertising, and public-relations agency, announced the addition of Bryan Czajkowski as director of Production and Technology. He brings more than 25 years of experience to the newly created position, in which he oversees the agency’s web, design, video, and production operations. Czajkowski most recently served as chief technology officer for Rebel Interactive Group in Southington, Conn. Through this and previous positions, he has gained extensive experience working with international and national organizations across diverse industries, from finance and insurance to automotive and aerospace. The opportunity to integrate his various professional skills and interests is something that drew Czajkowski to the Market Mentors position.

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Bulkley Richardson announced that Mike Sweet has joined the firm as a partner in the Business and Finance department. Sweet started his career at a Wall Street-based law firm and has been practicing in Springfield for the past 25 years. His practice focuses on representing businesses and the people that own and manage those businesses through all stages of their business cycle, as well as in their personal lives. “This is an exciting development for the firm and furthers our goals for continued growth and talent acquisition,” said Dan Finnegan, managing partner. “Mike has established longtime relationships with his clients and continues to achieve successful results for them. He has earned the reputation of a great lawyer, and we feel honored to have him on our team.”

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Vanessa Smith

Vanessa Smith

Vanessa Smith, senior vice president and chief legal officer for Baystate Health, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College (HCC) board of trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker. The term will run until March 1, 2025. “I am passionate about education and its ability to empower, inspire, break down barriers, and create pathways to opportunity,” Smith said. “I am honored to begin my service as trustee during Holyoke Community College’s celebration of its 75th anniversary, and I look forward to helping shape its bright future.” Smith has worked for Baystate Health since 2016 as associate general counsel, vice president, chief general counsel, and now senior vice president and chief legal officer. Prior to that, she was a partner in the law firm Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP in Springfield. She has also worked as an assistant attorney general in the New York Attorney General’s Office in Syracuse and as a court attorney for the New York State Court of Appeals. She holds a law degree from Syracuse University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in French from Wells College.

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Bulkley Richardson partners Michael Burke and Mark Cress were named 2022 Lawyer of the Year in their respective practice areas by Best Lawyers in partnership with U.S. News Media Group. Burke was recognized for his work in personal-injury litigation, and Cress was recognized for his work in corporate law. Burke and Cress have been named by Best Lawyers since 2001 and 2003, respectively. Lawyer of the Year rankings are awarded to one lawyer per practice area in each region, making it a distinguished accolade. Honorees receive this award based on their extremely high overall peer feedback within specific practice areas and metropolitan regions.

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Michael Cardaropoli

Michael Cardaropoli

Attorney Michael Cardaropoli, a partner in the law firm Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan and Blakesley, has been appointed to serve on the board of directors of Springfield Habitat for Humanity. “I’m proud of the opportunity to serve on the board of this incredible organization,” he said. “We have a rich history as a firm of charitable connections to the community. I had first-hand experience with the Habitat for Humanity team as we worked on the SGT Sullivan house, and I am so pleased to now be a part of their ongoing efforts.” Twelve staff members from Pellegrini Seeley, Ryan and Blakesley donated a total of nearly 100 man hours to kick off the Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan project on the first build day in 2018. The firm also contributed $2,500 to the effort. “As a firm, we are committed each day to help make the lives better for the residents of Springfield,” Cardaropoli said.

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Bacon Wilson announced that eight of the firm’s attorneys have been named to Best Lawyers in America 2022. Kenneth Albano, the firm’s managing partner, was recognized in Best Lawyers for business organizations, including LLCs and partnerships; Michael Katz for bankruptcy and reorganization; Stephen Krevalin for family law; Hyman Darling for elder law; Gary Breton for banking/finance law and business organizations; Gina Barry for elder law; Mark Tanner for real-estate litigation; and Peter MacConnell for real-estate law. In addition, MacConnell was named 2022 Lawyer of the Year for real-estate law in Springfield, a designation presented to a single outstanding lawyer in each practice area for each region. Bacon Wilson, P.C. is one of the largest Pioneer Valley firms, with 43 attorneys and approximately 80 paralegals, administrative assistants, and support staff. The firm has five locations, in Springfield, Amherst, Hadley, Northampton, and Westfield. First published in 1983, Best Lawyers is regarded as one of the definitive guides to legal excellence. There is no opportunity to pay for a listing; rather, lists are based entirely on peer review.

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Christopher Caouette

Christopher Caouette

Greenfield Cooperative Bank announced that Christopher Caouette has joined the bank as the new senior vice president – credit officer. He will be based in the main office at 62 Federal St. in Greenfield. “We are thrilled to add someone with Chris’s experience and reputation to the team,” said Tony Worden, president and chief operating officer. “I believe he will be an excellent addition to Greenfield Cooperative Bank.” Having spent the majority of his career in the Pioneer Valley, Caouette arrives with more than 30 years of banking experience, most recently as vice president, credit officer at another area bank. He holds an MBA in finance from UMass Amherst and attended the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. BankExec program – School for Financial Studies, where he finished second among 10 competing bank groups.

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The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts’ trustees of the Order of William Pynchon announced their selection of two local residents, Helen Caulton-Harris and Victor Rojas, as recipients of this year’s Pynchon medal. Caulton-Harris has served for decades as a tireless advocate for low-income residents, underserved neighborhoods, and communities of color. As director of the city of Springfield’s Health and Human Services division, she led the charge in making COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites widely available to all city residents. Rojas serves as director of technology for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke and a role model for the city’s most vulnerable young people, connecting them with life-changing academic opportunities. During the pandemic, he worked to connect underserved students to internet access and led the effort to deliver thousands of meals and snacks to students who would otherwise receive them at school. Due to a postponed event in 2020, the Advertising Club announced its upcoming event will be a combined celebration for Pynchon recipients from 2020 and 2021. Last year’s recipients, Janine Fondon and Elizabeth Wills-O’Gilvie, will also receive their medals at the upcoming ceremony. The presentation of the Pynchon Medal and celebration will take place on Thursday, Oct. 7 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. Event details and ticket information can be found at adclubwm.org or by calling (413) 342-0533.

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Ryan McEleney

Ryan McEleney

American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU) announced the appointment of Ryan McEleney as senior vice president, chief people officer. As CPO, McEleney will lead the advancement of talent-management and human-capital-development strategies, as well as cultivate workforce plans and programs that align with the organization’s overall business objectives. He will serve as a member of the company’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to the president and CEO. American Eagle’s current president and CEO, Dean Marchessault, announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of 2021, at which time the credit union’s current Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Howard Brady will assume the role of president and CEO. McEleney brings nearly 20 years of human-resources and training experience to American Eagle, most recently serving as senior vice president, director of HR Analytics & Technology at Webster Bank. He previously held positions in the areas of incentive compensation, HR strategy, and talent and culture programs. He has been a featured speaker at HR Leaders, the HR Leadership Summit, Innovate Work, Future of Work, and HR for Financial Services, to name a few, and has also been a guest lecturer at Southern Connecticut State University. McEleney is a senior certified professional from the Society of Human Resources Management. He earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Connecticut and graduated from the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning in 2015. He has a Six Sigma green belt from Central Connecticut State University in addition to both his leadership certification and his culture certification from the Disney Institute. He also has an advanced facilitation certificate from the Langevin Institute. He currently serves as director and co-chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee for the Governor’s Prevention Partnership (GPP). He also co-founded, and now serves as a director of, Walk with Us, an organization supporting families impacted by brain cancer.

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Francine Berman, renowned data scientist, researcher, and co-founder of the Research Data Alliance, will join UMass Amherst’s College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) faculty this fall as a research professor and Stuart Rice Honorary Chair. She will work across the UMass campus to build and lead a new initiative in public-interest technology. A leading researcher in the field of data science, Berman has focused her past work on the societal, ethical, and environmental impacts of information technology. Most recently, she has been working to ensure that the internet of things develops in ways that are beneficial for human society and the ecosystem, topics she explored as a 2019-20 Katherine Hampson Bessell Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She currently serves as the Edward P. Hamilton Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. At UMass Amherst, Berman will lead a new initiative focusing on public-interest technology. The initiative will blend teaching and research with hands-on practice and provide students, alumni, and the community with tools to reap the benefits and minimize the risks of the technological world we live in. This initiative will span the university’s Amherst and Mount Ida campuses, leveraging the Newton location for outreach and student experiential learning. Berman’s academic expertise has translated to an extensive career in public service. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she was appointed to the National Council on the Humanities in 2015. In recognition of her service-focused work, she was selected by the National Academy of Public Administration for inclusion in its 2020 class of Academy Fellows. In 2012, she co-founded the Research Data Alliance (RDA), a community-driven international organization that builds global infrastructure to enable data sharing and data-driven research. Since its launch in 2012, RDA has attracted nearly 12,000 members from more than 130 countries and has built data infrastructure in use by groups and projects all over the world. Berman has also served in academic leadership roles, including as vice president for Research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, and director of the National Science Foundation’s Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure, a consortium of 41 research groups, institutions, and university partners with the mission of developing national infrastructure to support data-intensive and computationally intensive applications. Berman is a fellow of the Assoc. of Computing Machinery, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science. Before joining RPI, she taught at Purdue University as an assistant professor and at the University of California San Diego as a professor. She earned her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Washington.

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Timothy Murphy

Timothy Murphy

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. announced that one of its partners, attorney Timothy Murphy, was recognized by his peers as a 2022 Lawyer of the Year in Springfield for his work in Labor Law – Management. Only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community is honored with this award. In addition, Murphy is recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2022 in three fields: employment law – management, labor law – management, and litigation – labor and employment. Focusing his practice on labor relations, union avoidance, collective bargaining and arbitration, employment litigation, and employment counseling, Murphy has been included in The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2013 and was Lawyer of the Year in 2015, 2019, and 2020. In 2017, he was named “Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout” by the Girls Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. He also sits on boards of directors for several area organizations, such as the Human Service Forum and Community Legal Aid, and is a member of the World Affairs Council.

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Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin announced that seven of its attorneys were listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2022, and two were also named a Lawyer of the Year. They include Shareholder Michele Feinstein, recognized in the fields of litigation – trusts and estates, elder law, and trusts and estates; Shareholder Gary Fentin, banking and finance law and commercial transactions/Uniform Commercial Code law; Shareholder Carol Cioe Klyman, elder law and trusts and estates (she was also named a Lawyer of the Year in the field of trusts and estates); Managing Partner Timothy Mulhern, corporate law and tax law; Shareholder Steven Schwartz, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), closely held companies and family business law, as well as corporate law (he was also named a Lawyer of the Year in the field of business organizations); Shareholder James Sheils, commercial transactions/Uniform Commercial Code law; and Shareholder Steven Weiss, bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law. Best Lawyers listings are published in dozens of countries around the world. The 2022 edition includes more than 67,000 attorneys in 148 practice areas, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and inclusion in this year’s publication is based on more than 9.4 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

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Bulkley Richardson announced that 13 lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2022. These lawyers were recognized in 20 unique areas of practice. They include Peter Barry, recognized in the fields of construction law and healthcare law; Michael Burke, medical malpractice law – defendants and personal-injury litigation – defendants; Mark Cress, banking and finance law, bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, and corporate law; Francis Dibble Jr., bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, criminal defense – white-collar, litigation – labor and employment, and litigation – securities; Daniel Finnegan, administrative/regulatory law and litigation – construction; Scott Foster, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships); Kevin Maynard, commercial litigation, litigation – banking and finance, and litigation – construction; David Parke, corporate law and mergers and acquisitions; Melinda Phelps, medical-malpractice law – defendants and personal-injury litigation – defendants; Jeffrey Poindexter, commercial litigation; John Pucci, bet-the-company litigation, criminal defense – general practice, and criminal defense – white-collar; Elizabeth Sillin, nonprofit/charities law and trusts and estates; and Ronald Weiss, corporate law, mergers-and-acquisitions law, and tax law.

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Mark Fuller, who has served as interim chancellor of UMass Dartmouth since January, was named permanent chancellor. He has served in the interim capacity since January, following nine years as dean of the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management, which rose to national prominence under his leadership, and three years as UMass Amherst vice chancellor for Advancement. Fuller spent 12 years in the UMass system prior to being named interim chancellor in January, including nine transformative years at Isenberg, which is now ranked as the number-one public undergraduate business program in the Northeast by U.S. News & World Report. Isenberg’s online MBA program rose to the top ranking in the nation, and third in the world, according to the Financial Times. With an alumni base of 60,000 (similar to that of UMass Dartmouth), the annual giving to the Isenberg School increased from $2 million to $10 million on Fuller’s watch. As vice chancellor for Advancement for three years, he was a key player in redesigning UMass Amherst’s Advancement activities and building greater coordination between alumni communications, engagement, and fundraising. Prior to joining the UMass system, Fuller was a professor and department chair at Washington State University for nine years and began his career in academia with eight years at Baylor University. His research interests are especially relevant to today’s world, including technology-supported learning, distance education, and teamwork in technology-mediated environments. His teaching interests include executive education, leadership, information-systems strategy, e-commerce, change management, and project management.

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

 

Frank Cracolici

Frank Cracolici

A respected healthcare professional with more than 30 years of clinical leadership, Frank Cracolici, has been named interim president of Baystate Medical Center. Meanwhile, Joanne Miller, who has more than 30 years of hospital-operations experience, has been named interim chief Nursing officer (CNO). Cracolici has an extensive background in leading hospitals and most recently served as senior advisor to the CEO of Morton Hospital, a member facility within the Steward Health Care System, a $7 billion system comprised of 36 hospitals with more than 40,000 employees. He was responsible for the day-to-day operations for the 125-bed hospital located in Central Mass., which includes 440 physicians and 730 associates, an active Emergency Department with more than 45,000 visits per year, 5,500 inpatient discharges, and an operating budget of $125 million. Previously, Cracolici was president and CEO of St. Vincent Medical Center, part of Verity Health System, in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for all strategy, hospital operations, and ambulatory services for the 366-bed hospital. He has also held leadership roles as executive vice president and chief operating officer, and then president and CEO, at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, where he was responsible for the oversight of 1,000 inpatient beds and strategic planning for all clinical and operational departments of the dual campus hospital center and level 1 trauma center. Cracolici is a Johnson & Johnson fellow from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and has a master of professional studies degree in health services administration and a bachelor’s degree in business and health services administration from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He earned his diploma of nursing at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center School of Nursing in Englewood, N.J. For 19 years, Miller served as senior vice president, Patient Care Services; vice president, Surgical Services; chief Nursing officer, and interim CEO in both major academic health systems and community-based hospitals. Most recently, she served as CNO/vice president at Carson Tahoe Health in Carson, Nev., and interim CEO/CNO at Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, Fla. She was also CNO/vice president, Patient Care Services at Johns Hopkins Medicine/Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, she led the development, implementation and evaluation of nursing-practice and patient-care standards across the acute-care hospital, ambulatory sites, and its skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities. She held system nursing leadership roles to foster collaboration and promote peer learning to improve quality and the patient experience. Miller holds a doctorate in executive nursing practice from Drexel University, a master’s degree in nursing administration from the University of Hartford, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mount Saint Mary College. She is a Malcolm Baldridge executive fellow.

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Duy Nguyen

Duy Nguyen

Christopher Hill

Christopher Hill

Melanson announced the admittance of its newest principal, Duy Nguyen. The accounting firm also announced the promotion of Christopher Hill to chief financial officer. Nguyen works in the Commercial Tax Department at Melanson and has been with the firm since 2014. He is a certified public accountant licensed in New Hampshire and practices out of the firm’s Merrimack office. Since joining Melanson, his focus has been on foreign taxation, multi-state taxation, and venture-capital taxation. His previous experience includes managing tax departments for multi-national corporations. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bryant College. He holds memberships in the New Hampshire Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Hill has been Melanson’s controller since 2013. Since joining the firm, he has managed its accounting and budgeting, facilities, administrative staff, licensing and compliance, software systems, and other special projects. He received an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Franklin Pierce University.

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Darcy Young

Darcy Young

In recognition of her six years of success and awarding-winning accomplishments as a video producer, Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi) announced Darcy Young’s promotion to director of Digital Public Relations. According to President John Garvey, GCAi’s brand-journalism process is built upon the company’s digital-marketing expertise and recognizes the increased responsibility of public-relations professionals to produce relevant content for both media and consumers. To that end, both media and digital audiences have an insatiable appetite for short-form video, something in which Young is accomplished. She will continue to supervise all digital PR content production as well as the technical teams that work on such efforts. Her work will be continued to be supported by GCAi’s production team, as well as a new digital PR analyst who will join the company in August. Young is a former assignment desk editor, field producer, and production assistant for both ABC and FOX local news affiliates. She is a cum laude graduate of Westfield State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a concentration in journalism. She won an Ad Club award for her production of “The Innovation Series,” a video series that highlighted the success paths of Valley Venture Mentors startups and the entrepreneurs who founded them.

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Kriste Joy

Freedom Credit Union announced it has appointed Kriste Joy as branch officer of its two Franklin County branches in Greenfield and Turners Falls. She started her career at Four Rivers Federal Credit Union in 2003 and became part of the Freedom Credit Union family through a merger in 2005. A short time later, she assumed responsibility for managing the former Four Rivers branch offices in Turners Falls and South Deerfield, doing so until the South Deerfield location closed and a new, full-service branch opened in Greenfield in 2009. Well-known in Franklin County, Joy has developed active relationships with local schools and formed several partnerships for financial-literacy and school banking programs, as well as strong ties with many local businesses and members. She also holds active roles in many local nonprofit organizations, including DIAL/SELF Youth and Community Services, the Greenfield Education Foundation, the Greenfield Business Assoc., and the YMCA, just to name a few.

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Michelle Everard

Michelle Everard

Brandy Swanson

Brandy Swanson

Lauren Martin

Lauren Martin

The Markens Group (TMG) recently announced the addition of the New England Financial Marketing Assoc. (NEFMA) to its comprehensive list of clients and expanded its team by hiring three new employees. The Markens Group, an association-management company located in Springfield, now has a 15-person staff that serves clients ranging from local societies and membership organizations to national not-for-profits. Its new client, NEFMA, based in Massachusetts, provides personal- and professional-development opportunities to financial marketers through educational meetings and networking opportunities. New TMG staff members include Michelle Everard, who serves as director of programs and events; Brandy Swanson, who serves as an accountant; and Lauren Martin, who serves as communications manager. The Markens Group’s community-first approach to business is driven by its inclusive team and client collaboration that fosters brighter communities and deeper engagement.

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UMass Amherst’s Jim Kurose, distinguished university professor in the College of Information and Computer Sciences and associate chancellor for Partnerships and Innovation, is part of the research team recently awarded a $20 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to build the internet of the future. The grant, which will support the AI Institute for Future Edge Networks and Distributed Intelligence (AI-EDGE), is led by Ness Shroff, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering at Ohio State University. The funding supports a core team of 30 scientists from 11 collaborating educational institutions, three U.S. Department of Defense labs, and four global software companies. AI-EDGE is one of 11 new, NSF-funded Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes, and its ultimate goal is to design future generations of wireless edge networks that are highly efficient, reliable, robust, and secure, and facilitate solving long-standing distributed AI challenges.

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m Soisson

m Soisson

Market Mentors, the region’s largest marketing, advertising, and public-relations agency, announced the addition of a director of Agency Operations, Pam Soisson, a 30-year marketing veteran. This new position was created to provide guidance and day-to-day oversight as the agency grows. “Pam brings a wealth of experience to this role,” company President Michelle Abdow said. “We are thrilled that she agreed to join our team and has already made a strong impact. She’s extremely methodical, seeking order and ways to improve efficiencies in process and procedures. This mindset, paired with leadership experience, makes her an especially effective member of our management team.” Soisson most recently served as vice president of Marketing Strategy for Rebel Interactive Group in Southington, Conn. At Market Mentors, she is responsible for the development and success of both the agency’s team members and the agency itself.

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LaTonia Naylor

LaTonia Naylor

Gregory Thomas

Gregory Thomas

Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV) recently welcomed LaTonia Naylor of Springfield College and Gregory Thomas of UMass Amherst to its board of directors. Naylor is a dedicated Springfield native and LPV class of 2016 alumna who has been serving the region for years through her work at nonprofit organizations and the Springfield School Committee, where she serves as an elected member. Thomas, director of the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship Management at UMass, has demonstrated exceptional leadership in positions across corporate America in both advising and coaching leaders and entrepreneurs. The board also elected its officers, including Annamarie Golden of Baystate Health as chair, Tony Maroulis of W.D. Cowls as vice chair, Calvin Hill of Springfield College as clerk, Callie Niezgoda of Common Capital as treasurer, and Russell Peotter, retired from WGBY, as immediate past chair.

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Monson Savings Bank announced the election of five new corporators. Stefan Davis is president and CEO of I Found a Light Against All Odds, a Springfield-based nonprofit that works with at-risk youth to address social, emotional, and economic issues they may be facing. He is also an educator in the Springfield public school system. Brendan Greeley is president of R.J. Greeley Co. Inc., a real-estate firm located in Springfield that specializes in commercial and industrial real estate. He is also the vice president of the board of directors for the East Longmeadow Educational Endowment Fund. Erica Nunley is a Realtor leading the Nunley Group at Keller Williams Realty. She is also a member of the Greater Hartford Board of Realtors, the National Assoc. of Realtors, the Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors, and the Massachusetts Landlord Assoc. Rebecca Smith is a Realtor on the Neilsen Team at Keller Williams Realty. In 2012, she was named a KW Cultural Icon for her dedication to giving, knowledge, kindness, and service to others. She is a member of the Board of Realtors, co-founder of Massachusetts Ride for the Ribbon, and a licensed horseback-riding instructor. James White is president of Go Graphix, an East Longmeadow business that specializes in architectural graphics, signs and films, vehicle wraps, and more. He sits on various committees and boards, contributing to the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, East Longmeadow Bike Path, Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp., and LPVEC CareerTech & Putnam Vocational School advisory committees.

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Zaida Govan

Zaida Govan

Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. (MLKFS) appointed Zaida Govan as vice president of Youth Services. She will direct all educational programming, including after-school, summer, and college-readiness programs. She is a licensed clinical social worker and an accomplished community organizer who has worked with the Mason Square Health Task Force and its Drug Free Communities efforts. Her community work also includes serving as a board member of Wellspring Cooperative Corp. and Wellspring Harvest Greenhouse, as well as a board member of the League of Women Voters of Northampton. She is president of the Indian Orchard Citizens Council and president of the Springfield Community Land Trust, whose mission is to bring permanent, affordable housing to Hampden County. She also started community-garden efforts in both the Indian Orchard and Mason Square neighborhoods. Govan attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Springfield College, including a master’s degree in social work and human services.

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Karen Wallace

Karen Wallace

Karen Wallace has joined Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) as executive vice president of Marketing. She will develop and lead strategies to support expansion of the association and implement AIM’s belief that business can be a positive force for change in creating a better, more prosperous Commonwealth. A native of Springfield, Wallace was most recently a consultant to Northeastern University Khoury College of Computer Sciences, the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She previously spent more than 20 years in marketing positions at Fidelity Investments, including as senior vice president of Marketing, Communications, and Branding. She has also held senior marketing positions at MFS Investment Management and Sun Life. She earned both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Simmons University in Boston. She has completed professional-development courses at MIT Sloan School, Harvard Business School, and Tuck School at Dartmouth College. She serves as a board member for the Boston Children’s Chorus and is a member of the National Black MBA Assoc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

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Western New England University (WNEU) announced the recipients of the 2021 PeoplesBank Award. The award, first given in 2020, is made possible by a grant to WNEU from PeoplesBank to advance innovation and entrepreneurship across the university and the entire Pioneer Valley ecosystem. This year, the award went to Jeremy Bowler, a computer engineering major, for his work on an electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission (ECVT) for small-engine applications; Tytianie Brown, a sciences major, who runs a full-service beauty-services business; Caleb Miller, a mechanical engineering major and the co-founder of Woodside Getaways, an RV rental startup; Dante Talamini, an engineering major and team leader for Frost Alert, a wearable smart device that monitors skin temperature and alerts the wearer if they are beginning to experience frostbite; Ethan Valdes, an entrepreneurship major with a minor in health sciences, who co-founded Bus Boiz, a social-media experience startup that captures travel experiences; and Shemika White, an MBA graduate student and founder of Notes of Beauty chemical-free beauty products. Western New England University aspires to develop students’ entrepreneurial mindset with its innovation and entrepreneurial programs. Through co-curricular efforts, such as Startup Weekend and the Product Development and Innovation course, students are able to create innovations that have market potential.

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Enrique Morales-Díaz

Enrique Morales-Díaz

Westfield State University (WSU) interim Dean of Faculty Enrique Morales-Díaz is the recipient of the Latino Scholarship Fund (LSF) of Western Massachusetts’ Antonia Pantoja Award, which honors people who contribute to the Latinx community through research and education. It was presented in June, during the organization’s 30th annual awards ceremony, held virtually. The Latino Scholarship Fund of Western Massachusetts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to putting higher education within reach of college-bound students in the region. Morales-Díaz leads Westfield State’s initiative to become a federally recognized Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and chairs the University’s Racial Equity and Justice Institute Team. The HSI designation is part of a larger commitment by Westfield State to address systemic racism and inequities on campus, such as in its policies and practices. It also supports its efforts to become a student-ready, relationship-centered campus community that is fluent in understanding all of its students’ needs and that values their culture. An activist for the Puerto Rican community in New York City, Pantoja is best known for establishing ASPIRA in 1961, a nonprofit organization that promotes education and advancement for Puerto Rican youth by providing clubs within schools, career and college counseling, advocacy for bilingual education, and other services.

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Tammy Stone

Tammy Stone

Excel Dryer Inc., manufacturer of the XLERATOR hand dryer, recently welcomed a new director of global sales to its team. Tammy Stone joins Excel Dryer with more than a decade of experience and a worldly expertise unlike many in her field. Born in the Republic of Georgia, Stone moved to the U.S. as a teenager. A graduate of Carl von Ossietzky University in Germany, Tbilisi State University in Georgia, and the University of Illinois College of Law, she holds degrees in business and political science. In previous positions, she grew national and international sales, developed business-strategy plans, and led a team of employees focused on business-to-business activities. In her role at Excel Dryer, Stone will be responsible for managing and providing business-strategy plans for all business-to-business interactions, negotiating transactions, and working to increase domestic and international market share and build sales activity.

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Lynn Gray

Lynn Gray

Holyoke Mall recently welcomed Lynn Gray back to the shopping center as its new general manager. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the shopping-center industry. She has held various roles over her combined tenure with Pyramid Management Group, including customer service representative, receptionist, Marketing assistant, assistant Marketing director, Marketing director, and, most recently, general manager of Hampshire Mall. In addition to her numerous years of experience with Pyramid Management Group, Gray held various roles over the span of 10 years with General Growth Properties, now Brookfield Properties, including director of Field Marketing for the East Region. Gray is a graduate of Holyoke Community College with an associate degree in business administration. A lifelong resident of Western Mass., she is actively involved with several community and nonprofit organizations. She serves as president of the board of directors for the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce and the board of directors for the Amherst Boys and Girls Club. She is also a CDH International Massachusetts ambassador and volunteers for CHERUBS, the support division of CDHi. Bill Rogalski, outgoing general manager of Holyoke Mall, retired on June 30 after 19 years in the position.

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Elizabeth Wambui

Elizabeth Wambui

Increasing diversity in the construction workforce is an important topic and has become a measure of each project’s success, just like schedule, budget, and safety. To that end, Fontaine Bros. Inc. has named Elizabeth Wambui to serve as the company’s director of Diversity, Inclusion & Impact. Wambui will play a critical role in leading the company’s projects and project teams to maximize opportunities for minority- and women-owned business enterprises as well as attracting a more diverse workforce. Fontaine Bros. will be partnering with unions, trade schools, and other community partners to more actively promote and provide opportunities for diverse and local residents. She will immediately step in and support Fontaine’s work across the Commonwealth, including the new $242 million Doherty Memorial High School project and the new $75 million DeBerry-Homer Elementary School in Springfield. Before joining Fontaine, Wambui served as director of Advancement at Nativity School of Worcester (a longtime Fontaine community partner). A graduate of North High School and the College of the Holy Cross, she is passionate about engaging with the community. She currently serves as a board member at the Bancroft School, Shine Initiative, Women in Development of Central Massachusetts, Worcester Historical Museum, and YWCA. She is also a Mechanics Hall Modern Mechanics Guild member, a Worcester Art Museum corporator, and has served as a Greater Worcester Community Foundation early childhood committee member and scholarship community reviewer. She was part of the Leadership Worcester class of 2016-17 and has been recognized in the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty.

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Dr. Ann Errichetti

Dr. Ann Errichetti

Bay Path University announced that Dr. Ann Errichetti has been appointed associate provost and dean of the School of Education, Human and Health Services, and will begin her role on Aug. 23. Errichetti returned to New England in the summer of 2018 after successful careers in healthcare management and in cardiology. Most recently, she served as the chief operations and academic officer at Presence Health, a $2.6 billion Catholic health system in Chicago with 12 acute-care hospitals, more than 25 senior-living facilities, and 16,000 employees. She was a core member of the turnaround team that improved operating performance by $200 million and led to a successful acquisition by Ascension Health in 2018. Prior to joining Presence Health, Errichetti served as CEO of St. Peter’s Hospital and Albany Memorial Hospital in Albany, N.Y.; president of Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill.; and president of Advocate South Suburban in Hazel Crest, Ill. In addition to her role as president, she held the position of chief academic officer for Advocate Health Care, serving as the liaison between three medical-school affiliates and more than 600 medical residents and fellows. She was also an associate dean at Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago Medical School. Errichetti graduated from Fordham University, received her M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School, and earned an MBA from Clark University. Her husband, Dr. Mark Keroack, was a medical-school classmate and currently serves as president and CEO of Baystate Health in Springfield.

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Harmony Cross

Harmony Cross

Holyoke Community College has named Harmony Cross its first dean of Student Development, Engagement and Inclusion. This new position combines the responsibilities of two previous jobs at the college — dean of students and director of Retention and Student Success — with an increased emphasis on education equity. Before coming to HCC, Cross served as director of the New York State Education Department’s Higher Education Opportunity Program at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where she managed and developed holistic services and high-impact practices for students who might not have considered attending college because of their academic and economic backgrounds. Prior to that, she worked as program director for the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx and area coordinator for 15 coed residential facilities at Widener University in Chester, Pa. She has also taught college-level, first-year transition courses and leadership classes and coached students on conflict resolution and mediation techniques. Cross earned her master’s degree in educational leadership with a concentration in higher education at Temple University and holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from North Carolina Central University, where she was a Division I collegiate athlete in track and field. She is currently working on her Ed.D. in higher education administration at Bradley University.

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Tony Ieraci

Tony Ieraci

Excel Dryer Inc., manufacturer of the XLERATOR Hand Dryer, has added a new director of Marketing to the team. A seasoned professional with 24 years of experience, Tony Ieraci will be responsible for helping Excel Dryer create and execute long-term marketing strategies that will help grow the brand. Ieraci has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in marketing from Western New England University. He has spent the last two decades working in marketing and communications for leading manufacturers like Scapa North America and Dymax Corp. Ieraci will now head up the marketing team at Excel Dryer to develop and implement effective global communication plans that advance the company’s business goals and objectives.

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Adam Baldwin

Adam Baldwin

Arrha Credit Union announced the Adam Baldwin has been named Springfield branch manager. Baldwin has more than seven years of banking experience and been recognized throughout his banking-industry career as a rising star with superior service awards. He is also a Rotarian with the Springfield Rotary Club. “I am excited to be part of the Arrha Credit Union family and serving the Springfield community and its members,” Baldwin said. “I look forward to providing caring service, offering rewarding membership benefits to existing and new members, and growing these relationships.”

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Bulkley Richardson recently welcomed Dr. Lisa Harty as an associate in the firm’s litigation and professional malpractice groups. Harty earned a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College in 2001, an M.D. degree from St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine in 2009, and a juris doctor degree from Western New England University School of Law in 2020. “As an attorney who has earned degrees in both medicine and law, Lisa brings a unique perspective to our healthcare and medical professional clients,” said Mike Burke, chair of Bulkley Richardson’s professional malpractice group. “She will add tremendous value to our team.”

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Sharale Mathis

Sharale Mathis

Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Sharale Mathis as its vice president of Academic and Student Affairs. Mathis was most recently the dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Middlesex Community College in Connecticut, where she was previously a tenured professor of Biology, course coordinator, department chair, and STEM Division director. At Middlesex, she taught both lab and non-lab science classes on campus, online, and in hybrid formats. She was an early adopter of open educational resources, utilizing online resources for supplemental instruction, designating that course as no cost to students. Mathis earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Eastern Connecticut State University, a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Quinnipiac University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Hartford.

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The Hitchcock Center for the Environment announced William “Billy” Spitzer as its new executive director. He brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership experience in the areas of science education, climate communication, and network building along with a vast network of national and international connections. Spitzer will be influential in the continued growth and impact that the center has seen in recent years as it continues on its mission to educate and inspire action for a healthy planet. Spitzer comes to the center as the former vice president for Learning and Community at the New England Aquarium, where he was responsible for applying learning and social-science research across education programs, exhibits, visitor experience, and community outreach for more than 20 years. Working with organizations such as the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation, Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network, and North American Assoc. for Environmental Education, he has been involved in many successful collaborative projects with a focus on environmental education and awareness along with the promotion of public engagement in climate change. In 2014, Spitzer was recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change for Engaging the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders. In 2016, he received a Visionary Award from the Gulf of Maine Council for innovation, creativity, and commitment to marine protection. He holds a Ph.D. in oceanography from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

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Matthew Sosik

Matthew Sosik

Matthew Sosik was recently elected to the 20-member board of directors of the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc., the only association representing FDIC-insured community, regional, and nationwide banks serving consumer and business clients across the Commonwealth. Sosik is the CEO of Hometown Financial Group Inc., a $3.4 billion mutual multi-bank holding company based in Easthampton. He also serves as president and CEO of bankESB, a subsidiary of Hometown Financial Group. Sosik joined Hometown Bank, now bankHometown, in 1996 after five years as a bank examiner with the FDIC. In 2013, he became the president and CEO at bankESB and began to build Hometown Financial Group through a combination of organic growth strategies and merger-and-acquisition transactions. He is also a board member for the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, whose mission is to work with communities to create innovative policy and financing solutions that provide affordable homes and better lives for the people of Massachusetts. He also serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council and is a member of the board of directors of COCC Inc., a technology company headquartered in Southington, Conn., that serves the financial industry.

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Daniel Burger

Daniel Burger

Christina Gonzalez

Christina Gonzalez

Daniel Burger has joined OMG Roofing Products as a product engineer for the company’s solar business. In his newly created position, Burger is responsible for creating and managing technical support for rooftop solar and pipe-support products, including product design, testing, and voice-of-customer feedback. He will also support product-certification efforts with the International Code Council, Factory Mutual Global, and others, as well as support application engineering at engineering, procurement, and construction firms. Burger brings solid environmental-related engineering experience to OMG. For the past few years, he was with the Dennis Group as a site civil engineer. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Hartford. Meanwhile, OMG Roofing Products also announced it has hired Christina Gonzalez as a product manager. She is responsible for developing sales and marketing opportunities for new and existing OMG discretionary products throughout the company’s extensive network of independent roofing distributors across the U.S. For the past four years, Gonzalez has been an associate product manager with the FastenMaster Division of OMG Inc., where she led cross-functional teams to help commercialize several new products annually. Earlier, she was in a management-training program with Sherwin Williams. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Connecticut State University.

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East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Grace Barone as its executive director. Barone is an experienced business-development leader in senior living as well as a past small business owner of a successful bridal boutique for 17 years. She said she is always struck by the power of community and what can be achieved when working together, and she looks forward to unlocking opportunities to bring people together, share ideas, and learn from one another to promote business environments that foster economic growth. The chamber serves the communities of East Longmeadow, Hampden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, and Wilbraham.

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Country Bank recently announced the recipients of the 2020 President’s Platinum Award. The bank’s recognition program, CB Shines, encourages staff members to be on the lookout for co-workers who embody the bank’s corporate values of integrity, service, teamwork, excellence, and prosperity. Within this program, an employee can receive different levels of recognition: Silver Spotlight (awarded anytime), Gold Star (awarded quarterly), and President’s Platinum (awarded annually). The 2020 President’s Platinum award was presented to both Dianna Lussier, Risk Management officer, and Nicholas Thompson, assistant manager, Customer Care Center.

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Nadzeya Shkoda

Nadzeya Shkoda

Jonathan Cohen-Gorczyca

Jonathan Cohen-Gorczyca

Melanson announced the promotion of two of its newest managers: Nadzeya Shkoda, CPA, and Jonathan Cohen-Gorczyca, CPA. Shkoda has been in the accounting profession for almost a decade and is a part of the Governmental Services team out of the Greenfield office. She joined Melanson in 2014 and works on approximately 15 municipal audits annually. She enjoys participating in the Governmental Accounting Standards Board group and how auditing presents new challenges each day. She received a master of science in accountancy degree at Westfield State University in 2011. She holds memberships with the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Cohen-Gorczyca has been working at Melanson for more than nine years. As part of its Commercial Services team in Greenfield, he advises businesses and individuals on tax, management, compliance, and other accounting and planning matters. Over the last year, he has been particularly focused on helping clients with their Paycheck Protection Program loans. He received his master of science in accountancy degree from Western New England University in 2013 and is a member of MSCPA and AICPA. He also serves on the board of trustees for the Greenfield Public Library as well as his condo association.

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Alan Tabin

Alan Tabin

Local home builder and developer Alan Tabin, announced he has joined B & B Real Estate in Holyoke as a licensed real-estate agent. Tabin has been active in the real-estate industry throughout his adult life. As co-owner of Home Improvement Associates, LLC, he grew a successful construction business over three decades. His expertise as a builder includes custom homes, investment property, rehabbing, and residential and commercial renovations. His experience in real-estate development includes a residential subdivision of new homes and a 25-unit condominium project in South Hadley known as Jacob’s Edge. “I am excited to offer my unique expertise as a builder to home buyers, sellers, and potential investors,” Tabin said. “My knowledge of construction, local building resources and contacts, and the real-estate market can be valuable to anyone wanting to buy, sell, or invest in real estate.”

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Nicole Stuart

Nicole Stuart

Deliso Financial and Insurance Services announced that Nicole Stuart has joined the firm as practice coordinator. She will be responsible for providing service to Deliso’s clients as well as performing day-to-day administration and operational functions for the firm. “I am excited and proud to join the Deliso Financial & Insurance Services team,” Stuart said. “Their reputation demonstrates the level of quality resources and service standards that align with my goals to execute the most advantageous and expedient financial solutions for our clients’ needs.” Stuart attended Bay Path University, where she received an MBA in entrepreneurship and innovative practices. She brings more than 20 years of professional experience in finance, banking, and bookkeeping. “Nicole’s background and experience will complement our core service offerings,” said Jean Deliso, CFP, president and owner of Deliso Financial and Insurance Services. “She is client-focused, and her enthusiastic personality and strong organizational skills are a perfect fit with the rest of our team. We look forward to her support in our efforts to expand our capabilities and becoming an integral part of Deliso Financial & Insurance Services.”

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Josh Kelly

Josh Kelly

Brent Fournier

Brent Fournier

Elli-Ann Oskar

Elli-Ann Oskar

OMG Inc. recently promoted Josh Kelly to senior vice president for Business Development and Brent Fournier to director of Procurement. Meanwhile, OMG Roofing Products hired Elli-Ann Oskar as Sales and Marketing assistant. In his new role, Kelly will focus on strategic growth opportunities, including mergers and acquisitions, product development, licensing, as well as strategies to expand OMG’s business. He started with OMG in 1991 as a project coordinator and has held several positions within the roofing division, including key account manager, vice president of Marketing, general manager, and, most recently, vice president of Product Development and Innovation. Kelly is a member of the Single Ply Roofing Industry trade association, a past president of the Roofing Industry Alliance, and a current member of the board of directors for the National Roofing Contractors Assoc. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and an MBA from Western New England University. In his new role, Fournier will develop and implement procurement strategies that meet OMG’s customer demands by focusing on customer service, reduced supply-chain risk, as well as stronger supply partnerships across the value chain. Fournier started with OMG as part of the Tiger Claw acquisition in 2011, as a service delivery manager, and was promoted to manager of Purchasing in January 2014. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. In her new role, Oskar is responsible for a wide assortment of administrative functions to support the sales and marketing teams, as well as the company’s key account managers and Customer Service department. Prior to joining OMG, she was a Business Development assistant at Teracode. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Westfield State University.

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The Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts (GSCWM) elected eight new members to board of directors at its virtual annual meeting on June 23. The new board members, all of whom will serve a two-year term, include Carla Carten, executive director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy for Mass General Brigham Health Care; Ella Grant, senior Girl Scout and student at Tantasqua Regional High School; Lisa Greene, director of Patient Accounts/HIM for AdCare Hospital of Worcester; Kate Kane, Wealth Management advisor for Northwestern Mutual; Shirley Konneh, assistant director at the Center for Career Development at the College of the Holy Cross; Laura Marotta, co-founder and executive director of Creative Hub Worcester; Roberta McCullough-Dews, director of Administrative Services within the Office of the Pittsfield Mayor and Public Information officer for the City of Pittsfield; and Addison Witkes, senior Girl Scout and student at Wachusett Regional High School. “I am pleased to welcome, and thrilled to have the privilege to serve on the board with, these new members,” said Joan Bertrand, GSCWM board president. “They are dynamic individuals with diverse talents and experiences to help oversee the operations of the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts and further our mission to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.”

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Lisa Cohen

Lisa Cohen

Health New England announced the recent appointment of Lisa Cohen to the role of vice president of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. In this position, Cohen is responsible for leading Health New England’s financial strategy, accounting, actuarial, underwriting, and financial reporting, ensuring its ability to provide cost-effective healthcare coverage while maintaining high-quality member care. Cohen joins Health New England’s executive leadership team and reports directly to Richard Swift, president and CEO. Cohen comes to Health New England from Fallon Health in Worcester, where she was vice president of Financial Planning and Accounting Operations, and served as interim chief financial officer in 2019. Prior to Fallon Health, Cohen was chief financial officer for Ascentria Care Alliance. She also served as chief financial officer at the PACE Organization of Rhode Island. Cohen earned her bachelor of science in accounting and MBA degrees from the UMass Dartmouth. She has been a member of the American Institute of CPAs for more than 20 years, and maintains active certification as a certified public accountant and certified global management accountant.

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Lara Sharp

Lara Sharp

Lara Sharp has been named dean of the School of STEM at Springfield Technical Community College. Sharp’s professional experience includes six years at St. Petersburg College in Clearwater, Fla., as the program director for Engineering, Manufacturing and Building Arts, and also serving as the acting dean of Natural Sciences, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Building Arts. From 2013 to 2015, she was at the Corporate College of Polk State College in Winter Haven, Fla., managing National Science Foundation and Department of Labor grants in advanced manufacturing and engineering technology. Sharp spent more than 11 years teaching chemistry, natural science, and engineering to high-school students at various locations. Sharp also brings industry experience, having worked at Specialty Minerals Inc. as a process engineer and an operator technician as well as an educational consultant for PASCO Scientific. She has been recognized for her outstanding teaching as well as her community engagement, including a STEM Woman of the Year Award from Girls Inc. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.

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Shandra Richardson

Shandra Richardson

Greenfield Savings Bank (GSB) named Shandra Richardson senior vice president and senior operations officer. She will direct all aspects of the bank’s operations, including compliance, retail banking, marketing, deposit, electronic, and loan operations, as well as developing and implementing new policies and procedures for organizational systems management. Prior to joining GSB, Richardson held multiple leadership roles at Citizens Bank N.A. and, most recently, at Santander Bank N.A. She specializes in operational life-cycle transformation, regulatory exam preparation, project management, and organizational development. She has also been involved in company diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including active participation in multiple employee resource groups (ERGs) focusing on the support and empowerment of women and black and Latinx employees. A UMass Amherst graduate, Richardson received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and then went on to earn an MBA along with completing leadership and Lean Methodology Executive Education courses. While working in the Boston area, she has been active in the Greater Boston and South Shore communities volunteering at a wide range of organizations, such as Cradles to Crayons, Dress for Success, United Way, Year Up, and OneBostonDay.org. She also serves as a member of the Harvard Business Review advisory council, an opt-in research community of business professionals, and has also served as the New England regional lead of the Thrive ERG, which provides resources and support to caregivers and individuals with physical or cognitive differences.

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After more than four decades of leadership as CEO for HCS Head Start Inc., Janis Santos plans to retire at the end of the year. A search for a new CEO is underway. Santos began her professional teaching career by opening one of the first early-childhood centers in Ludlow in 1973, Parkside Early Learning Center. In 1979, she was hired as executive director of Holyoke Chicopee Head Start Inc. Under her leadership, the organization has grown to be the second-largest Head Start in Massachusetts and one of the largest providers of early-childhood education in Western Mass. A graduate of Holyoke Community College and UMass Amherst, she began teaching at a time when the greater public viewed her chosen career as babysitting. For close to five decades, her unwavering advocacy at the local, state, and national levels has helped change the perception of early-childhood education. She has led the charge ensuring that children from vulnerable backgrounds have access to high-quality early learning, and helped to legitimize and professionalize the field. Santos has chaired the Massachusetts Head Start Directors Assoc. and the New England Head Start Assoc., and was a member of the national advisory panel for the Head Start 2010 Project in Washington, D.C. in 1999. She was also a UCLA Head Start management fellow in the Anderson School of Management and served on the National Head Start Assoc. board of directors from 1997 to 2011. She served as the NHSA vice chairperson from 2007 to 2011.

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Jorge Morgado

Jorge Morgado

Allied Flooring, Paint and Design, a home-improvement supplier for homeowners, contractors, and business owners, recently welcomed Jorge Morgado as a partner in the business and president of Sales. “I am thrilled to welcome Jorge as a partner and to run the sales team,” Allied President Mario Tedeschi said. “Jorge and I spent decades as competitors, respecting and admiring each other’s work. Our relationship strengthened over the last few years when he became our sales representative for Tarkett. I saw how much care and dedication he devotes to his clients; that connection led to us becoming partners.” Morgado has more than 25 years of experience in the flooring industry, beginning his career in high school and most recently serving as vice president of Residential Business, East Region, for Tarkett, the third-largest flooring manufacturer in the country. Morgado graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in business management. He is very involved in the community, currently serving on the board of the East Longmeadow Soccer Assoc.

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Market Mentors, a marketing, advertising and public-relations agency, announced the addition of five new team members. The hires span multiple departments, including account services, copywriting, digital advertising, and public relations.

Elizabeth Barry

Elizabeth Barry

• Elizabeth Barry joined the agency as a public-relations specialist. She has extensive experience gleaned from time spent producing morning news at FOX61 and WFSB in Hartford, Conn. A graduate of Endicott College and Southern New Hampshire University, Barry holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in communications. In her new role, she writes press releases as well as short- and long-form copy, and works to earn media opportunities for clients.

Chase Hoffman

Chase Hoffman

• Chase Hoffman joined the team as an account executive. He possesses previous agency experience and is a graduate of Westfield State University, earning a communications degree with a public relations concentration.

Christopher Proulx

Christopher Proulx

• Christopher Proulx joined the agency as a digital advertising specialist. A graduate of American International College and Westfield State University and holding Google Ads and Analytics certifications, he runs digital advertising campaigns on Google and across social-media channels. In addition, he researches and develops keyword strategies as part of SEO/SEM best practices.

David Smith

David Smith

• David Smith joined the firm as a content writer, penning short- and long-form copy for digital and print placements, websites, blogs, and social media. After earning his degree in communications at the University of Connecticut, he worked in broadcast media at WWLP-22 News in Springfield and FOX61 in Hartford.

Sara West

Sara West

• Sara West serves as an account director, leveraging her education at the University of Colorado at Denver and experience amassed from working her way up in the industry. Her primary responsibilities include managing accounts and creating, managing, and executing multi-channel marketing campaigns incorporating SEO, social media, inbound marketing, HubSpot, e-mail, mail, and print campaigns, as well as events to drive customer acquisition for clients.

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After three years as president of Greenfield Community College (GCC), Yves Salomon-Fernández announced plans to step down on Aug. 15 to accept a position as senior vice president at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). In a letter to the college community, Salomon-Fernández wrote that she needed to step back a bit, the Greenfield Recorder reported. “I bring 150% to everything I do, and [GCC president] is a very public role. We’ve gone through a pandemic, social change, and racial issues … All of those things made me reflect on what kind of balance I want in my life. This is an all-consuming position. My family and I decided I take a step back from it.” Robert Cohn, chair of GCC’s board of trustees, praised Salomon-Fernández’s leadership, saying she “got the ship steered in the right direction” during her three years at the helm. “It’s unfortunate she’s not going to see how it sails.” Cohn added that “she understood and appreciated the important role GCC plays in Franklin and Hampshire counties and beyond. She stepped in to continue its mission of providing access to education and workforce training to best serve the needs of residents and employers in the region.”

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Erin Defoyd

Erin Defoyd

Florence Bank recently announced the appointment of Erin Defoyd to the position of Marketing Communications officer. Defoyd comes to the bank with more than 20 years of banking experience and deep connections in the communities the bank serves. She most recently served as Marketing officer at a local community bank. Her duties included implementation of marketing strategies to increase brand awareness, creation of communications materials, support of media planning, website management, and social-media administration. Defoyd graduated from the New England School for Financial Studies in 2018 and is currently pursuing a degree in marketing at Southern New Hampshire University.

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Johan Uvin was announced as the new executive director of the UMass Donahue Institute (UMDI). Uvin continues a strong career in public service at the local and federal levels, and will begin his new role on Aug. 1. Uvin served at the U.S. Department of Education from 2009 to 2017 as senior policy advisor, then deputy assistant secretary, and later acting assistant secretary. At the Department of Education, he coordinated all strategy development for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, with a staff of 80 and more than $1.7 billion in resources. He led policy development and implementation for adult education, career and technical education, community colleges, immigrant integration, and more. From 2017 to 2020, he was president of the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. There, he facilitated and implemented Rise Up for Equity, the institute’s five-year strategic plan. He has since founded Strategy Advising, a consulting practice that provides strategic advising services in education, workforce development, educational technology startups, and nonprofit organizations. Uvin earlier held various leadership positions with the Rhode Island Department of Education and with Commonwealth Corp. in Boston. He has also managed projects and programs in the Massachusetts Department of Education and a number of nonprofit organizations in Boston, Belgium, and Sierra Leone. Uvin will succeed Eric Heller, the current executive director, who retires this week after more than 35 years at the Donahue Institute. Carol Anne McGowan, UMDI’s associate director, will serve as interim executive director until Aug. 1. She works closely with the executive director to develop and implement management strategies, systems, and practices across the institute, and is directly responsible for overseeing all fiscal and human-resource functions.

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Christopher Silipigno has been promoted to CEO of Renaissance Investment Group, LLC, a financial-services firm headquartered in the Berkshires that specializes in comprehensive financial counseling and investment management for high-net-worth individuals. Managing approximately a half-billion dollars in assets, Renaissance’s clients reside across the U.S. with a concentration in Western Mass., Upstate New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. For the last three years, Silipigno has served as chief operating officer, working to grow the business, lead organizational development efforts, and advise clients. During this time, Renaissance has increased its client base at its fastest pace in 20 years and nearly doubled the amount of assets being managed. Silipigno has been instrumental in this development, as well as helping Renaissance introduce new technology, providing even closer client contact and enhanced information sharing for clients and the team, said Trevor Forbes, the firm’s president and chief investment officer. “His efforts have been instrumental in helping the company and its clients through the last difficult and challenging 12 months, coping with the rigors of COVID and working remotely,” Forbes added. “I am delighted to be able to announce this well-deserved appointment, which provides for long-term continuity for both our staff and clients, which has been a hallmark of our success since the establishment of Renaissance 21 years ago. I wish Chris every success in his new role and look forward to continuing our work together in the coming years.”

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Shannon McCarty

Shannon McCarty

Bay Path University announced that Shannon McCarty will join the university as vice president for Academic Affairs, effective July 12. Her appointment comes after a comprehensive nationwide search led by the firm Academic Search and supported by a 12-member faculty and staff cross-functional search committee. McCarty comes to Bay Path from National University in La Jolla, Calif., where she serves as vice president, Teaching and Learning, and associate vice president for the Center of Innovation. Prior to that, she held several positions of increasing responsibility over 10 years at Rio Salado College in Tempe, Ariz., from residential faculty, Biology, to faculty chair, Physical Science Department, to her last appointment as dean of Instruction and Academic Affairs. As vice president for Academic Affairs, McCarty will be responsible for creating a shared vision that fosters innovation in an environment of collegiality and cooperation; developing a sustainable business and educational model that strengthens the fiscal health of the institution, building on existing assets in response to changes in the macro-environment; championing diversity equity and inclusion at the policy and curricular level to create a welcoming environment for all students, faculty, and staff; and ensuring alignment of curricular content and modalities with student and workforce needs. McCarty earned her Ph.D. in professional studies from Capella University, her master of education degree in educational leadership from Arizona State University, and her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Arizona.

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Shai Butler

Shai Butler

Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) named an interim vice president of Advancement and External Affairs, a leadership position that oversees institution-sustaining efforts, engagement writ large, and strategic communication. Shai Butler, who starts June 7, will work closely with STCC President John Cook to support the college’s mission. In this role, Butler will carry a portfolio that includes fundraising, governmental relations, strategic marketing, branding, and communication. The role also ensures deep connections with the STCC Foundation, and Butler carries the dual title of executive director of the STCC Foundation. Butler most recently served as vice president for Student Development at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. Butler led the creation of the division of Student Development at the College of Saint Rose, where she had worked in various leadership roles since 2007. For many years, she served as the chief diversity officer. She began her career in higher education at the University at Albany – State University of New York, where she worked for over a decade, and where she previously earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in educational administration and policy studies. In 2014, she earned a doctoral degree in law and policy at Northeastern University in Boston. A speaker, writer, and influencer on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as women’s leadership, mentorship, sponsorship, and professional development, Butler is an executive contributor for higheredjobs.com. In addition, her research on educational access for low-income students opened the door for her to join 60 educators at a 2014 White House conference on increasing the number of youth and traditional college-aged students of color majoring in STEM fields.

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Julie Quink

Julie Quink

The Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) announced that Julie Quink, CPA, CFE, was elected to the board of directors for its 2021-22 fiscal year. Quink is managing principal at Burkhart, Pizzanelli, P.C., where she is responsible for attestation practices, including performing and supervising engagements. The MSCPA board of directors is a group of 19 elected members that sets policies, manages programs, and oversees activities that benefit the 11,000-member organization and accounting profession in Massachusetts. With more than 30 years of experience in public accounting and three years of private, corporate accounting experience, Quink performs and consults on fraud and forensic engagements. In addition, she is involved in the accounting and consulting aspects of the practice and manages engagements of various sizes and complexity. She also performs services relative to forensic and fraud-related engagements.

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The Applied Mortgage team announced that Branch Manager Lindsay Barron LaBonte has been recognized as the number-one loan originator at a mortgage company in Western Mass., for both the number of units and volume of loans funded for 2020. The May 24 special section of the Warren Group’s Banker & Tradesman magazine features the top Massachusetts loan originators of 2020. The list of rankings is pulled from the National Mortgage Licensing System public records for Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. Barron LaBonte and her team at Applied Mortgage have been ranked as the top loan originator at a mortgage company for both 2019 and 2020. “I am incredibly thankful for both the continuous community support throughout the years and also the committed work of my team here in Northampton and at HarborOne Mortgage,” she said. “We are proud to carry on the Applied Mortgage legacy as a second-generation, family-managed branch which continues to serve the home-ownership needs of our Western Mass. community.”

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Samuel Ortiz

Samuel Ortiz

Country Bank announced that Samuel Ortiz has joined its Commercial Lending division. A 40-year veteran of the commercial-lending industry, Ortiz is an experienced business-development leader serving Western and Central Mass. He earned an associate degree in business administration from Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and has attended various banking and financial programs throughout his career, including the School of Finance and Management at Fairfield University. He is also a Certified Internal Auditor. Prior to joining Country Bank, Ortiz worked for Common Capital, where he was responsible for all aspects of business-loan operations. He also owned his own consulting firm, where he provided small-business loan underwriting, as a consultant, to the Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund in Greenfield.

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Visiting Angels of West Springfield announced that Alissia Prefontaine was named Caregiver of the Month for March. She has been with Visiting Angels since November 2015 and has had more than 30 clients in that time. As the agency notes, “Ali specializes in committing to many small cases, meaning that she must form a personal bond with a wide number of clients and quickly adjust to each individual situation. She is always willing to help pick up shifts and new clients; as a result, she has dealt with a wide variety of situations and always knows exactly what to do in order to best assist her client. Whether caring for clients with dementia, on hospice care, or simply providing companionship, Ali is warmhearted and caring. For example, Ali once had a client she was very attached to. When this individual unfortunately passed away, Ali was there to support the husband as well as each and every grieving family member.”

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Sara Ugalde

Sara Ugalde

Following a national search, Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA) named former prep and collegiate standout Sara Ugalde head coach of its inaugural girls’ ice hockey team. Ugalde will take the helm of the program beginning July 1. A hockey MVP as a player at Westminster School, Ugalde helped lead Middlebury College to NESCAC championships in 2011 and 2012. Her experience with collegiate hockey coaching includes assistant women’s ice hockey coach at Trinity College, Williams College, and Colby College. She was director and coach of the Connecticut Junior Rangers and assistant coach for the NWHL Connecticut Whale, and has helped run multiple hockey camps throughout the country.

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Bulkley Richardson has enhanced the firm’s summer associate program, welcoming four law students this summer. Briana Dawkins is currently attending Western New England University School of Law and earned a bachelor’s degree from Curry College, summa cum laude, in 2018. She was an intern at the U.S. Department of Labor and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. Sean Buxton is currently attending Western New England University School of Law. He is a 2019 graduate of Princeton University, cum laude, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He was an intern at the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office and for Judge Alberto Rivas in the Superior Court of New Jersey. Shriti Shah is currently attending the University of Connecticut School of Law. She received a master of management studies degree in 2017 from K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, and a bachelor of commerce degree in 2004 from SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, both affiliated with the University of Mumbai. Jacob Kosakowski is currently attending Suffolk University School of Law. He is a 2018 graduate of UMass Amherst, summa cum laude, and served as an intern for Chief Justice Paul Dawley and the Child Abuse Unit of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office. Summer associates are introduced to the inner workings of a law firm, receive mentorship from lawyers ranging from firm leaders and retired judges to junior associates, and are exposed to real-life legal matters. All of this year’s summer associates anticipate a spring 2022 graduation from law school.

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American International College (AIC) announced it has promoted Nicolle Cestero, Matthew Scott, Jessica Chapin, and Michael Eriquezzo, and welcomed Velmer Burton Jr., Jennifer McDonough, and Louis Izzi Jr. to its leadership team.

Nicolle Cestero

Nicolle Cestero

• Cestero has been promoted to chief operating officer, executive vice president, and retains her title as chief of staff. Among the responsibilities in her newly expanded position, Cestero will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the college, while continuing to serve as advisor to the president, playing an integral role in implementing AIC’s strategic plan. Cestero will oversee the college’s legal matters and support presidential and institutional initiatives. She serves on the president’s cabinet and all individual board committees. Additionally, she will play a key role, in collaboration with the board of trustees, in the nationwide search for retiring President Vince Maniaci’s successor.

Matthew Scott

Matthew Scott

• Scott has been serving as vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students since July 2020. He will add Title IX coordinator to his area of responsibilities. With that addition, he will be the designated official from AIC with primary responsibility for coordinating compliance with Title IX, including providing leadership for Title IX activities; consultation, education, and training; and helping to ensure that the institution responds appropriately, effectively, and equitably to Title IX issues. As vice president and dean of students, Scott oversees the Division of Student Affairs, which includes Student Life, the Saremi Center for Career Development, and Dexter Health and Counseling Services.

Jessica Chapin

Jessica Chapin

• Chapin has been promoted to director of Athletics and will oversee all aspects of AIC athletic programs. Chapin joined AIC in 2014 as the compliance coordinator. Among her duties, she is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the athletics department, including oversight of compliance with ensuring NCAA Division I and Division II rules and bylaws, retention, financial aid, and new-student recruitment, collaborating with offices across campus. She is the Title IX deputy coordinator for Athletics. In 2017, Chapin was appointed to a four-year term with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Management Council.

Michael Eriquezzo

Michael Eriquezzo

• Eriquezzo has been promoted to director of Marketing and Communications. He will have oversight of all aspects of institutional digital and traditional marketing, web, and public-relations functions for the college, including the semi-annual Lucent magazine with a circulation to more than 30,000 alumni. Eriquezzo came to AIC as the art director and senior designer in 2017 from Go Graphix in East Longmeadow, where he served as project manager and creative lead, and the Children’s Study Home, where he was the external communications manager.

Velmer Burton Jr.

Velmer Burton Jr.

• Burton joins AIC as executive vice president for Academic Affairs. As part of his responsibilities, he will advance the academic priorities and goals of the college in a fiscally responsible manner, balancing expenses and revenues and managing growth, with an emphasis on new and enhanced programming, student learning, and quality of instruction in a student-centered, culturally diverse, and inclusive environment. He will oversee undergraduate and graduate degree programs in AIC’s School of Business, Arts and Sciences; School of Education; and School of Health Sciences. He comes to AIC from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he served as senior vice chancellor of University Strategy and Performance and professor of Criminal Justice.

• McDonough joins AIC as vice president for Institutional Advancement. She brings nearly 40 years of experience in the advancement profession, incorporating institutional leadership positions and philanthropic consulting services focusing on campaigns and ongoing development, as well as alumni-engagement program planning, implementation, and assessment; talent development; and leader and partner involvement. As a former executive associate with Bentz Whaley Flessner, a national and international fundraising consulting and services company, McDonough served an extensive number of diverse private and public higher-education institutions across the country, including AIC.

Louis Izzi Jr.

Louis Izzi Jr.

• Izzi will lead the Yellow Jackets as the vice president for Athletics. He joins AIC from the University of Bridgeport (Conn.), where he served as vice president for Athletics and Enrollment Management since 2019. While at Bridgeport, Izzi was responsible for the strategic planning, leadership, development, and operational and personnel management of the university’s NCAA Division II athletics program, providing management oversight and direction of all operations and strategies related to undergraduate, graduate, domestic, international, and online recruiting efforts. Additionally, he worked closely with the university’s Office of Institutional Advancement to cultivate and steward gifts for the Athletics department.

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move

Seth Stratton

Fitzgerald Attorneys at Law and MGM Springfield announced that attorney Seth Stratton will be leaving his position as vice president and legal counsel of MGM Resorts’ Northeast Group by mid-June to rejoin Fitzgerald as the firm’s managing shareholder. In this leadership role, he will assist the firm’s clients on a wide range of business-related matters, including corporate governance, commercial development, regulatory matters, and dispute resolution. During his time with MGM Springfield, Stratton oversaw legal affairs, regulatory compliance, and government relations in connection with the development, construction, and opening of the $950 million MGM Springfield destination resort casino in downtown Springfield. In 2019, his role expanded to serve as property general counsel and officer for two operating MGM casinos: MGM Springfield and Empire City Casino in Yonkers, N.Y. In that capacity, Stratton provided strategic oversight, management, and direction for legal, regulatory, compliance, risk, and government-affairs functions for both casino complexes and served as an officer and executive committee member for each property. He will now bring this business, development, and management experience to his work with Fitzgerald.

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Crystal Neuhauser

Crystal Neuhauser

Bay Path University announced that Crystal Neuhauser has been named vice president of Institutional Advancement, effective June 21. Neuhauser comes to Bay Path after serving as the associate vice president of Advancement at Franklin Pierce University, where she increased overall giving by 41% in 2020. Prior to Franklin Pierce, she directed advancement and development initiatives at Yale University, Quinnipiac University, and Mitchell College, and also worked within the nonprofit community sector. Her career experience spans fundraising, donor relations, alumni engagement, grants, and corporate contributions. She also served on a strategic planning subcommittee at Franklin Pierce. Neuhauser is currently working toward a doctorate of education in educational leadership at New England College. She earned her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Quinnipiac College and her bachelor’s degree in business management from Albertus Magnus College. At Bay Path, Neuhauser will serve as a member of the executive staff. In this role, she will provide strategic leadership for fundraising, including responsibility for annual giving; corporate, major and planned gifts; endowment; capital campaigns; alumni and constituent-relations efforts; stewardship; and advancement services. As a nonprofit higher-education institution, Bay Path depends on the generosity of donors to fund scholarships and important initiatives that make a difference in students’ lives.

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Rachel Rubinstein

Rachel Rubinstein

Springfield College announced that Rachel Rubinstein has been named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, effective July 12. Rubinstein was professor of American Literature and Jewish Studies at Hampshire College for 16 years, where she also served as the dean of Academic Support and Advising for six years. She subsequently became Holyoke Community College’s inaugural vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, a position that combined two previously separate divisions. Most recently, she has been serving as senior advisor to the deputy commissioner of Academic Affairs and Student Success at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, where she has focused on supporting initiatives in the state’s equity agenda. The child of immigrants from Mexico, Rubinstein’s scholarship focuses on migration, multi-lingualism, racial formation, and literary nationalism, as well as on pedagogies in the fields of ethnic and race studies. She is the author of Members of the Tribe: Native America in the Jewish Imagination, as well as the co-editor of Arguing the Modern Jewish Canon and, most recently, Teaching Jewish American Literature, a volume in the MLA’s Options for Teaching series. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University and her PhD in English and American literature from Harvard University.

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Nicole Domnarski

Nicole Domnarski

FSB Financial Group, the investment division of Florence Bank, announced that Nicole Domnarski, after working two years as an assistant financial advisor, has transitioned to financial advisor. She began her career in the financial-services industry 24 years ago and has been employed by FSB Financial Group for the past 10 years, helping advisors protect and preserve clients’ wealth. As a financial advisor, she will work directly with individuals and business owners to develop strategic, long-term financial plans to help customers achieve their financial goals and objectives. Domnarski is a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College and is a chartered retirement planning counselor certified by the College for Financial Planning. She is an investment advisor representative with Commonwealth Financial Network, and holds Series 6, 7, 31, 63, and 65 registrations. She is also licensed to sell both life and health insurance.

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The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) announced the appointment of Denise Hurst as vice president for Community Impact and Partnerships. In this redesigned role meant to deepen community engagement and drive program efficacy and representation, Hurst will oversee community investments, including grants, scholarships, and new efforts to strengthen advocacy, technical assistance, data and research, and evaluation in regional projects and initiatives. This appointment is the latest example of CFWM’s ongoing commitment to advance equity in the region by elevating community voices, cultivating new coalitions and partnerships, and advancing the organizational effectiveness of nonprofits. Hurst joins the Foundation after serving Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) as vice president of Advancement & External Affairs, where she led development for the college as the executive director of the STCC Foundation, and later oversaw marketing, communications, and government affairs. Prior to that, she was appointed regional manager of the Massachusetts State Lottery in Western Mass. by state Treasurer Deb Goldberg and has worked as site director for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, as well as an adjunct professor at Cambridge College. She comes to CFWM with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and established networks across Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties. For more than a decade, Hurst served as an elected member of the Springfield School Committee. She led the charge to establish the Minority Caucus for the Massachusetts Assoc. of School Committees (MASC) and served as the former chair of the caucus, as well as the former vice president of MASC. Hurst has been honored with several awards, including BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2014, 2015 100 Women of Color in New England, and 2015 Top 25 Women to Watch in Western Mass., and most recently as the 2019 Woman of the Year by the Professional Women’s Chamber.

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Nancy Creed

Nancy Creed

Nancy Creed, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, has been elected president of the Massachusetts Assoc. of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE) through 2022. MACCE is a Massachusetts-based organization that offers resources and networking opportunities to its member chamber of commerce professionals across the Commonwealth. Creed has amassed more than 25 years of strategic alliance building, communications, public relations, media relations, and government and community outreach experience. She has served as president of the Springfield Regional Chamber since 2016. Prior to becoming chamber president, she served as vice president of Marketing and Communications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, is certified in nonprofit organization management through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management, and is a 2000 graduate of the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Leadership Institute. Creed has served in a variety of capacities on the MACCE board, including Region 1 vice president, secretary, and vice president.

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Michael Sullivan

Michael Sullivan

Julius Lewis

Julius Lewis

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced the retirement of Michael Sullivan, longtime board director and original founding member of the credit union, at its 54th annual meeting in March. New director Julius Lewis was also elected to the open position at the virtual event. Sullivan’s legacy extends well beyond UMassFive in the world of credit unions. While he served originally as a UMassFive board member beginning in 1982, and as the credit union board chair at UMassFive from 1986 to 1993, he concurrently held the titles of director, vice chair, and chair of Mass CUNA (1986-1998). During this time, he was instrumental in the merger of the two state credit-union leagues that eventually became the Cooperative Credit Union Assoc. (CCUA). As a thank you for his many contributions, UMassFive has dedicated the board room in its Hadley executive area as the Michael Sullivan Board Room in his honor. Newly elected board member Julius Lewis has been a member of the credit union since 2010 and, throughout the years, has helped promote UMassFive’s products and services within the local community. He is a graduate of the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, which played a major role in launching his professional career in the financial industry. He has worked as an independent financial consultant, specializing in insurance products since 2003. In 2006, Lewis created and began hosting The Lewis & Morrow Financial Hour, a weekly financial radio talk show broadcasted throughout the region and online. In 2017, he started his company, JDL Financial, and has received several awards and achievements within his profession. UMassFive welcomes his new perspectives and ideas to the board.

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Mill Town announced it has hired Dennis Robinson as the company’s chief operating officer and president of Bousquet Enterprises, a group of recreational and hospitality businesses based in the Berkshires. Beginning immediately, Robinson will be responsible for the management, operations, and financial performance of the company’s operating business portfolio. He will also oversee major capital projects related to these sites, which include Bousquet Mountain Ski Area, Bousquet Sport (formerly Berkshire West Athletic Club), the Camp by Bousquet (formerly the Lakeside Christian Camp), the Gateways Inn, and Mission Bar & Tapas. Robinson brings more than three decades of management experience to the team. Following an MBA from Harvard Business School, he spent nine years with the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, the ownership entity of the Meadowlands and MetLife Stadium. From 1999 to 2007, he was the senior vice president of Business Operations for the NBA in New York. Upon returning to the New Jersey Sports & Expo Authority in 2008, he led facility management of Giants Stadium, Meadowlands Racetrack, Monmouth Park Racetrack, and the IZOD Center. More recently, Robinson held leadership roles at Formula 1 and was the chief of staff and acting secretary of State for the state of New Jersey from 2015 to 2017. Robinson has an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University, where he was a varsity football player; a master’s degree in sport management from UMass Amherst; and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Kate Keiderling

Kate Keiderling

OMG Inc. appointed Kate Keiderling to the position of director of Human Resources and Environmental Health and Safety (HR/EHS). In her new position, she is responsible for developing and executing strategies that continue to provide a culture that is safe, healthy, supportive, inclusive, open, and creative. In her new role, she will work closely with the senior management team to plan and execute business strategies that address corporate safety, as well as effective personnel management. She is also responsible for improving the company’s current HR/EHS structure, programs, and processes as necessary to support OMG employees and business goals. She reports to Hubert McGovern, president and CEO of OMG. Keiderling joined OMG Inc. from Paradigm Precision in Manchester, Conn., where she was director of Human Resources for North America. Earlier, she spent 16 years in various HR positions with Pratt & Whitney, most recently as associate director of Human Resources for military engines. She also worked for the Travelers Insurance. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Elms College and a master’s degree in human resource development from American International College.

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Fred Mills

Fred Mills

New England’s largest healthcare-centric managed service provider and value-added reseller is positioning itself for national growth with the addition of Fred Mills as its new vice president of Sales. Mills joins baytechIT after stints as senior director of Worldwide Healthcare Alliances and Business Development for data-management provider Commvault, and director and general manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise for Healthcare in the Americas. The effort is also part of a national sales strategy for the entire Pixel Health portfolio of companies under the direction of newly appointed Chief Revenue Officer Barbara Casey. BaytechIT was founded in 2018 as a partnership between Pixel Health and Baystate Health System. The company’s U.S.-based call center and field-services staff supports more than 150 hospitals, clinics, and independent medical practices, with more than 16,000 devices under management. The company maintains sales partnerships with Microsoft, HPE, Cisco, Hewlett Packard, Dell, and Lenovo, among others. Mills will support clients throughout the U.S. and will be based in Raleigh, N.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

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Emma Redman

Emma Redman

SkinCatering Salon & Spa, located inside Tower Square in downtown Springfield, announced the promotion of its spa coordinator, Emma Redman, to its leadership team as the new salon & spa manager. Redman will oversee daily operations and social-media coordination, while leading a growing unit of nine employees. After several years in customer service at Six Flags New England, acting in local theatre productions, and working as a special-effects and bridal makeup artist, Redman began as a part-time front-desk employee at SkinCatering in 2019 and was quickly promoted to full-time spa coordinator just a few months later. In 2020, Redman’s support during the spa’s temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic was invaluable as she adeptly navigated the unknown to help preserve SkinCatering’s extensive client base for their return. As SkinCatering Spa evolved into SkinCatering Salon & Spa in December with its expansion in its new location on the first floor of Tower Square, Redman’s responsibilities increased, and she continued to show great leadership promise, SkinCatering owners Leanne Sedlak and Kim Brunton Auger said.

 

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Don Eaton

Don Eaton

Toole Insurance Agency recently welcomed Don Eaton as an account executive. With more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, his primary focus will be helping Toole Agency clients in construction and other related sectors in Massachusetts and Eastern New York by delivering innovative solutions through the Toole Guard risk-assessment process, allowing them to make informed risk-management and finance decisions. Eaton holds the certified insurance counselor (CIC) and construction risk insurance specialist (CRIS) designations. Eaton began his career as a direct writer for a midwestern mutual insurance company, where he received extensive training and achieved national recognition as a top performer. He then transitioned to working in the agency system as an independent agent in Western New York specializing in commercial lines before his most recent position as a regional vice president for one of the largest alliances of independent agents in the U.S.

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Vince Maniaci

American International College (AIC) President Vince Maniaci announced plans to retire at the end of academic year 2021-22. At the time of his retirement, Maniaci will have served the college for 17 years. During his time as president, Maniaci successfully increased undergraduate and graduate programming through the doctoral level, resulting in robust enrollments; expanded athletic programs and improved sports venues; contributed to the revitalization of the college with new construction and renovation of campus facilities in support of academics, athletics, and student life; enhanced campus safety with increased personnel and technology upgrades; and pursued grant funding, including a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2006, after an initial downsizing and retrenchment, AIC began to grow programming and enrollment. New programming in recent years has included a minor in Spanish, the addition of a master of science in cannabis science and commerce, the statewide expansion of the master’s in education program, and the establishment of a low-residency program. Health Sciences has experienced steady growth with the introduction of exercise science, family nurse practitioner, and a doctorate in occupational therapy. At the time of Maniaci’s arrival in the fall of 2005, graduate enrollment was approximately 380 students. As of the fall 2020 semester, the total graduate enrollment has expanded to nearly 1,250 and includes 22 program offerings. Undergraduate enrollment has grown as well. In recent years, despite downward trends in college enrollment in the Northeast, AIC has boasted two of its largest incoming first-year classes, with a current undergraduate population nearing 1,400 students. New construction and renovation of campus facilities in support of academics, athletics, and student life contributed to the revitalization of the college under Maniaci’s leadership.

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Jason Berry

Jason Berry

Monson Savings Bank announced the recent hire of Jason Berry as vice president and commercial loan officer. He will focus on providing customized, sensible lending and deposit solutions to businesses. He will assist in the maximization of cash flow and bringing the full scope of the bank’s products and high-tech services to the businesses he serves. He will also introduce business partners, who are experts in their field, to support businesses. Berry graduated from Westfield State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science after earning his associate degree in liberal arts at Holyoke Community College. He brings more than 15 years of banking and financial experience to Monson Savings Bank. He most recently held the role of vice president, Business Banking relationship manager at People’s United Bank. He is active in the community, offering support to various local charitable organizations and engaging with local chambers to support the local business community. He enjoys volunteering and has given his time to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Susan G. Komen, United Way, and Junior Achievement. Additionally, he is a member of the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce and West of the River Chamber of Commerce.

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After a career spanning more than three decades in public broadcasting, Martin Miller is stepping down from his position as president of New England Public Media (NEPM). He will continue in his role until a successor is named, and then will move into a senior counsel role focused on new fundraising efforts for NEPM’s music endowment, journalism, and engagement priorities. Miller led WFCR radio for more than two decades, expanding it into the 13-station New England Public Radio (NEPR) network and relocating its main broadcast facility from the UMass Amherst campus to state-of-the-art studios in Springfield. The Five College Studios, rebuilt in 2016, remain at UMass in Hampshire House. In 2019, Miller became president of NEPM after helping to orchestrate an alliance with public-television station WGBY to create New England Public Media, thus expanding journalism, community-engagement, cultural, and educational programs through multi-platform services. The successful merger of NEPR with WGBY brought together the resources of public radio and TV, creating a robust public-media organization positioned to continue its public-service mission well into the future. During his nearly 26 years leading WFCR, NEPR, and NEPM, he helped raise more than $11 million for capital improvements and new programming, developed NEPR’s Media Lab, was responsible for significant revenue and audience growth for radio, increased investments in journalism, developed a diverse board of directors and created a new community advisory board for NEPM, and, most recently, oversaw the launch of NEPM’s new local radio program And Another Thing.

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Dean Marchessault

Dean Marchessault

American Eagle Financial Credit Union (AEFCU) announced that Dean Marchessault, the nonprofit organization’s president and CEO, will retire at the end of 2021, allowing for a transition process over the next seven months. Marchessault’s decision to retire will conclude 22 years of service to Connecticut’s largest community credit union, including seven as president and CEO. American Eagle has selected Howard Brady to be the credit union’s next president and CEO, starting Jan. 3, 2022. Brady has served as senior vice president and chief lending officer since 2015. During Marchessault’s time as president and CEO, the credit union’s membership and footprint have also grown exponentially. AEFCU currently provides banking services to more than 160,000 members and opened its first office in New Haven County while also being granted approval to expand its field of membership into Western Mass. in 2019. In 2020 alone, AEFCU’s monetary contributions were just shy of $300,000 and included grants from American Eagle’s donor-advised fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, corporate sponsorships, and general donations, as well as those derived from AEFCU’s Cash Back to the Community program. In recent years, Marchessault has garnered several honors as a business and community leader, including a C-Suite Award from the Harford Business Journal in 2020, and the Business Person of the Year Award from the Connecticut River Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2018. In 2019, AEFCU was named one of the “Best Places to Work in Connecticut” by the Hartford Business Journal.

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Michael Tucker, CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank (GCB) and its Northampton Cooperative Bank division, recently announced a number of promotions.

• Mary Rawls was elected executive vice president, Compliance. She also serves as the bank’s BSA officer and co-CRA officer. She first joined GCB in 1994 and has more than 26 years of experience in banking. She is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College, the Massachusetts Bankers Bank Compliance Academy, and numerous Center for Financial Studies courses.

• Michael Turley was elected executive vice president and chief financial officer. He has more than 40 years of experience in banking, most recently with GCB since 2013. He is a graduate of Union College in New York and has an MBA with a concentration in finance from Western New England University. He will be solely responsible for supervising the staff in the accounting and treasury functions within the bank. He will also officially become treasurer when Colleen Bugbee retires this May.

• Janet Rosenkranz was elected senior vice president and credit officer. She joined the bank in 2016 as credit officer. In addition to her five years at GCB, she has more than 20 years of experience at two other banks before joining GCB. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from UMass Amherst and will graduate from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania this summer.

• Alyssa Dansereau was elected assistant vice president and assistant controller. She joined GCB’s Accounting department in 2016. She is a graduate of Holyoke Community College and Western New England University with degrees in accounting.

• Melissa Tetreault was elected assistant vice president, senior mortgage originator. She has a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and is a graduate of New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College. She has more than 18 years of experience with GCB in two tours, having rejoined the bank in 2018.

• Deborah Marvel has been promoted to senior operations specialist. She joined GCB as a teller in 2002. Since 2009, she has worked in both the Deposit Operations department and Loan Servicing department prior to this latest role in Operations.

• Erica Josephson has been promoted to credit analyst III. She has been a credit analyst at various banks since 2016, most recently a senior credit analyst at Berkshire Bank. She joined GCB as a credit analyst II in 2019. She is a graduate of the University of Vermont.

• Marjorie Smith has been promoted to credit analyst III. She joined GCB as a teller in 2010 and has been working in loans since 2012 and in the credit department since 2016. She is a graduate of Houghton College in New York.

• Benjamin Viens has been promoted to credit analyst II. He joined GCB in 2018 as a teller and has been in the credit department since 2019. He is a graduate of Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I.

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Miranda Goncalves

Miranda Goncalves

Gove Law Office announced that paralegal Miranda Goncalves has joined the firm as a real-estate paralegal. She has more than five years of experience as a real-estate paralegal and will be focused on residential real-estate transactions with the firm. “Miranda brings significant experience to our real-estate practice, having previously worked with a local real-estate attorney for the past five years, and will be ready to help our clients with their transactions from day one,” said Michael Gove, founding partner of Gove Law Office. Miranda received her bachelor’s degree in legal studies, with a secondary concentration in psychology and a certificate of international relations, from UMass Amherst in 2015. She is also fluent in Spanish and conversant in Portuguese.

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Florence Bank announced that Kiara Sonoda, Jessica Camp, Samantha Sanger, and Lynn Formel have been selected as recipients of the 2020 President’s Award. Employees nominate their peers for this prestigious honor, which recognizes outstanding performance, customer service, and overall contribution to Florence Bank. Sonoda is a teller operations manager and customer service representative at the downtown Northampton office and has been with Florence Bank for nine years. She attended the University of Massachusetts and is a figure-skating coach for the Skating Club of Amherst. Camp is a credit analyst at the main headquarters and has been with Florence Bank for three years. She received her bachelor’s degree from Framingham State University. Sanger is a customer records analyst at the main headquarters and has been with Florence Bank for 10 years. She attended the University of Phoenix. Formel is a customer service representative at the Hadley branch and has been with Florence Bank for three years.

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UMassFive College Federal Credit Union recently introduced the newest leaders of its Hadley and Northampton branches and contact center: Megan Lagoy, Eurika Boulay, and Katharine Lawton. Lagoy has expanded her role as assistant vice president of Retail Services. She began her career at UMassFive nine years ago as a call center representative, eventually taking on other various contact center roles, and most recently held the title of AVP of the contact center and interactive teller machine (ITM) department. In her new position, she will oversee the Hadley branch in addition to the contact center and the ITM department. Boulay has been promoted to Northampton branch manager. She began her career at UMassFive five years ago as a member service specialist in the Northampton branch, eventually moving on to becoming the branch backup supervisor, and most recently the Northampton VA Medical Center branch manager. In her new role, she leads the Northampton branch team in creating positive member experiences, maintaining branch compliance, and working with the Community Outreach manager to develop UMassFive’s presence in Northampton. Lawton has been promoted to contact center manager. She began her career at UMassFive in 2016 as a contact center representative and quickly progressed to lead contact center representative in 2017. In her new role, she will oversee new online membership fulfillment, onboarding, loan applications, phone-system administration, and providing resolutions to ensure positive member experiences.

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Karin Jeffers, president and CEO of nonprofit behavioral-health agency Clinical & Support Options (CSO), has become the newest board member of the National Council for Behavioral Health. Jeffers earned the greatest number of votes during a recent special election to replace outgoing board member Tomas Jankowski. Jeffers will be one of two representatives for the National Council Region 1, which includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. She will serve out the remainder of Jankowski’s term (until June 30, 2023) and be eligible to run for two additional three-year terms thereafter. Jeffers has served as CSO’s president and CEO since 2005. During her tenure at the helm, the agency has grown from a $4 million organization with fewer than 90 employees across just three Greenfield locations to what is now a $44 million agency with more than 750 employees at 20 locations across Western and Central Mass. Joining the National Council Board is not Jeffers’ first foray into public policy. In addition to being a longtime National Council member, she also serves on the board of the Assoc. of Behavioral Health (ABH), which is instrumental in lobbying for positive change in statewide and national policies governing healthcare. In fact, she served as ABH’s board chair from 2016 to 2018, and as its children’s CEO policy committee chair from 2012 to 2020. She currently chairs the ABH CEO committee on emergency services.

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Beth Zapatka

Beth Zapatka

Springfield College announced that Beth Zapatka has been hired as the new vice president for Institutional Advancement, following a national and competitive search. Zapatka comes to Springfield College from Yale University, where she served as associate dean for Development and Alumni Affairs for the Yale School of Nursing. She will join the President’s Leadership Team on July 1 and oversee all institutional-advancement efforts, including the departments of Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, and Development. In a nine-year career at Yale, Zapatka held numerous roles that created a well-rounded set of experiences in institutional advancement that are directly transferable to Springfield College. In her most recent role in the School of Nursing, her accomplishments include securing significant new resources — nearly tripling contributions to the school — overseeing a rebranding campaign, building university-wide collaborations, broadening the use of social-media platforms, and reinvigorating the alumni and advisory boards.

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Slandie Dieujuste

Slandie Dieujuste

Springfield College announced that Slandie Dieujuste has been hired as vice president for Student Affairs. She is currently vice provost for Student Affairs and dean of students at Massasoit Community College, a position she has held since 2018. She will start her new role at Springfield College on July 1. Dieujuste will join the Springfield College President’s Leadership Team and play a key leadership role in fostering a sense of inclusion and engagement in a diverse and vibrant community. Working with students, faculty, and staff, she will be responsible for developing a comprehensive co-curricular vision for life on campus. Prior to her current role at Massasoit Community College, Dieujuste was associate vice provost for Residence and Greek Life at Illinois Institute of Technology. She also held student-affairs leadership positions at Governors State University, Jackson College, Saint Mary’s College, and Northeastern University. She received her PhD in higher education administration from Andrews University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College. Dieujuste will lead the Springfield College Division of Student Affairs, which includes the following offices and programs: Spiritual Life, Community Standards, Alcohol and Other Drug Education, Dean of Students, Student Orientation Programs, Career Center, Counseling Center, Housing and Residence Life, Student Activities and Campus Union, Campus Recreation, Center for Service and Leadership, and the Health Center.

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Western New England University announced the appointment of Basil Andrew Stewart as vice president for Finance and Administration after a comprehensive national search. Currently, he is vice president for Finance and chief financial officer for Lasell University and assistant treasurer and chief financial officer of Lasell Village in Newton. At Western New England, Stewart will serve as the chief financial officer for the university. Stewart will be responsible for the university’s finance and budgeting, internal audits, facilities management and construction, campus police, risk management, information technology, and auxiliary services. As CFO, he will serve as chief advisor to the president on financial and administrative matters and will have administrative responsibility to the board of trustees by providing administrative support to its finance, audit, and investment committees. Prior to his current post, Stewart served as chief financial officer and senior vice president for Finance and Administration at Merrimack College and held controller posts at such prestigious institutions as MIT, Northeastern, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Smith College, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. He held auditing posts for the Gillette Co. and Coopers & Lybrand. He earned his MBA and a BBA in accounting from UMass Amherst. He is a board member of the Boston Consortium for Higher Education and Boston Senior Home Care Inc. and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Inc. and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants Inc. He holds designations as a chartered global management accountant and certified public accountant. Stewart, who joins Western New England University in June, succeeds retiring Vice President for Finance and Administration Richard Wagner, who also served as director of Institutional Leadership and Planning for 18 years.

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Alex Fullerton

Alex Fullerton

Kristina Smith

Kristina Smith

Christina Reynolds

Christina Reynolds

Tara Sanderson

Tara Sanderson

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced four recent promotions. Alex Fullerton has been promoted to assistant vice president of Loan Operations. In this new role, he is responsible for providing leadership, oversight, and direction for all consumer-lending activities. Fullerton has been with the credit union for nine years and has held numerous roles, beginning as a teller, and most recently a supervisor of the Debt Solutions department. Kristina Smith has been promoted to assistant vice president of Retail Administration. Transitioning from overseeing retail branches, she now supports frontline teams to help plan and implement organizational growth projects; manage retail policies, procedures, and training; as well as assist with retail programs to ensure operational efficiencies are maintained. Beginning as a part-time teller after graduating from UMass Amherst, her assorted roles at the credit union over the past 12 years have prepared her for this new position. Smith’s UMassFive career includes working as the assistant to the former president/CEO manager of the Mercy Medical Center branch and senior branch manager in Hadley. Christina Reynolds has been promoted to Card Services manager. She began her career at UMassFive 10 years ago as a part-time online banking specialist in the Contact Center, eventually taking on other various branch assignments, including most recently the Northampton branch manager position. In her new role, she oversees the Card Services department, ensuring debit- and credit-card quality control and audit processes are in place while also maintaining policies to maximize efficiency and service to members. Tara Sanderson has been promoted to loan servicing manager. She began her career at UMassFive in December of 2017 as a loan servicing specialist. She was promoted to senior loan servicing specialist in mid-2019, shortly followed by a promotion to loan servicing supervisor. In her new position as loan servicing manager, Sanderson oversees both the loan-processing and loan-servicing aspects of lending to ensure compliance and maximize efficiency and service internally as well as for UMassFive members.

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Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso of the Connecticut Valley General Office of New York Life, an agent since 1995, has received the Agent of the Year Award for 2020. This award recognizes the agent who has achieved the top production among all agents at the company’s Connecticut Valley General Office. Deliso has developed an expertise in helping business owners and individuals protect and secure their own and their family’s future. Her extensive experience has led to a focus in certain fields, such as cash and risk management, retirement, and estate planning. She is committed to educating individuals regarding their finances and frequently conducts workshops advocating financial empowerment. She is a Nautilus Group member agent, an exclusive advanced-planning resource for estate-conservation and business-continuation strategies. Her access to this exclusive resource enables her clients to benefit from the group’s collective experience and insightful solutions as they apply to the protection, accumulation, and distribution of wealth to individuals, families, and business owners throughout the country. Deliso has also been a member of New York Life Chairman’s Council since 2012 and a qualifying member of the Million Dollar Round Table since 1999. Members of the elite Chairman’s Council rank in the top 3% of New York Life’s sales force of more than 12,000 licensed agents in sales achievement. Active in her community, she currently serves on the board of the Baystate Health Foundation and is the immediate past chairman. She also serves on and is the past chairman of the board of the Community Music School of Springfield and is the past chairman of the board of YMCA of Greater Springfield. She is a graduate of Bentley College.

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Cynthia Malinowski

Cynthia Malinowski

Florence Bank named Cynthia Malinowski as this year’s Community Support Award winner. Malinowski, vice president and branch manager of the downtown Northampton office, joined Florence Bank in October 1999 and has 33 years of banking experience. The Community Support Award was established by the bank in 1997 as a means of formally recognizing employees who are active participants in community events and donate their personal and professional time to local not-for-profit organizations. Each year, the award recipient can select a nonprofit organization of his or her choice, and the bank will donate to that organization. At Malinowski’s recommendation, Florence Bank will donate $500 to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. The mission of the Food Bank is to feed neighbors in need and lead the community in ending hunger. Malinowski serves as an active member of the Greater Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce. She is also involved with the Easthampton Helping Hand Society and occasionally volunteers at the Easthampton Community Center.

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Kelly Partridge, founder of the philanthropic clothing boutique Contribution Clothing, recently published her first children’s book. How Owls Become Wise, a story that focuses on bullying and self-correction, is available for purchase online on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart, with 10% of the book’s proceeds to benefit Unify Against Bullying. Contribution Clothing empowers women and supports the community through monetary donations to Western Mass. nonprofit organizations. Partridge has worked with Unify Against Bullying since the inception of Contribution Clothing and, when she decided to write a book about bullying, knew she wanted to use it as a way to show her support for the Unify mission. “Bullying is a topic that everyone has experienced one time or another in their lives, and I really wanted to bring awareness to it,” Partridge said, adding that she understands how victims of bullying feel, and she hopes her book can help both those who have experienced bullying and those who have inflicted it. To bring her story to life, the first-time author teamed up with illustrator Stephanie Hider, whom she met through a children’s book networking group.

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Greg Landry

Greg Landry

Freedom Credit Union recently welcomed Greg Landry as a mortgage loan originator in its West Springfield branch. “We’re delighted to have Greg on our lending team,” Vice President and Chief Loan Officer Jeffrey Smith said. “In a way, it’s like he’s coming home, as he previously worked at West Springfield Federal Credit Union before it merged with Freedom in 2019. He has a long history in this community and is the perfect person to help our members in the area become homeowners.” A graduate of Framingham State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Landry has worked as a mortgage and home-equity loan originator for more than 24 years.

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All States Transport Inc. recently welcomed Bill Shibley, former president of Zip Carriers in Westfield. He comes to AST with 41 years of experience, including 26 years at Zip Carriers. When the owner of Zip Carriers announced his retirement early this year, Shibley was looking to merge the firm’s longtime client base with a local transportation broker, and AST was his first choice. “We’ve been friendly competitors for years, and AST has always had a great reputation,” Shibley said. “They’re very well-established, and it’s a similar culture to Zip Carriers — family-run, with a focus on excellent customer service. I’ve had some of my clients for almost 30 years. I couldn’t drop the ball. I knew I could count on AST to provide the same level of support, service, and expertise that I’ve always delivered. At 66, it’s a little funny to be starting out at a new place, but so far, so good.” All States Transport Inc. is a domestic freight broker and international freight forwarder offering customized shipping solutions across road, rail, ocean, and air.

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Andrew Harris

Andrew Harris

VHB recently welcomed Andrew Harris as senior project manager and senior geologist for its Connecticut Site Investigation & Remediation (SI&R) practice and the Southern New England markets. Harris brings extensive experience working with industrial and commercial clients to assess and remediate brownfield and legacy properties across the Upper Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. His environmental and redevelopment projects span the full project life cycle from initial due diligence and hazardous-building materials assessments, decommissioning, and demolition to remedial design, construction, and site closure. He has vast knowledge in assessing and remediating asbestos, lead, PCBs, petroleum, VOCs, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. In 2014, Harris was a member of the active working group for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to develop the department’s Guidance Document on Calculating the 95% Upper Confidence Level. In addition to being a licensed environmental professional (LEP) in Connecticut, a professional geologist (PG) in New Hampshire, and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design 2.0 accredited professional (LEED 2.0 AP), Harris is also adjunct faculty at the University of Connecticut, teaching a class on how to conduct ASTM phase I and II environmental site assessments in Connecticut. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in geology from Ohio Wesleyan University and his master’s degree in geoscience from the University of Connecticut.

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Dennis Shockro

Dennis Shockro

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown

Continuing a period of unprecedented growth, Pixel Health, a five-company, national healthcare-consulting ecosystem, appointed two seasoned IT professionals to fill new brand-level operations manager roles. Former Yankee Candle Chief Information Officer Dennis Shockro assumes the role of director of Operations at engineering consultancy VertitechIT. IT managed-services industry manager Jennifer Brown joins baytechIT as senior director of Operations. In addition to Yankee Candle, Shockro held senior operational roles at Brookstone and Northern Tool and Equipment. Brown has more than 20 years of customer-focused and technical experience, both in the human-services and IT managed-services industries. Pixel Health companies VertitechIT, baytechIT, Nectar Strategic Consulting, akiro, and Liberty Fox Technologies work with health systems, hospitals, clinics, and medical practices across North America. VertitechIT is the leading certified HIMSS Analytics INFRAM consultant in the world. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began a year ago, Pixel Health has expanded its overall workforce by approximately 40% across its U.S. operations.

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Kayombo Kamawu

Kayombo Kamawu

Kayombo Kamawu, a longtime administrator and advocate in the human-services field, was recently tapped by Pathlight to join its leadership team as vice president of Residential Supports. Prior to joining Pathlight, Kamawu served as vice president of Adult Services at the Kennedy-Donovan Center, where he was responsible for residential, day, and community Services, including shared living, family-support centers, and individual/supported living. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer and management information systems. Kamawu has also served in various leadership capacities in community-based day supports, employment, and day habilitation service lines. He prides himself in developing strong teams and enjoys the hands-on experience gathered while working with those teams. Pathlight, established in 1952, is a pioneer in services for children, teens, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the four counties of Western Mass.

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Russ Fontaine

Russ Fontaine

Country Bank announced that Russ Fontaine has been promoted to senior vice president, Customer Experience. He is a seasoned banking professional with 30 years of experience in key management and leadership roles in consumer sales and service. Fontaine previously held the position of first vice president, Sales and Market Management with Country Bank, where he oversaw sales and service. One example of a new program introduced by the bank, as a result of Fontaine’s recommendation, was the deployment of a “Voice of the Customer” program that enables the bank to measure and better understand the overall customer experience through various survey metrics. In his newly created role, Fontaine is tasked with leading a bankwide collaborative effort to view things from the customer’s perspective; this applies to both the bank’s external customer and its internal customer. Fontaine is active within the community, serving on the board of directors for the Central/Western Massachusetts March of Dimes and as a 2021 co-chair for the March for Babies fundraising event in Massachusetts. He has also served on the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity board of directors, including holding the chair role for the organization’s Restore committee. Additionally, he has been an avid supporter of the United Way and the Western Massachusetts Special Olympics.

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Anita Sedlak

Florence Bank promoted Anita Sedlak to the position of vice president, branch manager of the Easthampton office. Sedlak brings extensive knowledge and skill to her new role. Prior to her recent promotion, she was the senior assistant branch manager at the Easthampton office. During her tenure at the bank, she has been the recipient of the Florence Bank Community Support Award, which is granted to employees who demonstrate superior levels of involvement in the community. She is a graduate of the New England School of Financial Studies. She serves her community as treasurer of Easthampton Dollars for Scholars, finance committee member for the Easthampton Helping Hand Society and a board member of the Florence Bank Easthampton Branch Charitable Foundation.

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The Western Mass Business Show, the WHMP radio program showcasing business leaders of the Pioneer Valley, will have a new host, Tara Brewster, beginning May 1. The show explores the experiences and perspectives of entrepreneurs, delving into their aspirations, strategies, and evolution in friendly but probing conversations. It is intended to be both entertaining and instructive, whether the listener runs a company or not. The show airs on WHMP on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Brewster is vice president for Business Development at Greenfield Savings Bank (GSB). It is her mission to form many trusted relationships with business and organizational leaders and help guide them toward how GSB can be a resource and solution for what ails them. She serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including Double Edge Theater, the Downtown Northampton Assoc., the David Ruggles Center, Hampshire Regional YMCA, MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board, and North Star Self-Directed Learning for Teens. The Smith College alumna is also the co-founder and former co-owner of Jackson & Connor, the upscale menswear store in Thornes, in downtown Northampton. Brewster takes the microphone from Ira Bryck, who started the show in 2014. Bryck ran the Family Business Center for 25 years and now consults with the leadership-coaching firm Giombetti Associates. Interested prospective guests can reach out to Brewster at [email protected].

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Annalise Eak

Annalise Eak

The Westfield Starfires announced the addition of Annalise Eak to the staff as coordinator of Group Sales & Fan Experiences. Eak, a Westfield native and graduate of Westfield State University, is pursuing a graduate degree at Bay Path University. For the last seven years, she has served as a marketing supervisor at Six Flags New England. She was a Starfires Game Day Operations volunteer at Bullens Field in both 2019 and 2020. She is vice president of the Westfield Babe Ruth board of directors and served on the World Series executive committee in 2019. She is a Westfield Centennial Lions Club member and Westfield Technical Academy sports volunteer. The Westfield Starfires are part of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, which offers collegiate summer baseball to fans in seven New England cities. The Starfires joined the league as an expansion franchise for the summer of 2019 and play in historic Billy Bullens Field in Westfield. The 2021 schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

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Comcast announced the appointment of Colleen Cone as vice president of Human Resources for the company’s Western New England region, which is headquartered in Berlin, Conn. and includes more than 300 communities in Connecticut, Western Mass., New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. Cone will oversee the region’s human-resource functions, including talent management, career development, and training; benefits, with a focus on employee wellness; and employee engagement and recognition. Prior to joining the Western New England region, Cone was the senior director of Human Resources for Comcast’s Greater Boston region, where she was responsible for employee engagement and other initiatives that addressed compliance and supported a strong and healthy workplace culture. She also previously served as vice president of Talent and Culture for Skillsoft, where she was the senior leader responsible for employee engagement, internal communications, U.S. talent acquisition, and performance-management processes and recognition for a global workforce. Cone holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. and a juris doctor degree from Penn State University’s Dickinson School of Law. Named by New Hampshire magazine to its 2016 list of Exceptional Women in Business, she also serves on the board of directors of New Hampshire Tech Alliance and Families in Transition.

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Ann-Marie Simao

Ann-Marie Simao

Joshua Carreiro

Joshua Carreiro

Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) honored two faculty members as this year’s 2021 Endowed Chairs, awards named for two of the college’s founders. In a video sent to the STCC campus community, President John Cook congratulated this year’s recipients, Professors Ann-Marie Simao and Joshua Carreiro. Carreiro received the Anthony M. Scibelli Endowed Chair, and Simao received the Joseph J. Deliso Sr. Endowed Chair. They received a monetary award — $3,000 each — and wooden chairs with plaques inscribed with their names. They can apply $1,500 to professional development and $1,500 to their academic department. In announcing the Deliso recipient, Barbara Washburn, interim dean of the School of STEM, said Simao, a mathematics professor, is known for her early adoption of open education resources (OER), which allows students to access textbooks and other resources for free. She uses OER for all of her math courses. Simao earned a master’s degree in education from Fitchburg State University and in math from Central Connecticut State University. She received a bachelor’s degree from Providence College. Richard Greco, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, said Carreiro, who has been teaching at STCC since 2012 and serves as chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences, has shown strong leadership in online education, and has helped faculty transition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Carreiro earned his PhD in sociology from UMass Amherst. He started his college pathway at Manchester Community College in Connecticut, where he earned an associate degree. He then transferred to University of Connecticut in Storrs, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and philosophy.

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Maria Toyoda, currently the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and professor of Political Science & Legal Studies at Boston’s Suffolk University, has been appointed senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost at Western New England University, effective July 12. President Robert Johnson announced the appointment, citing Toyoda’s successes in cross-disciplinary collaboration, commitment to student success, procurement of grant funding, modernization of processes, and mobilization of faculty as partners in the recruitment process at her prior institution. Toyoda will be the university’s chief academic officer and oversee the academic integrity of all colleges, schools, and institutes on campus. The position is responsible for working with the deans and faculty to maintain the quality of current programs, develop new programs, and oversee the academic-appointment process. In her current role at Suffolk University, Toyoda oversees 18 departments with 200 full-time faculty and staff with responsibility for an undergraduate population of 5,000 students. On March 30, she was honored as one of Get Konnected’s 50 Most Influential People of Color in Higher Education. She received her PhD and master’s degree in government at Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University with honors in values, technology, science, and society. Toyoda succeeds interim Provost Curt Hamakawa, who will return to his previous position as professor of Sport Management. Hamakawa is also the director of the Business Study Abroad program, the Business Honors program, and the Center for International Sport Business in the university’s College of Business.

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The Connecticut Bar Assoc. (CBA) announced that Jennifer Levi, professor of Law at Western New England University (WNEU) School of Law, is the 2021 Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award winner. The award is presented to legal educators who have made significant contributions to the cause of legal education over a period of years and have distinguished themselves as legal educators of the highest quality. Levi has dedicated her career to fighting for the rights of women, children, the poor, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered clients, and was a founder of the law school’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Studies, which is now part of the School of Law’s Center for Social Justice. In addition, she is a nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues and the director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project litigating precedent-setting cases establishing basic rights for LGBTQ people. Established in 2012, the Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award is presented to a member of the Connecticut Bar Assoc. who is a member of the faculty, a clinical instructor, or an adjunct instructor at UConn, Quinnipiac, Yale, or Western New England University law schools, or a member of the CBA who has contributed greatly to the legal education of his or her colleagues. The recipient must have demonstrated sustained commitment and made significant contributions to the cause of legal education in the state and have distinguished himself or herself as a legal educator of the highest quality as a teacher, scholarly writer, or both.

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Dan Dodge

Dan Dodge

Associated Builders Inc. of South Hadley recently welcomed Dan Dodge, whose role will encompass business development, pre-construction planning and logistics, and project coordination. Dodge’s career spans more than 30 years of demonstrated achievements in commercial real-estate development and construction for major retailers and Fortune 500 companies. Previously, he served in progressive roles as manager of Land Planning, construction project manager, and director of Development at Berkshire Development LLC, followed by the role of managing director of Development at NAI Plotkin. He has evaluated and conducted due diligence on more than 200 real-estate development projects, ranging from a 50,000-square-foot single tenant property valued at $5 million to a 300,000-square-foot, multi-tenant property valued at $40 million. His experience includes project coordination for national brand anchor stores including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, HHGregg Electronics, Staples, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Dodge holds an unrestricted Massachusetts construction supervisor license, a certificate in construction project management and contracting, a certificate in AutoCAD, an OSHA 30-hour certificate, and a certificate in architectural and civil drafting and design. He is a Massachusetts-licensed real-estate salesperson and an FAA-certified drone pilot. He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and a former South Hadley Planning Board member.

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Janice Beetle, a longtime writer and editor from Western Mass., has released her second book, Willful Evolution: Because Healing the Heart Takes Strength, through her own publishing imprint, Janice Beetle Books LLC. In 2010, Beetle was laid off from her full-time job in the Valley, and her late husband, Ed Godleski, died four days later. Beetle tells the story of her grief journey in her first memoir, Divine Renovations, published in 2011. Her new book, Willful Evolution, is a sequel that tells the story of the past decade and how Beetle reinvented herself; revitalized her PR and communications business, Beetle Press; and also created Janice Beetle Books in 2019. On more personal notes, the book shows how traveling, family, a series of adventures and bad turns, and exercise helped Beetle gain physical and emotional strength and survive online dating. She compares her book to Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle, and Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. Through Janice Beetle Books, Beetle also helps authors of all skill levels — as well as non-writers — carry a book idea through to publication. She also offers writing coaching services. Beetle’s books are available at janicebeetlebooks.com, www.levellerspress.com/off-the-common-books, and on Amazon.

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Briana Wales

Briana Wales

Emma Mesa-Melendez

Emma Mesa-Melendez

Keith McKittrick

Keith McKittrick

Ullapi Shrestha

Ullapi Shrestha

The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) announced the appointments of Briana Wales as vice president for People and Culture, Emma Mesa-Melendez as director of Communications, Keith McKittrick as Development coordinator, and Ullapi Shrestha as program assistant. These appointments are the latest example of CFWM’s ongoing commitment to expand its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts internally and within the nonprofit sector. Wales will focus on a wide scope of DEI initiatives to guide both the foundation’s external and internal DEI work, training, and development of best practices. She has an extensive career in workforce development for youth and adults and has provided leadership in both nonprofit and quasi-public settings. In her efforts to serve communities, she has fostered partnerships and programming to increase equity and access for underrepresented or marginalized groups. She received her bachelor’s degree in social justice education from UMass Amherst and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Mount Holyoke College. Mesa-Melendez will be responsible for CFWM’s communications strategy and will assist with DEI initiatives. In recent work, she has consulted in marketing and graphic design, and previously served as vice president for Community Relations, Human Resources, and Marketing Management for New Valley Bank & Trust. She received her MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and her bachelor’s degree in critical social thought from Mount Holyoke College. She has worked with several nonprofits as both a board member and volunteer, including the Minority Inclusion Project, Farmington Valley YMCA, Vet Air, and the Performance Project. McKittrick comes to the foundation with 25 years of experience in philanthropy. He has held positions at UMass Amherst, Western New England University, and Holyoke Community College, where he has worked with donors to establish scholarships and fundraise for educational initiatives. He received his master’s degree in public administration from Framingham State University and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Westfield State University. Shrestha has worked as an interpreter at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and as an intern at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. She has volunteered with the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. She received her master’s degree in management from Saint Joseph College and her bachelor’s degree in business marketing from the Institute of Technology in Carlow, Ireland.

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Marianna Roy

Marianna Roy

Jodi Giustina

Jodi Giustina

OMG Roofing Products has hired Marianna Roy as a customer service representative and Jodi Giustina as a sales and marketing assistant. Roy is responsible for assisting customers in placing orders and in funneling customer inquiries to the organization. She is initially responsible for handling the Firestone account, the company’s Northeast Region, and a portion of the Mid-Atlantic Region. She began her career at OMG Roofing Products as a temporary customer service representative in July 2020. Prior to joining OMG, she was with the Law Offices of John E. Miller. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Westfield State University. Giustina is responsible for a wide assortment of administrative duties to support the company’s sales and marketing team, customer service department, as well as key account managers. She joined OMG Roofing Products from PNC Business Credit, where she was a senior business development associate. Earlier, she held several positions with BKM, most recently as a project coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Simmons College in Boston.

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The Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce has named Jordan Hart its new executive director. Hart will replace Andréa Marion, who recently announced her departure to pursue other opportunities. Hart has served in a variety of roles in the past eight years at the chamber, most recently as program coordinator. She is a board member at Enchanted Circle Theater and was a leader of the “Have a Ball in Holyoke” public art effort through Leadership Holyoke. She holds an associate degree from Holyoke Community College and is currently taking courses at Greenfield Community College. Among the top priorities for the 131-year-old chamber moving forward are re-establishing a solid suite of programming and seminars to support local businesses in their success, continuing to serve as a cheerleader for economic development and job growth in the city, and working with leaders throughout the area to bolster civic pride and quality of life in Holyoke and surrounding communities. Key to Hart’s responsibilities will be collaborating closely with partners throughout the region, including leaders at City Hall.

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Michele Snizek

Michele Snizek

River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC) named Michele Snizek its senior program director. Snizek will oversee RVCC’s school-based health centers and HIV/AIDS Project to ensure that these grant-funded programs are responsive to funder terms and conditions and compliant with grant rules and regulations. Snizek received a bachelor’s degree in social work from Elms College and a master’s degree in public administration from Westfield State University. She has extensive experience managing federal and state grants in the Greater Holyoke community, development and writing of grant proposals, managing grant compliance, and reporting and budget management for both federal and state applications. She is also a licensed social worker. Prior to joining RVCC, Snizek was the director of Retention at Holyoke Community College. A key focus of her work was closing HCC’s equity gaps, which were further widened during remote operations this year. This put a spotlight on the need for enhanced mental-health services for students. She started her career at HCC as a Title III activity director, managing a five-year, $1.8 million Department of Education grant focused on first-year students. For more than 20 years, she held two different positions, director of Planning and Development and director of Program Operations, at Holyoke, Chicopee, and Springfield Head Start Inc.

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Michelle Baity

Michelle Baity

BFAIR announced the promotion of Michelle Baity to the position of senior vice president of Human Resources. Baity joined BFAIR’s senior-management team three years ago and brought with her numerous years of experience in human resources as well as the human-services field. Since joining the team, she has formed a strong Human Resources department that has been invaluable with assisting the agency to manage the enormous challenges it has faced over the past year. According to Ethel Altiery, BFAIR’s executive director, “Michelle has been with BFAIR for three years, and working closely with her has been a wonderful experience for me. She has brought my level of knowledge and experience in the world of human resources to a new level. I look forward to working with Michelle for many more years to come.” Baity is directly responsible for crafting employee-benefit offerings and developing an educational-assistance policy to support skill development in pursuit of an organization focused on creating opportunities for advancement.

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Melissa Blissett

Melissa Blissett

Square One announced the promotion of Melissa Blissett to vice president of Family Support Services. A native of Springfield, Blissett joined Square One in 2014 as a Springfield College School of Social Work intern. Upon graduation in 2015, she joined the agency’s Healthy Families and Supervised Visitation programs. In 2017, she went to work as a Child and Family Law Division social worker for the Committee for Public Council Services in Springfield. In 2018, she returned to Square One as assistant vice president of Family Services. Blissett graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in psychology and developmental disabilities. She earned her master of social work degree from Springfield College, where she currently serves as an adjunct professor. She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and actively volunteers for the Reading Success by 4th Grade initiative.

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Thomas Hull, associate professor of Mathematics at Western New England University (WNEU), recently published his latest book, Origametry: Mathematical Methods in Paper Folding. In his book, Hull takes a deep dive into the math behind origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding. His research uses graph theory, combinatorics, geometry, and other areas of math, with applications in engineering, materials science, art, and education. He is a leading expert on the mathematics of origami, having given talks on this topic all over the world. Hull has been practicing origami since he was 8 years old and studying the mathematics behind origami for the past 30 years. He holds both a PhD and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Rhode Island and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Hampshire College. Several of the origami models he has invented are well-known among origami artists, including his ‘five intersecting tetrahedra’ model, a star-like structure, featured on the cover of his new book, which the British Origami Society voted as being one of the top 10 origami models of all time.

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Thomas Downey

Thomas Downey

Peter Moran

Michael Cardaropoli

Michael Cardaropoli

The law firm of Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan and Blakesley announced that attorneys Thomas Downey, Peter Moran, and Michael Cardaropoli have been made partners in the firm. Downey is a graduate of Norwich University. He holds both an MBA and a juris doctor degree from Western New England College. He is admitted to practice law in the state courts of Massachusetts and before the Social Security Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents. He has been with the firm since 2003. Moran obtained his bachelor’s degree at Boston College and his juris doctor degree at Boston University School of Law. For more than 30 years, he has focused his area of practice on workers’ compensation law, and has been with the firm since 2005. Cardaropoli joined the firm in 2008, concentrating his practice in workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, and personal-injury litigation. He received his bachelor’s degree in business from American International College and his juris doctor degree from Western New England University. He is the vice chair of the MBA Workers’ Compensation Committee.

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Lisa Carpenter

Lisa Carpenter

Bacon Wilson announced that Lisa Carpenter has joined the firm as the new executive director. She comes to Bacon Wilson with more than 20 years of experience in legal administration and management in the Kansas City area, with specialized skills and expertise in law-firm management and operations. She works directly with Bacon Wilson’s managing shareholder, Kenneth Albano, on all aspects of directing the firm’s five offices. Before joining Bacon Wilson, Carpenter served as office administrator for Littler Mendelson P.C.’s Global Service Center in Kansas City, Mo., as well as its Kansas City local practice office. Prior to that, Carpenter worked for 14 years in operations management at the Kansas City headquarters of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP, a large international product litigation firm with more than 16 locations. Carpenter holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Friends University and is a member of the Assoc. of Legal Administrators (ALA), where she has published multiple articles.

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Dr. David Brown

Dr. David Brown

Dr. David Brown has begun serving as the interim president and CEO at Cooley Dickinson Health Care. Brown steps in to lead the organization after Joanne Marqusee announced her resignation in January following seven years of service to Cooley Dickinson. Brown, chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), will serve in an interim capacity while a search is conducted for a permanent president and CEO. Brown will continue to oversee the MGH Department of Emergency Medicine as well as maintain his major administrative and committee roles at both MGH and Mass General Brigham. After receiving his undergraduate degree at Princeton and then his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1989, Brown began his career in emergency medicine as an intern at MGH, later becoming vice chair, then department chair. He is the MGH trustees professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a diplomate of both the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine, and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. He has also served for many years as the physician for the New England Patriots.

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Jeremy Forgue

Jeremy Forgue

Jonathan Applefield

Jonathan Applefield

Tracy Belanger

Tracy Belanger

Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. recently welcomed attorney Jeremy Forgue and two paralegals, Jonathan Applefield and Tracy Belanger, to its team. Forgue received his law degree from Western New England University School of Law, where he was drawn to business and employment law and was the managing editor of the university’s Law Review. Prior to joining Skoler Abbott, he was a law clerk for the Massachusetts Housing Court. He enjoys preparing employers for new and changing laws to prevent compliance issues, such as reviewing existing policies for vulnerabilities and assisting in open-forum discussions. As a paralegal, Applefield provides broad administrative support to the attorneys and their clients. Before joining the firm, he worked for 16 years as a legal assistant in Manhattan, a job he held while earning graduate and postgraduate degrees in art history at Columbia University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College in Maine. Belanger, also a paralegal, earned her associate degree in administration of justice and a certificate of achievement with an emphasis on the law and public policy at Pasadena City College in California, where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma honor society. She then pursued her bachelor’s degree in criminology, law and society from the School of Social Ecology at the University of California Irvine, followed by completion of an ABA-accredited paralegal studies program and an externship at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

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Morgan Stanley announced that John Pappas, a senior vice president and financial advisor in its Wealth Management office in Springfield, has been named to the firm’s prestigious Century Club, an elite group composed of the firm’s top financial advisors. The appointment recognizes his consistent creativity and excellence in providing a wide range of investment products and wealth-management services to his clients. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, cash management and lending products and services, annuities and insurance, and retirement and trust services.

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Paul Shepardson

Paul Shepardson

Monson Savings Bank announced the promotion of Paul Shepardson to digital systems officer. In that role, he is responsible for overseeing Monson Savings Bank’s electronic banking services and support. Additionally, he is responsible for staying up to date on cutting-edge and convenient digital banking options that could be offered to the bank’s customers. Shepardson began his career in the banking industry with Monson Savings Bank 10 years ago. He initially worked as a customer service associate before being promoted to customer service representative. He later became the bank’s first business banking administrator and e-banking specialist. Since then, he has excelled in the electronic-banking department. He is a graduate of the New England School of Financial Studies.

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Kim Alli

Kim Alli

Andrew Bresciano

Andrew Bresciano

Tina Flagg

Tina Flagg

Panna Royal

Aleta Smith

Aleta Smith

Greenfield Savings Bank (GSB) announced the promotions of Kim Alli to vice president and commercial loan officer, Andrew Bresciano to first vice president and commercial loan officer, Tina Flagg to assistant vice president and commercial loan administration manager, Panna Royal to vice president and senior network administrator, and Aleta Smith to commercial lending assistant. Alli is responsible for meeting with local business customers to determine their financial needs and helping them with a wide range of commercial-loan products and services. Her position also includes developing new strategic relationships for business development, as well as establishing commercial account relationships with area small businesses and serving as an ambassador for the bank with the community. She is a member of the GSB PPP loan task force and the bank’s contributions committee. Bresciano is responsible for working with local business customers to assist them with their credit needs, including commercial credit lines, commercial real estate and development loans, operational and equipment loans, and inventory loans. Last year, he was appointed to the leadership team managing the bank’s PPP loan task force. Flagg is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the loan assistants and loan-servicing specialists in the bank’s Commercial Loan department to ensure quality customer service. In addition to monitoring the department workflow, she performs a broad variety of duties related to the documentation, regulatory-compliance requirements, and servicing of commercial loans throughout their life cycle and provides customer service and administrative support to commercial-loan customers and lenders. She is also a member of

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Brendan Cawley

Brendan Cawley

Garrett Welker

Garrett Welker

Susan Stebbins

Susan Stebbins

Lisa White

Lisa White

Joseph LeMay

Joseph LeMay

Kara Graves

Kara Graves

Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. (MBK) recently welcomed Brendan Cawley and Garrett Welker to the firm. Cawley is a senior associate in the firm’s Taxation department. Prior to MBK, he worked on a variety of clients and industries as a manager at one of the Big Four national firms. He brings to MBK nearly 10 years of public accounting experience and a strong commitment to helping clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Boston College and is an enrolled agent with the Internal Revenue Service. Welker is an associate in the Assurance department. He served for seven years in the U.S. Air Force and went on to become a finance manager at a privately held business in Western Mass. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in accounting from Westfield State University. MBK also announced four promotions: Susan Stebbins, CPA to senior manager; Lisa White, CPA to senior manager; Joseph LeMay, CPA to manager; and Kara Graves, CPA to employee benefit plan niche leader. Stebbins, who has been with MBK since 1997, focuses on taxation. In her new position, she will be preparing and reviewing returns, as well as managing several professionals within the firm’s taxation department. A CPA licensed in Massachusetts and Maryland, she is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA). She holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Bentley University. With more than 20 years of public accounting experience, White focuses primarily on federal and state income-tax compliance and planning within the construction and real-estate industries. In her new role as a senior tax manager, she will continue to mentor staff as well as manage the delivery of services directly to many clients. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Middle Tennessee State University and is a member of the AICPA and the MSCPA. She is a CPA licensed to practice in both Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, and in 2011 was named among the 40 Under 40: Members to Watch by the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs. LeMay joined MBK in 2015 and works with organizations throughout Western Mass. in industries such as manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, and other service organizations. In his new role as a manager, he will manage a team in the firm’s Accounting and Auditing department. In addition, he leads initiatives to provide the department with tech updates, serves as a mentor in the firm’s formal mentorship program, and is the leader for the firm’s wellness program. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Westfield State University and a master’s degree in accountancy from Westfield State University. He is a CPA and certified valuation analyst in the state of Massachusetts and is a member of the AICPA and the MSCPA. Graves, who has been with MBK since 2011 and has more than 14 years of experience in accounting and auditing, specializes in employee benefit plans and commercial audits. In her new position, she will be overseeing all of the plans, scheduling teams and field work, researching changes on standards for pension audits, implementing any necessary updates, and facilitating training and annual planning for pension audits. She is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts and holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Roger Williams University and an master’s degree in accountancy from Western New England University. She is a member of the MSCPA and CPAmerica. She serves on the audit committee for the United Way of Hampshire County.

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Dawn Fleury

Dawn Fleury

Miriam Siegel

Miriam Siegel

Tom Wolcott

Tom Wolcott

Country Bank recently announced three executive promotions within the bank’s senior management team. Dawn Fleury, CPA, has been promoted to first senior vice president of Corporate Risk. Before joining Country Bank in 2012, she had a 21-year career with the FDIC as a commissioned senior bank examiner. In her current role, she oversees the bank’s comprehensive risk-management programs, including compliance, corporate risk, internal audit, BSA fraud, commercial credit, commercial loan workout, and residential collections. Miriam Siegel, CCP, CBP has been promoted to first senior vice president of Human Resources and chief diversity officer. When she joined Country Bank in 2018, she brought 26 years of professional experience as the senior vice president of Human Resources for United Bank. In her current role, she oversees all aspects of the bank’s human-resources initiatives, as well as driving talent-management strategies to lead the bank’s learning and development team. She serves on the board of Behavioral Health Network in Springfield and the Wilbraham Personnel Advisory Board. Tom Wolcott has been promoted to first senior vice president of the Commercial Lending and Business Banking divisions. He joined Country Bank in 2019 after a previous career in the financial-services industry that spanned more than three decades, including senior vice president roles at People’s United Bank, United Bank, Citizens Bank, and Fleet Bank, primarily in the Connecticut, Springfield, and Worcester markets. He has extensive expertise in managing diverse and complex commercial clients as well as assisting small businesses with creative solutions to help them achieve their financial goals.

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Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, announced the appointment of Dean Vitarisi as chief financial officer (CFO) at Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems. Vitarisi’s prior experience included executive-level finance positions with Essen Health Care, Trinity Health Of New England, Yale New Haven Health, St. Mary’s Health System, and St. Raphael Healthcare System. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Bryant University. He then completed an MBA from Quinnipiac University, followed by a master certificate in healthcare leadership from Cornell University School of Human Ecology.

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The Valley Blue Sox announced that an alumnus of their 2016 season, Hezekiah (Hez) Randolph, will take over for John Raiola as head coach. Randolph has had a successful career in both high-school and collegiate baseball. He was a designated hitter and second baseman for the University of New Orleans Privateers, where he was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in his freshman year and All-Louisiana First Team during his senior year. He joined the Blue Sox as a player in the summer of 2016, where he was selected for the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game, in addition to earning second-team honors. He then went on to join the Blue Sox coaching staff as a hitting coach in 2018.

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Peter Morales

Peter Morales

Country Bank announced that Peter Morales has joined its Innovation & Technology Division as senior vice president. Morales has held several technical leadership positions, most recently as vice president and chief information officer for an international educational organization supporting more than 45,000 students in more than 40 countries worldwide. He also held positions at New York University, (leading technology at the Law and Engineering schools), and the New York and American stock exchanges. Morales began his career developing diagnostic systems for the F18, the jet the Blue Angels currently fly. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in engineering management, and a doctorate in computer science and information systems. He continues to teach in two master’s programs at NYU and is on the board of directors for several incubator startups and nonprofits.

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Caitlin O’Connor

Caitlin O’Connor

Monson Savings Bank announced the hire of Caitlin O’Connor as vice president and marketing officer in the bank’s Marketing department. In her new role, she will oversee all aspects of the bank’s brand and business-line marketing, advertising, public relations, and communications efforts. She will also be responsible for establishing and implementing an effective, innovative, and comprehensive marketing plan that aligns with the bank’s vision, mission, values, and strategic goals. O’Connor has been in the banking industry for 13 years and has 17 years of experience in the marketing and design industry. She is a graduate of Mount Ida College in Newton, now a campus of UMass Amherst. Prior to joining Monson Savings Bank, she held the role of vice president and marketing manager of North Brookfield Savings Bank.

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Jeff Liguori, co-founder and chief investment officer at Napatree Capital, announced the addition of Matt Landon as a partner. With more than 26 years of broad investment experience, Landon began his investment career at MassMutual Financial Group, rising to the role of managing director after a series of promotions. He was later recruited to senior positions at investment-industry leaders Fidelity Investments and T. Rowe Price. He also founded Intelligent Portfolio Services, an early mover in the robo advisor space. Most recently, he held senior advisor roles at Commonwealth Financial Network and LPL Financial, helping families and business owners pursue their financial goals. Landon has earned a reputation as a skilled investment practitioner and trusted advisor to his clients. As a dedicated student of the financial markets and lifelong learner, he has been awarded the prestigious chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation. Locally, he serves as a trustee at Veritas Prep Charter School and is a member of its finance and investment committees. As a lacrosse fan and enthusiast, he also serves on the board of the Longmeadow Boys’ Lacrosse Assoc. and still suits up for an occasional over-40 lacrosse game.

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Alex Bennett

Alex Bennett

Pearson Wallace Insurance (PWI), with offices in Pittsfield, Amherst, and Boston, announced that Alex Bennett has been promoted to partner within the agency. Bennett has been with PWI from the beginning, most recently holding the position of vice president of Sales. He will continue to spearhead the growth of sales as well as become involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I., and started his insurance career at Liberty Mutual in personal-lines direct sales in the Greater Boston area.

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Margaret Mack has joined Bulkley Richardson as a member of the law firm’s real-estate practice group. she earned her juris doctor degree from Suffolk University Law School in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from the Catholic University of America in 2016. Prior to joining Bulkley Richardson, Mack was an attorney at the Global 200 law firm of Fragomen, Del Ray, Bernsen, and Lowey in New York City and a law clerk at Seyfarth Shaw in Boston, ranked 75th and 74th, respectively, among all law firms globally. She was also a research assistant for Suffolk University Law School and a legal associate at Integreon, a global provider of alternative legal solutions to leading law firms, corporations, and professional service firms.

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Javier Padilla

Javier Padilla

Javier Padilla, a human-resources and talent manager with almost 20 years of human-resources experience and more than 10 years in management and leadership roles, has been named assistant vice president and director of Human Resources at Bay Path University. Padilla, who most recently served as the chief Human Resources/Talent officer for Norwalk (Conn.) Public Schools, assumed his duties in December. Padilla brings many strengths to the position, including experience in change management, workforce planning, customer service, employee benefits and compensation, employee relations, contract negotiations, talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, and HR analytics and technology, among others. In his career, he has worked in the fields of education, healthcare, industry, and insurance. In his new role, he will lead the Human Resources division in fostering collaborations and partnerships with departments and areas across the university in support of Bay Path’s mission and strategic plan. He will also implement HR policies, practices, and technologies; enhance customer service; support employee engagement; and build a diverse workforce. Padilla holds a juris doctorate from Western New England School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish from the University of Connecticut. A member of the Society for Human Resource Management, he is also a certified professional co-active coach, accredited by the International Coach Federation, and a certified strategic workforce planner, accredited by the Human Capital Institute.

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Nicole Coakley

Nicole Coakley

Springfield College announced that Nicole Coakley has been named the Springfield College Center for Service and Leadership assistant director following a national search. Coakley has more than 20 years of experience in community-service programming, collaboration, leadership training, budgeting, and supervision. A native of Springfield, Coakley is the current administrator for the Springfield Police Department Mason Square C3 community-policing program. In addition, she has been a lead organizer of Unity in the Community, a local program helping to bridge the gap between youth in the community and law enforcement. Coakley’s involvement and dedication to the community includes work as program director at Morris Professional Child Care Services in Springfield, collaborator for the Side by Side initiative, program director with Digital Boombox Networks/DBN Access, a member of both Leadership Pioneer Valley Inc. and the Gun Violence Elimination Alliance, and a contributor to the Neighbor 2 Neighbor program. Coakley serves on the board of directors for Easterseals Massachusetts and is also a volunteer disaster action team supervisor and community volunteer leader with the American Red Cross, a member of Chicopee Women of the Moose, and a clerk for the nonprofit organization Morris Open Pantry.

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Rose Colon

Rose Colon

John Garvey

John Garvey

Dr. Allison Sullivan

Dr. Allison Sullivan

Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. (MLKFS) announced the addition of three new members — Rose Colon, John Garvey, and Dr. Allison Sullivan — to its board of directors. Colon is a criminal-defense and personal-injury attorney based in Springfield. She engages in all aspects of criminal-defense and civil personal-injury litigation. She earned her paralegal certificate from the American Bar Assoc., earned a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in legal studies at Bay Path University, and earned her juris doctorate at Western New England University. Garvey is the founder of Garvey Communication Associates Inc., a Springfield-based digital public-relations and marketing agency. He is a graduate of Marquette University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in arts and sciences with honors, and of American International College, where he earned a master’s degree in organizational development with an emphasis on strategic planning. He is a volunteer at Wild Care Cape Cod, a former board member of Valley Venture Mentors, and a past mentor for the startup accelerators MassChallenge and SparkHolyoke/EforAll. Sullivan is lead faculty for the Occupational Therapy doctorate program at American International College. As an occupational therapist and educator, she has dedicated her 27-year career to improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan, working in day-habilitation services, school-based occupational therapy, and residential settings. She is the chair of the MAOT Western Massachusetts Mental Health Special Interest Group, a certified group-exercise and yoga instructor, and the co-founder and leader of #OTalk2US, a Twitter chat for occupational therapists with tens of millions of views of tweets carrying this tag. Sullivan earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Amherst College, a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Springfield College, and a doctorate in occupational therapy from Temple University. She currently volunteers as an advisory board member for Lighthouse and a board member and social media committee chair for Allen Cognitive Network, and serves on the human rights committee for Viability.

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Katherine Amato

Katherine Amato

Robinson Donovan, P.C., a full-service law firm, announced it has named attorney Katherine Amato a partner in the firm. Amato focuses her practice on all aspects of family law, including divorce; custody; representing children, parents, and guardians in guardianship of minors proceedings; and appellate work. She received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law after completing a bachelor’s degree at Springfield College. She was selected to the Massachusetts Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers in 2018-20, and is a member of the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty class of 2016.

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Western New England University (WNEU) announced that Dr. John Pezzuto, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, has been recognized in Stanford University’s recently released list of “Top 2% of Scientists in the World.” The list names an elite group of scientists with criteria based on the citation impact of their publications. In the overall category of career impact, Pezzuto is ranked in the top 4% of the top 2% of scientists. His placement is even more remarkable in the discipline-specific ranking of medicinal and biomolecular chemistry, where he is placed 21st among 80,622 researchers in that field — the top 0.02% of the top 2%. Pezzuto joined Western New England University in August 2020 as professor and dean. Over the years, he has investigated natural products as drugs, with special emphasis on cancer therapy and prevention. He is well-known for his pioneering work concerning resveratrol, a component of grapes and grape products, that has been shown to mediate a raft of biological responses. His work on investigating the effect of grapes on health and longevity continues at WNEU.

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Pioneer Cold Logistics Services named Joseph McMahon executive vice president. He will be responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s operations as it continues to build upon Pioneer’s 70-year history of providing cold-chain warehouse and logistic service to food producers marketing in the Northeast. McMahon has 20 years of corporate experience in increasingly impactful roles. He began his career as an auditor at State Street Bank and furthered his accounting skills with Pricewaterhouse Coopers. He expanded his executive skill set at Bain & Co. before accepting management positions at CFGI, the nation’s largest non-audit business-advisory firm, and later Cloudant, an IBM company. He joined Pioneer in 2017, serving on the executive team in his most recent position as chief financial officer and controller. McMahon is an active member of his community, serving as a mentor for EforAll, a nonprofit that partners with communities nationwide to help under-represented individuals successfully start a business. He is a CPA and graduate of Bentley University in Waltham.

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Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Berkshire Bank, announced that the joint board of directors of the company and the bank has appointed Nitin Mhatre as president and CEO of the company and CEO of the bank, effective Jan. 29. Mhatre will also serve as a member of the board. Sean Gray, who has served as acting CEO since Aug. 10, has been and will continue to be president and chief operating officer of the bank. Mhatre is a senior banking executive with 25 years of community and global banking experience. Most recently, as executive vice president, Community Banking at Webster Bank, he was a member of Webster’s executive team and led its consumer and business banking businesses. In this role, he was responsible for profitable growth of the Community Banking segment at the $31 billion bank and led a diverse team of more than 1,500 employees. Previously, he spent more than 13 years at Citi Group in various leadership roles across consumer-related businesses globally. Mhatre served on the board of the Consumer Bankers Assoc., headquartered in Washington, D.C., since 2014 and was chairman of the board from 2019 to 2020. He also serves on the board of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England, headquartered in Hartford, Conn.

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Nikki Burnett

Gillian Hinkson

Gillian Hinkson

Paul Murphy

Paul Murphy

Karin George

Karin George

The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) announced two new Trustees: Nikki Burnett, executive director of Educare Springfield, and Gillian Hinkson, victim witness advocate for the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office. In addition, CFWM also elected a new trustee chair, Paul Murphy, and vice chair, Karin George. Burnett began her role as executive director of Educare Springfield in August 2019. For more than 20 years, she has pursued her passion of empowering her community and building equity. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts and on its race and equity subcommittee; on national committees for the Educare Learning Network, including its educare policy work group and collaborative fundraising advisory board; and on the Baystate Community Benefits Advisory Council. She is also one of the founders of the Faith Based Health Advocates Alliance. In addition to her position with the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, Hinkson is an independent business owner of a health and wellness company. She is dedicated to educating the community on the importance of living a balanced life through exercise, well-balanced eating habits, and mindfulness. She is a member of CFWM’s education committee and a CFWM scholarship reviewer; is a Ward Five Democratic Committee member; and serves on the board of directors for the League of Women Voters and Art for the Soul Gallery. She also serves as a Democratic state committeewoman and is the co-chair of the affirmative action and outreach subcommittee, and has also served as campaign manager for local political candidates. Murphy is retired legal and administrative counsel of Amherst College and serves as a trustee of Baystate Health. He was previously a partner of Foley Hoag LLP, a Boston-based law firm. His previous board work was with the WGBH Educational Foundation, Tufts Medical Center, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Hillside School, as well as New England Public Media, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, Boston Architectural College, and the Partnership Inc. Murphy was appointed as a CFWM trustee in 2015, served as chair of the distribution committee for two years, and is a member of the committee on trustees and executive committee. George is a principal and co-owner of Washburn & McGoldrick Inc., a global consulting firm focused on fundraising, communications, strategic planning, alumni engagement, training, and board development in education and educationally related nonprofits. She previously served as vice president for Advancement at Smith College and vice president for Development at Vassar College. George was appointed as a CFWM trustee in 2013, served as a member and the former chair of the CFWM education committee, has volunteered as a scholarship reviewer since 2009, and is a member of the committee on trustees and executive committee.

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Heather Arbour

Heather Arbour

Monson Savings Bank (MSB) recently announced the promotion of Heather Arbour to the role of BSA officer and compliance manager. In her new role, Arbour is responsible for overseeing MSB’s Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money-laundering programs and ensuring compliance with banking regulations. Additionally, she manages the Retail Operations department. Arbour has been with Monson Savings Bank for 13 years, previously serving in the role of compliance and BSA manager. She is currently enrolled in the New England School of Financial Studies and will be graduating in the spring from Springfield Technical Community College with a business administration degree. A volunteer and co-treasurer for the Monson and Palmer Salvation Army and a dedicated parent volunteer for the Monson Parent Teacher Student Assoc., Arbour also serves on the Monson Savings Bank pandemic reopening preparedness committee.

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Webber and Grinnell Insurance recently hired Reynolds Whalen as its director of Culture and Communication. This new position focuses on company culture, sponsorships, community engagement, and helping advance the agency further into the digital age of marketing and communication. Reynolds comes to the job from his role as founder and executive director of Performing Arts Abroad, based in Easthampton, where he built the business with a focus on creativity, core values, and efficiency through integrations. He serves on the board of the International Language Institute in Northampton and is active in the Pioneer Valley theater scene as an actor and creative collaborator. Reynolds holds a bachelor’s degree in African and African-American studies and drama from Washington University in St. Louis, a master’s degree in education from Hunter College in New York City, and a master’s degree in African studies from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

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Eugene Cassidy

Eugene Cassidy

Eugene Cassidy, president and CEO of Eastern States Exposition (ESE), was elected chairman of the International Assoc. of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) during the organization’s annual business meeting. Cassidy will serve in this international leadership role for 2021, spearheading the direction of the international group of fairs. The IAFE currently has 911 member fairs and affiliated organizations worldwide. The theme for IAFE 2021 is “Grow Fair Strong,” with a focus on growing as in all things agriculture, but also the growth in fairs and the economies they impact in the wake of the pandemic. Cassidy joined ESE as director of Finance in 1993 and was named executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2011. He assumed the position of president and CEO in 2012 and is the exposition’s seventh CEO in its 105-year history. He holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration and accounting from Western New England University. He serves as vice chairman of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, treasurer of the Western Massachusetts chapter of Legatus, treasurer and board member of MassHire Hampden County, member of the Springfield Technical Community College Foundation board, finance board member at St. Mary’s Parish, and board member at St. Thomas the Apostle School. He is also accredited as a certified fair executive by the IAFE and has served the organization as treasurer, second vice president, and first vice president before assuming his role as chairman.

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Colin D’Amour

Colin D’Amour

Christian D’Amour

Christian D’Amour

The board of directors of Big Y Foods Inc. announced the promotion of two third-generation D’Amour family members. Colin D’Amour has been named senior director of the Big Y Express Gas & Convenience Stores division, and Christian D’Amour is director of E-commerce. Both appointments represent new and expanding divisions within the company. Colin’s responsibilities include oversight of store operations, site selection, site acquisition, and day-to-day responsibility for product procurement, including fuel for the division. Previously, he served as senior manager of Procurement within Big Y’s Real Estate and Development team, as well as a member of the real-estate committee, where he remains involved in evaluating viable expansion opportunities across all operating formats. In addition, he oversees multiple programs and initiatives with Topco Associates, a Chicago-based, member-owned cooperative. A graduate of Boston College, he holds personal decorations from his military service, including both the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation and Achievement Medals. Christian is responsible for Big Y’s e-commerce platform, which currently includes relationships with Instacart for grocery home deliveries and DoorDash for prepared-meal home deliveries. In addition to these services, he will be launching Big Y’s MyPicks Online ordering, in which customers will be able to order groceries online for curbside pickup or home delivery. He holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Michael’s college in Vermont and spent a semester studying at the National University of Ireland at Galway.

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Erica Flores

Erica Flores

Skoler, Abbott & Presser announced that attorney Erica Flores has been named a partner in the firm. Flores, who has been with the firm since 2013, focuses her practice on employment litigation in state and federal courts and agencies, representing employers in class-action lawsuits and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation actions. Flores is a regular contributor to the Massachusetts Employment Law Letter on a variety of topics. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She is a member of the Massachusetts and Hampden County bar associations.

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NAI Plotkin announced it has welcomed David Moore as a new commercial real-estate associate in its Brokerage Services division. Moore brings extensive experience in both commercial and residential real estate, as well as project management. After a notable career as vice president and general manager of the Mt. Tom Ski Area, Moore joined Allyn & O’Donnell Realty, where he gained valuable experience in the real-estate industry, including the selection of cell-tower sites. “I have known Dave for over 50 years, and I am thrilled that he will be joining our team. Adding someone with Dave’s knowledge and background allows us to assist our clients during this challenging time and to continue a forward momentum,” said Dan Moore, vice president of Brokerage Services. Dave Moore will serve new clients from NAI Plotkin’s office located on the 14th floor at One Financial Plaza, 1350 Main St., Springfield.

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Monte Horst

Monte Horst

As part of its ongoing efforts to drive growth and value, OMG Roofing Products named Monte Horst vice president of Sales and Marketing. Horst is responsible for developing and executing the division’s overall sales and marketing strategies to support the three business units: Fasteners, Adhesives & Solar, and Metal Accessories. In this role, he will work closely with the company’s Marketing Communications and Customer Service departments. He reports to Peter Coyne, senior vice president and general manager of OMG Roofing Products. Horst holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas-Arlington and a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska.

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Joanne Marqusee

Joanne Marqusee

Joanne Marqusee, president and CEO of Cooley Dickinson since 2014, announced she will leave that role to become chief integration officer for Wellforce, a growing healthcare system in Eastern Mass. that includes Tufts Medical Center, four community hospital sites, a broad provider network, and a homecare/hospice agency. At Wellforce, she will be responsible for developing and enhancing system-wide services to support operational excellence and growth. Marqusee joined Cooley Dickinson following its affiliation with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the larger Mass General Brigham (MGB) system. She oversaw the creation of a behavioral-health pod in the Emergency Department, the opening of a new Breast Center, and substantial expansion in provider practices across a range of locations and specialties. She will also be remembered for her diversity, equity, and inclusion work, starting with LGBTQ programs and more recently launching a comprehensive anti-racism plan. In addition, she has frequently spoken out on important public-health and policy issues, particularly those that affect marginalized communities. Prior to her tenure at Cooley Dickinson, Marqusee, a graduate of Cornell University and the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, was COO of MelroseWakefield Healthcare (formerly Hallmark Health) and spent 16 years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she consistently was promoted to positions of greater responsibility, including vice president of Access; vice president of Ancillary, Support and Community Services; and senior vice president of Operations. She is a board member of the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Assoc. and serves on the steering committee of Extraordinary Women Advancing Health Care. In addition to her roles in Massachusetts, she previously worked for the New York State Department of Health in the Division of Health Care Financing, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., and the New York City Office of the Mayor.

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Dawn Forbes DiStefano

Dawn Forbes DiStefano

On the heels of the recent retirement of Joan Kagan, Square One named Dawn Forbes DiStefano its new president and CEO. Following a 25-year career with the YWCA of Western Massachusetts, DiStefano joined the Square One team in 2016 to lead the agency’s grant-research, grant-writing, and program-compliance efforts. She was quickly promoted to chief finance and grants officer, where she added oversight of the agency’s financial team to her list of responsibilities. In 2019, she was promoted to executive vice president and took on oversight of the agency’s early-education and care programs and family-support services, as well as management of operations, including transportation, food service, and IT. DiStefano serves on the boards of directors for the Massachusetts Council on Gaming Health, Dress for Success Western Massachusetts, the Springfield Regional Chamber, the Baystate Community Benefits Advisory Committee, and Businesses to End Human Trafficking. She also serves as a commissioner on the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She received her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and her master’s degree in public administration and nonprofit management from Westfield State University. Kagan, who led the agency for 17 years, announced her retirement plans last summer. She continues to serve as an advisor to the leadership team during the transition.

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Anita Richard

Anita Richard

Sabina Vegiard

Sabina Vegiard

Monson Savings Bank announced the hire of Anita Richard as vice president and residential operations officer of the bank’s Residential and Consumer Lending department, and of Sabina Vegiard as vice president of Monson Savings Bank and financial advisor with Infinex Investments Inc. In her new role, Richard is responsible for planning and organizing the residential and consumer lending operations, including streamlining loan processing, closing, and servicing. She also manages the staff in the Residential and Consumer Lending departments. Richard has more than 31 years of experience in the banking industry, with 27 years focused in the mortgage-lending area. She most recently served as Home Lending Compliance manager at Berkshire Bank and Savings Institute Bank and Trust, where she was responsible for all residential-lending regulatory compliance. Previously, she was director of Mortgage Operations at Alden Credit Union, managing the daily operations of the residential-lending area as well as compliance and loan servicing. In her new role, Vegiard is responsible for helping customers to plan for their short- and long-term financial goals, including buying a home, paying for their children’s education, retirement, and life-insurance needs. She brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to help her customers achieve their financial goals through strategic planning and tailored investment solutions. Vegiard has been in the finance industry for 15 years, with her experience as a financial advisor spanning 10 of those years. She most recently served as vice president and branch manager at Key Bank, where her responsibilities were to manage the day-to-day operations of the branch and staff as well as act as financial advisor for six branch locations. She is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

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Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed Amy Brandt as its new dean of Health Sciences and Culinary Arts. Brandt most recently worked as associate vice president and dean of Health Sciences at Broome Community College in Binghamton, N.Y., which is part of the State University of New York system. At SUNY Broome, she focused on developing partnerships with local area hospitals to address healthcare-worker shortages and advocated for enhanced use of simulation to improve clinical education and position programs to remain current with emerging national trends in healthcare education. At HCC, she will oversee seven academic programs: Foundations of Health, Medical Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding, Nursing (associate of science and practical), Radiologic Technology, Veterinary and Animal Science, and Culinary Arts. Brandt holds a master’s degree in social work from California State University, Sacramento, and a Ph.D. in social work from the University of California Los Angeles. After earning her Ph.D., she began working in education, initially at the University of California Berkeley in the School of Social Welfare, where she focused on program administration and teaching introductory social-work courses. In 2007, she transitioned to the community-college setting in California, focusing on allied-health education, and she has worked on allied-health program development in California, Florida, Texas, and New York.

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Rosemary Nevins

Rosemary Nevins

The Royal Law Firm announced the return from retirement of attorney Rosemary Nevins. Nevins’ legal career in management-side labor and employment law has spanned more than 30 years. She has handled nearly two dozen trials to verdict, represented clients during several arbitrations, and conducted numerous seminars and training sessions for supervisory personnel and human-resources managers dealing with myriad subjects germane to the employment relationship. In 2013, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recognized Nevins as a Top Woman of Law. She has authored numerous articles on employment-related topics and previously served as associate editor of the Massachusetts Employment Law Newsletter.

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Lucas Manzi

Lucas Manzi

Michael Ostrowski, president and CEO of Arrha Credit Union, announced that acting Chief Financial Officer Lucas Manzi has been appointed to a permanent position in that role. Before being promoted to acting CFO, Manzi was the Accounting Department and Finance manager at Arrha Credit Union. Manzi is a recipient of the 2019 Credit Union Difference Maker’s Award presented by the Cooperative Credit Union Assoc. at the 2019 Credit Union Marketplace Experience, Ostrowski noted. The show highlighted new technology and offered breakout sessions in many topics, including cybersecurity, latest trends in digital banking, and ways to enhance member experience. Manzi is also a member of the Arrha asset-liability committee. He has a BBA in accounting from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.

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Daniel McKellick

Daniel McKellick

Christopher Pierson

Christopher Pierson

Bacon Wilson announced that two of the firm’s attorneys have been promoted. Daniel McKellick and Christopher Pierson have both been named shareholders. McKellick is a business and real-estate attorney who works primarily on commercial and corporate matters, including real-estate transactions, leases, commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, business startup and succession, and contract drafting and review. His prior experience in senior management for a large wholesale distribution company provides him with insight into business operations and profitability. He is licensed to practice in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. Pierson is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict in courts across Massachusetts. His practice encompasses all aspects of civil litigation, including commercial disputes, individual matters, and accident and injury litigation. He is a graduate of Northeastern University Law School and Gettysburg College.

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Carole Bolduc

Carole Bolduc

Adam Corcoran, president and CEO of Alden Credit Union, announced that Carole Bolduc will join Alden Credit Union as an LPL financial advisor with FR Investment Group. Bolduc is a lifelong resident of Western Mass. and an LPL financing advisor with 11 years of experience. She holds her series 6, 7, 63, and 66 securities registration through LPL Financial, along with a Massachusetts life-insurance license. She is registered to service clients with LPL Financial in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, California, and Arizona.

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W.D. Cowls named Tony Maroulis its vice president for Real Estate and Community Development. A regional leader in economic and community development, tourism, and the arts, Maroulis will focus his efforts on building the Mill District into a premier Pioneer Valley destination, while looking to grow the company’s real-estate and business portfolio. Maroulis has worked in the chancellor’s office at UMass since 2014, when he was hired as director of Community Relations to serve as liaison with local communities, civic groups, and neighbors while advising the campus administration on community-relations issues. Since 2017, he has served as executive director of External Relations and University Events. From 2008 to 2014, Maroulis was executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. He led a successful rebranding of the chamber and was instrumental in planning and launching the Amherst Business Improvement District and the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, which he co-directed from 2010 to 2014. Prior to his work in economic and community development, Maroulis was co-director and owner of wünderarts, a commercial art gallery in Amherst, located in the same place as Cowls’ first hardware store. Before that, he had jobs in operations, fundraising, and marketing arts and cultural organizations, including Museums10, the Emily Dickinson Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Maroulis was a 2009 BusinessWest 40 Under Forty honoree, a 2014 Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber MVP, and in 2020 was awarded the Helen Mitchell Community Service Award by Family Outreach of Amherst. He currently serves on the boards of Leadership Pioneer Valley, United Way of Hampshire County, and the Amherst Business Improvement District.

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Jennifer Cowles

Jennifer Cowles

LUSO Federal Credit Union announced the appointment of Jennifer Cowles to chief lending officer. She will be responsible for managing all lending staff and the credit union’s loan portfolio, while ensuring that the institution’s lending goals are met. Cowles holds a BBA in finance from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst and has more than 25 years of experience across the financial-services and real-estate industries. She has an extensive background in real-estate lending and loan servicing, investor relations, secondary market, and risk management, and most recently served as vice president of Mortgage Lending and Loan Servicing for a credit union based in Worcester County. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Cowles serves on the Board for CU REALM and is also on the board for the new England CUREN. She also served as an executive committee member for the CUNA Lending Council and chaired the CUNA Lending Council regulatory/legislative committee.

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Bart Galvin joined the law firm of Bulkley Richardson as a member of two practice groups: business, mergers, and acquisitions; and finance, banking, and bankruptcy. Galvin earned his juris doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2013 and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 2009. Most recently, he was an attorney at the AmLaw100 law firms White & Case in Milan, Italy and Ropes & Gray in Boston, ranked ninth and 13th, respectively, by revenue among all law firms globally. He was also a law clerk for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Iowa and the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.

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Kelly Page

Kelly Page

Michele Welch

Michele Welch

The Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley (RAPV) announced its annual award winners at the association’s virtual Holiday Celebration meeting on Dec. 9. The Realtor of the Year for 2020 is Kelly Page of Trademark Real Estate. The Affiliate of the Year is Michele Welch of Embrace Home Loans. A Realtor since 1997, Page is the broker/owner of Trademark Real Estate and has served on the RAPV board of directors since 2014. She has also served on the grievance, professional development, professional standards, communications, member engagement, and strategic planning committees. Page has given back to the community by attending in-person and virtual events and assisting with the Shriners Hospitals for Children blanket drive and training in new-member orientations, and also took time to achieve the C2EX and earn her CRB designation. The senior loan officer at Embrace Home Loans, Welch has been a member of RAPV since 2016 and has served on the community service, affiliate-Realtor, and government affairs committees. She has demonstrated a tremendous amount of support to the association and in community outreach and volunteered in RAPV’s community-service efforts through fundraising, shelter support, supporting the Shriners Hospitals for Children blanket project, and being heavily involved with Revitalize CDC.

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Peter Coppez

Peter Coppez

Jean Pierre Crevier

Jean Pierre Crevier

The longtime owner of M. L. Schmitt Electric Inc. has transferred his business to two electricians who have worked for him for many years. Thomas Schmitt transferred the electrical-contracting firm that performs residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects to new co-owners Peter Coppez and Jean Pierre Crevier. Coppez joined M. L. Schmitt as an apprentice in 2000. He’s a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College, the Local IBEW #7 apprenticeship program, and Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he graduated this spring with a bachelor’s degree in project management. Crevier joined M. L. Schmitt as an apprentice in 2004. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from UMass and completed the Local IBEW #7 apprenticeship program. He graduated this spring with a master’s degree in project management from Wentworth Institute of Technology. Schmitt was President of M. L. Schmitt Electric for 31 years.

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Victoria Graffam

Victoria Graffam

Country Bank announced that Victoria Graffam has joined its Corporate Risk division. Graffam held various BSA and loss-prevention roles before joining Berkshire Bank in 2017 as the BSA/AML EDD manager. While at Berkshire Bank, her focus was to develop and maintain a program to identify and mitigate risk for higher-risk customers. She is also a member of the Assoc. for Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialists. “We are excited to welcome Victoria to Country Bank,” said Miriam Siegel, senior vice president of Human Resources. “She brings over 30 years of professional experience, with 20 years in community banking, and is a perfect cultural fit for our team. Her can-do attitude, commitment to customer service, and collaborative management approach aligns perfectly with our iSTEP corporate values of integrity, service, teamwork, excellence, and prosperity. We are proud that Victoria has chosen Country Bank to be her employer of choice.”

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Coldwell Banker Community Realtors (CBCR) announced the addition of Realtor Courtney Kinney to its roster of professional real-estate agents serving Franklin and Hampshire counties. Kinney attended UMass Amherst from 2007 to 2011 and later worked at the university in Student Affairs for eight years. During that timem she earned a master’s degree in applied data science from Bay Path University. Kinney decided to make the move to real estate and the Coldwell Banker brand not only for the company’s industry innovations and technology, but also because locally owned Coldwell Banker Community Realtors has a marketing department, agent support, and training, while most real-estate companies do not. She is a member of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley, the National Assoc. of Realtors, and the Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors.

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Gina Maroni

Gina Maroni

Kathi Bates

Kathi Bates

UMassFive College Federal Credit Union announced the recent promotions of Gina Maroni and Kathleen (Kathi) Bates. Maroni was promoted to senior vice president of Finance and chief financial officer (CFO). This promotion acknowledges her commitment and contributions to UMassFive, and is a better reflection of her level of authority. In her new role, she will maintain her current responsibilities, including financial oversight, strategizing, and budgeting for the credit union. Maroni previously served as UMassFive’s vice president of Finance and CFO for the past nine months and as assistant vice president of Finance and controller for 18 months. Prior to joining UMassFive, she was the senior vice president of Finance and chief financial officer at Athol Credit Union. Bates was promoted to Worcester branch manager. She began her career at UMassFive 18 years ago as a part-time teller, eventually becoming a member service specialist, and most recently the backup supervisor for UMassFive’s Worcester branch. In her new position as branch manager, she will continue making a difference in the financial lives of members by identifying and providing solutions for their financial needs and making sure the Worcester branch runs smoothly.

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Christopher Heights of Northampton, an assisted-living community, recently welcomed Amie Miarecki as its new marketing and admission director. Miarecki brings nearly 20 years of experience working in the health and human-services field in both Greater Springfield and Greater Boston, providing marketing, community-relations, and development expertise. She will promote the company’s mission by engaging with the community and healthcare partners to help individuals find their next home while maintaining their independence and a dignified quality of life. Miarecki holds a master’s degree in corporate and organizational communication with a specialization in leadership from the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology from UMass Amherst. She is the president of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, a board member of the Professional Women’s Chamber, and a committee member for both the civic and community-engagement committee of the Springfield City Library and the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce community-engagement committee. In addition, she holds memberships with Hampshire County Young Professionals, the Western Mass. Elder Professionals Assoc., and the Retirement Marketing Directors Assoc. of Western Mass. She is also a past recipient of the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty award.

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Richard O’Hearn

Richard O’Hearn

Aegis Energy, EDF Group, a leading provider of co-generation technology, announced that Richard O’Hearn has come on board in the role of CHP specialist. His hire comes during an extended period of growth; Aegis recently hired 12 employees and plans to continue to add to the team. A certified energy manager by the Assoc. of Energy Engineers, O’Hearn informs customers about the benefits of combined heat and power (CHP), building strong relationships with new and existing clients in the process. A former employee of Siemens, he is no stranger to the energy industry or green technology.

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John Pucci, a partner at Bulkley Richardson, and Jennifer Levi, professor of Law at Western New England University School of Law, were named members of a bipartisan advisory committee to review and provide recommendations on U.S. attorney candidates for the District of Massachusetts. The announcement was made on Dec. 18 by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey. The advisory committee will solicit, interview, and comment on applications for the position of U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, the state’s top federal law-enforcement officer. The committee is comprised of members of the Massachusetts legal community, including prominent academics and litigators, and is chaired by former U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner. Other members of the committee include Elissa Flynn-Poppey, former deputy legal counsel to Gov. Mitt Romney and executive director of the judicial nominating commission for the Office of the Governor of Massachusetts; Angela Onwuachi-Willig, dean of Boston University School of Law; Walter Prince, partner at Prince Lobel and former president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Assoc; and Georgia Katsoulomitis, executive director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

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Daisy Flaim

Daisy Flaim

Denise “Daisy” Flaim received the Faculty of the Year Award for 2019-20 from Springfield Technical Community College. The award recognizes Flaim’s teaching techniques to accommodate a variety of learning styles; her efforts to build an inclusive classroom; her work with students outside of the classroom; support letters from colleagues, students, and supervisors; as well as her service contributions to STCC. Flaim has taught several writing and literature classes at STCC in addition to serving as chair of the Liberal Arts/General Studies Program for one year. She applies her past work experience, which included professional writing jobs, and has drawn inspiration from her students over the years. She also makes a point to get to know her students outside the classroom. “I offer all of my students a conference for every paper we do. I meet with them if they’re distressed,” she said. “I spend most of my work day meeting with them individually. That’s probably the core of what I believe in as an instructor. I learned when I was starting out that students who know a professor outside of the classroom do better not just in that professor’s classroom, but in all of their classes. I made a promise to myself that I would try to be that professor who knew people outside of the classroom.”

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Lee Vardakas

Lee Vardakas

Lee Vardakas, president of Aegis Energy, EDF Group, a leading provider of co-generation technology, has been named a 2020 Energy and Environmental Leader. For the past eight years, this award has celebrated substantial and measurable environmental impacts and the trailblazers who achieved them. Only 100 people per year are chosen to receive this honor. Vardakas was appointed president in 2013 and has been instrumental in Aegis Energy’s success as a leader in co-generation in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. With more than three decades of experience in the combined-heat-and-power industry, he is well-qualified to create and guide the vision for the growing company and is a sought-after resource for policymakers and regulators in the distributed-energy industry.

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Pioneer Valley Federal Credit Union (PVCU) wishes Iggy Collura, a member of the board of directors for almost 40 years, well in retirement. Collura began on the board around 1980, providing leadership and exuding a volunteer spirit with PVCU for almost four decades. He served on multiple committees throughout his time and was an integral part of the local credit union’s history throughout the years. Recently, Collura was invited to the Brookdale branch to receive a memory photo book and a plaque to honor his time spent with Pioneer Valley Credit Union. Socially distanced, with masks, CEO Anabela Grenier and board member Kathy D’Angelantonio handed Collura his commemorative gifts and reminisced with smiles as Collura shared his favorite memories. Collura served as chair of the policy committee and was a member of the nominating and asset/liability committee. He also participated in legislative efforts both locally and nationally.

People on the Move

By
People on the Move
Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson

Springfield College Director of Strength and Conditioning Brian Thompson has been named the National Strength and Conditioning Assoc. (NSCA) College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year as part of the 2021 NSCA awards announcement. Thompson was selected by his peers from a list of nominees that represented Division I, II, and III colleges and universities from throughout the country. The NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award is given to one outstanding certified strength and conditioning specialist, recognizing his or her dedication to improving athletic performance with safe and effective science-based programs. Since 1998, Thompson has served many roles at the college, including associate director of Strength and Conditioning, head Strength and Conditioning coach, professor of Exercise Science, and the graduate Strength and Conditioning program director. In addition to teaching in the Applied Exercise Science program, he is responsible for the Strength and Conditioning program design and implementation for 26 sport programs at Springfield College, as well as teaching and advising in the graduate Strength and Conditioning program. Thompson first started working in the field of strength and conditioning in 1987 and has trained athletes at the elementary-school, middle-school, high-school, collegiate, professional, Paralympic, and Olympic levels. He has presented and conducted strength-and-conditioning-related workshops in Australia, China, Mexico, Taiwan, and throughout the U.S. In 2016, Thompson received an official appointment as an expert technical consultant to the Chinese National Fitness Trainers Assoc. by the Chinese Sports Bureau, the only non-Chinese citizen ever to receive this status.

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Sara Rodrigues

Sara Rodrigues

Monson Savings Bank recently announced the promotion of Sara Rodrigues to Commercial Loan Operations officer. In her new role, she is responsible for managing the commercial-loan administrative team and servicing team at Monson Savings Bank, as well as planning, organizing, and directing all commercial-lending operations. Rodrigues has been with Monson Savings for eight years, previously serving in the role of Commercial Loan Operations manager. She has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, with 19 of those years within the commercial-lending sector. Prior to working with Monson Savings Bank, she worked with TD Bank, N.A. as a commercial-loan document supervisor. A believer in giving back to the communities she works and resides in, Rodrigues is a volunteer with Link to Libraries and the Monson Schools Read a Loud program. She reads to schoolchildren and helps the organization with its mission to distribute new books to the school and home libraries of children in need. She also serves on the Monson Savings Bank community reinvestment committee.

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Bacon Wilson announced that attorney David Lavenburg has joined the firm as of counsel and a member of the litigation team. He will practice primarily from Bacon Wilson’s Springfield location. Lavenburg represents creditors of all kinds, such as banks, credit unions, and debt purchasers, in loan-recovery and collection matters. He also litigates extensively for commercial property landlords and tenants, management companies, and large and small businesses. His legal work spans a variety of areas, including complex commercial litigation, lease disputes, commercial collections, real-estate foreclosure, and bankruptcy litigation. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Massachusetts and Connecticut, appears regularly in the trial and appellate courts for both states, and has argued in the Connecticut Supreme Court. Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, Lavenburg was a partner with Kroll, McNamara, Evans & Delehanty, LLP, of West Hartford, Conn., preceded by his partnership with the Springfield law firm Gold & Vanaria, P.C. He received his juris doctor in 1990 from Capital Law School of Columbus, Ohio, having earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1987 at Ohio Wesleyan University. He also chairs Longmeadow’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

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Eleanor Williams

Eleanor Williams

Eleanor Williams, a lawyer who now works for MassMutual, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College (HCC) board of trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker. Her term will expire on March 1, 2024. She attended her first HCC board meeting on Nov. 24 over Zoom. Williams has worked for MassMutual since 2011, starting as assistant vice president and counsel in the company’s dispute-resolution group. From 2017 to 2019, she served as chief of staff to the executive vice president and was part of the senior leadership team. She is now the business leader working with the Product and Marketing business units to drive product development and efficiency. Prior to that, she worked at Choate Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston as an associate in the law firm’s finance and restructuring practice group. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, a law degree from Boston College School of Law, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

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Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C. announced that attorney Mark Esposito has taken on an expanded role within the firm, now serving of counsel. Esposito joined the firm in 2017 and has a wide-ranging, litigation-focused practice. He represents clients in general, commercial, and probate litigation; labor and employment matters; administrative law; and criminal cases. After graduating magna cum laude from Williams College, Esposito graduated summa cum laude from Boston University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S. District Court, the District of Massachusetts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit.

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The Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced that Glen Hevy will join the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home as its new, permanent deputy superintendent on Dec. 21. Hevy, a retired U.S. Army Infantry Officer, joins Holyoke from the Bedford VA Medical Center, where he was the senior operations official for Patient Care Services at the 400-bed VA hospital. Also at the Bedford VA Medical Center, he held the roles of chief of the Sensory and Physical Rehabilitation Service and an investigator for Equal Opportunity Employer policies in the Office of Resolution Management. Before his time at the Bedford VA, Hevy held other public-service positions, including unit manager at the North Central Correctional Institute, program director at the Department of Youth Services, and as program director at human-services agencies in the Commonwealth. Hevy served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. During his 10 years in the Army, he was a rifle platoon leader, senior instructor, company commander, and academic chairperson. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Troy State University.

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Six campus researchers in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) at UMass Amherst have been recognized among the world’s most highly cited researchers in 2020 by London-based Clarivate Analytics, owner of the Web of Science. They have consistently had high citation counts over a decade. Now in its seventh year, the citation analysis identifies influential researchers as determined by their peers around the world. They are judged to be influential, and their citation records are seen as “a mark of exceptional impact,” the company says. The six from UMass Amherst are environmental chemist Baoshan Xing in CNS’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Distinguished Professor of Food Science David McClements and food scientist Hang Xiao, microbiologist Kelly Nevin Lovley, materials scientist Thomas Russell, and Vincent Rotello, the Charles A. Goessmann Professor of Chemistry and a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. All are repeat members of the list. McClements is internationally known for his cutting-edge work in food design and nanotechnology, including encapsulating nutraceuticals in nanoparticles to preserve nutrients. Xiao’s lab focuses on molecular mechanisms and interactions of possible disease-preventing nutraceuticals to enhance nutrient bioavailability through food processing and nanotechnology, among other topics. Nevin Lovley’s lab, part of the Geobacter Project, works to determine the electron transport chain in these bacteria with a goal to develop techniques to optimize the cells’ electrical production for better fuel-cell performance, among other goals. The Rotello lab takes a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing chemistry, biology, and biomedical engineering to tailor nanomaterials to develop new biological applications. Russell, internationally known as an inventor, names his lab’s research interests in polymer phase transition, polymers’ surface and interfacial properties, directed self-assembly processes, and using polymers as scaffolds and templates to generate nanoscopic structures. Environmental scientist Xing’s lab focuses on protecting the environment by maintaining and improving soil and water quality. This includes investigating the behavior and agricultural application of engineered nanomaterials and using spectroscopic and analytical instruments to study interactions among organic compounds, natural organic matter, and mineral particles. Two years ago, Highly Cited Researchers introduced a new cross-field category to identify researchers with substantial influence across several fields during the data census period. At UMass Amherst, Nevin Lovley and Rotello appear in this category for 2020.

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Anthony Worden

Anthony Worden

Michael Tucker

Michael Tucker

Kevin O’Neil, chairman of the board of directors of Greenfield Cooperative Bank (GCB) and its Northampton Cooperative Bank division, announced the promotion of Anthony Worden to president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2021. This promotion is in anticipation of the retirement of current President and CEO Michael Tucker, who is relinquishing his title as president, but will remain CEO until his actual retirement in January 2022, when Worden will take over that role as well. Tucker will remain as a director of the bank and holding company. O’Neil noted that this transition schedule is part of an overall succession plan for the bank that the board adopted some time ago. Worden has worked closely with Tucker in addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic within the bank and its local communities. Tucker also noted he has complete confidence in Worden’s ability to lead the bank into the future. O’Neil noted the board was pleased to be able to select someone like Worden who already knows and values GCB’s traditions and internal culture. A Pioneer Valley resident for the past 30 years, he is a director, executive committee member, and chair of the governance committee for the United Way of Franklin County; a former director of the Franklin County Community Development Corp.; and a former director of the Berkshire Brewing Co. of South Deerfield. He received his bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and his MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst, and he is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Monson Savings Bank announced the recent promotion of Rob Chateauneuf to senior vice president and senior commercial loan officer. In his new role, Chateauneuf will be responsible for leading the bank’s Commercial Lending team as they continue to serve local businesses of all sizes. He is skilled in commercial real-estate lending, C&I lending, construction lending, and SBA lending. At Monson Savings Bank, he most recently served as first vice president of Commercial Lending and has been the bank since 2012. With more than 20 years of banking experience, including commercial lending, residential lending, and retail branch management, he has a comprehensive understanding of the needs and challenges of commercial businesses. Chateauneuf earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Springfield Regional Chamber’s Leadership Institute at Western New England University and the American Bankers Assoc. Stonier Graduate School of Banking – Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2014, he was recognized as one of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty. He served on the board of directors at Hawthorn Services from 2006 to 2010, serving as president and chair from 2008 to 2010. When Hawthorn Services merged with the Center for Human Development (CHD), he was asked to join the CHD board, which he served as chair of the program committee and a member the board of directors from 2010 to 2020. He also served on the board of directors of the South Hadley Chamber of Commerce from 2004 to 2013. He has also been involved in myriad other charitable organizations and volunteer events throughout the years, including those benefiting Habitat for Humanity, the Westfield Boys & Girls Club, the United Way, and the towns of Agawam and South Hadley.

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Berkshire Bank announced the promotion of Jennifer Carmichael to executive vice president and chief internal audit officer. She previously served as senior vice president and audit manager at the bank. In her role, Carmichael will continue to lead all aspects of Berkshire’s internal audit and independent SOX testing programs. She is responsible for providing independent and objective assurance to management and the audit committee on the adequacy and effectiveness of governance and internal controls to support the achievement of organizational objectives as well as promote and facilitate continuous improvement as part of the third line of defense. She reports directly to the audit committee of the board of directors and administratively to acting CEO Sean Gray. Carmichael previously served as senior vice president and audit manager at Berkshire Bank. She joined Berkshire in 2016 from Accume Partners, where she served as senior audit manager to several clients in the New York and New England regions, including Berkshire. She began her career in the community-banking sector in internal audit roles and previously served several years at Ballston Spa National Bank, including as assistant vice president, compliance and BSA officer and assistant auditor. In addition to her professional achievements, she also serves as a member of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the Vermont Veterans Home board of trustees, where she serves on the strategic planning committee.

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Eric Ohanian

Eric Ohanian

Eric Ohanian, structural project engineer at Tighe & Bond Inc., was named a 2020 Young Professional of the Year by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA). This award recognizes the accomplishments of young engineers by highlighting their interesting and unique work, and the resulting impact on society. Ohanian has been a key contributor to the successful rise of Tighe & Bond’s bridge-design and assessment practice over the last few years. His extensive experience and knowledge of engineering design have greatly contributed to the service the firm provides to municipal and DOT clients, including assisting numerous towns with applications for more than $3 million in grant funding for bridges. Beyond bridge design, his work includes business development, project management, marketing, mentoring, and engineering. His hard work was recognized early in his career with Tighe & Bond when he was selected to join the first year-long Aspiring Leaders Program. This provided an opportunity to work directly with senior leadership and solve upcoming challenges. His contributions to the program resulted in the development of a new internal quality management committee, of which he is an active member. Ohanian will be honored by ACEC/MA alongside other award recipients at its 2021 awards gala.

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Belt Technologies Inc., a manufacturer of custom metal belt conveyer solutions and conveyor systems, announced that Timothy Condry has joined the team in the role of materials coordinator. A seasoned professional, he will coordinate logistics for the busy manufacturer. Condry holds business degrees from Manchester Community College and Eastern Connecticut State University. Prior to joining Belt Technologies, he was a production planner for 15 years, responsible for forecasting and purchasing materials, providing customer support, and production control.

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PeoplesBank recently announced nine promotions. Christina Bordeau has been promoted to assistant vice president, banking center manager for the High Street, Holyoke location. She has more than 24 years of financial-services and banking experience, having served in various retail banking roles. Michael Gay has been promoted to vice president, banking center manager for the Amherst location. He has more than 20 years of retail and banking experience. Jacquelyn Guzie has been promoted to vice president and regional manager. She has more than 20 years of financial-services and banking experience, having served in various retail banking roles, including managing the Suffield Banking Center. Clare Ladue was promoted to vice president and regional manager for the Holyoke region. She has more than 25 years of financial-services and banking experience, having served in banking center management, administration, and commercial lending. She previously served as banking center manager for the Hadley Banking Center and was promoted to assistant vice president, regional manager, in 2019. Aneta Lombardi was promoted to finance officer. She has more than 15 years of financial-services and banking experience, including serving in various positions in the finance division, most recently as financial analyst. Nicole Nelson was promoted to banking center manager at the Windsor Locks location. She has more than eight years of banking experience, including serving as assistant manager of both the East Longmeadow and Windsor Locks banking centers. Steve Parastatidis was promoted to first vice president, commercial banking. He has 16 years of banking experience. Brenda Rodriguez was promoted to assistant vice president, banking center manager of the Chicopee location. She has more than 14 years of financial-services and banking experience, having served in various retail banking roles, including most recently as banking center manager for the St. James Avenue, Springfield location. Danielle Rosario was promoted to vice president, banking center manager, for the Chicopee location. She has more than 17 years of banking experience.

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Bill Jackson

Bill Jackson

Restoration specialist Bill Jackson has joined the business-development team at Adam Quenneville Roofing & Siding Inc. He will work to expand partnerships and provide assistance throughout the New England condominium industry, particularly for members of the Community Associations Institute (CAI). His experience in the condominium industry will give property managers a go-to source for renovations that may include roofing, siding, windows, decks, and all-inclusive envelope projects. He will also work closely with clients to solve any issues. Jackson was a member of the CAI-CT board of directors, covering the Connecticut region, for six years. He also served on the association’s full fun committee and conference committee, and is a certified educated business partner. He worked for several years at two restoration companies. Jackson met Quenneville at a CAI conference in Connecticut, and is now hoping to meet property managers from all over New England to offer consultation and advice on upcoming projects and to solve any issues they might have. Jackson expects a busy spring because many projects have been put on hold during the pandemic.

 

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Kandra Tranghese

Kandra Tranghese

Monson Savings Bank announced the recent hiring of Kandra Tranghese as vice president and chief financial officer. In that role, she will be responsible for planning, directing, and controlling the bank’s financial plans, policies, and accounting practices. Tranghese most recently served for 23 years as senior audit manager for Wolf & Co., P.C., a regional CPA firm providing financial accounting and audit services. In this role, she was responsible for managing a team of professionals and providing audit and other assurance services to financial institutions. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fairfield University and is a licensed certified public accountant (CPA), as well as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants. An active participant in the community, Tranghese currently serves as treasurer for the Wilbraham Hampden Academic Trust and previously was president of the Children’s Study Home. She looks forward to participating with Monson Savings Bank on future community-outreach initiatives.

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Scott Emerson

Scott Emerson

Alyson Weeks

Alyson Weeks

Erin Skoczylas

Erin Skoczylas

Country Bank announced three recent promotions of long-time staff members. Scott Emerson was promoted to vice president, IT Security. He has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry and has been an essential part of the Innovation & Technology team at Country Bank for 14 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UMass Amherst and has also achieved several professional certifications, including information systems security professional (CISSP), information security manager (CISM), and GIAC enterprise defender (GCED). Alyson Weeks has been promoted to assistant vice president, Human Resources. She began her career at Country Bank 12 years ago as a teller and has worked in various other roles in the Retail Banking division, including teller supervisor, Branch Operations manager, and Retail Operations manager, before joining the Human Resources team five years ago. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Worcester State University and has a master’s degree in education from American International College. Erin Skoczylas has been promoted to assistant controller. She began her career at Country Bank 23 years ago as a part-time Operations clerk. Before transitioning to accounting in 2008, she worked in various positions throughout the Operations department. She holds an associate degree in business administration from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor of business administration degree from Western New England University. She is also a 2017 graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.

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Berkshire Bank announced the promotion of Jason White to executive vice president and chief information officer. He previously served as senior vice president and chief technology officer at the bank. In his new role, White will lead all aspects of Berkshire’s information-technology program and oversee the teams responsible for ACH payroll, wire room, and electronic banking. He will also continue to direct the bank’s technology investments and assets to ensure it is meeting the changing demands of customers in a digitally focused banking environment. He will report directly to acting President and CEO Sean Gray. In August, BostonCIO announced White as a winner of its 2020 CIO of the Year ORBIE Award in the corporate category. The awards recognize chief information officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. White previously served as senior vice president and chief technology officer at Berkshire Bank. He joined Berkshire in 2019 after the bank’s acquisition of Savings Institute Bank & Trust. Before that, he was responsible for streamlining the information-technology and operational workflows at Savings Institute, implementing a fully virtualized infrastructure, enhancing its overall information-security posture, and innovating customer digital channels. At Savings Institute, he served as chief information officer and information security officer. His background includes more than 25 years of experience supporting technology and operational areas within the financial industry.

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Bud Williams

Bud Williams

Kareem Wedderburn

Kareem Wedderburn

The Springfield Museums announced the winners of the 29th Ubora and 11th Ahadi award winners: state Rep. Bud Williams and Kareem Wedderburn. The awards are conferred each year by the African Hall subcommittee to African-American people from Greater Springfield who have demonstrated significant commitment to community service, education, science, humanities and/or the arts. The Ubora Award recognizes an adult of African heritage who exemplifies excellence in their commitment to creating a better community through service. The Ahadi Youth Award is presented to a young African-American who excels in academics and performs admirable service to the Greater Springfield community. First elected to Springfield City Council in 1993, Williams, the Ubora Award winner, is also a member of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. He was instrumental in stopping TD Bank from closing the Mason Square bank branch — a closure that would have negatively impacted poor and underserved residents, particularly senior patrons. His fight to address the injustices of subpar housing and support for displaced residents of Bergen Circle housing complex is another example of his work on behalf of the community. He assisted the elderly, provided transportation, and made certain that residents were treated with dignity as they sought out shelter and other services. One of seven close-knit siblings raised by their mother, Wedderburn challenged himself throughout his high-school career with advanced-placement course work, leadership in school theater productions, and a pivotal Upward Bound (UB) program in social justice. Upward Bound’s mission is to enable first-generation and low-income students to succeed in high school and enroll in college. The program also has a significant social-justice element. Wedderburn became passionate about public transit when he started taking the PVTA to school every day. Since then he has studied, written about, and photographed transit as a hobby, and has also made it his career focus. Currently, he is a freshman at Westfield State University, majoring in regional planning.

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Joshua Woods

Joshua Woods

Bacon Wilson announced that attorney Joshua Woods has joined the firm. Woods is an associate and a member of the firm’s business and commercial law team, and is licensed in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, Woods practiced law in Hartford, Conn. and also in the Boston area, where he handled a wide variety of business matters including all aspects of corporate formation, franchising, joint ventures, leasing, and business and commercial litigation. He attended Western New England University School of Law, earning his juris doctor in 2017, and earned a BBA from Hofstra University in 2013. He will practice primarily from Bacon Wilson’s office in Springfield, working with clients throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut.

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Gov. Charlie Baker announced the appointment of Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe and Lt. Col. Mark Bigda to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home board of trustees. Brig. Gen. Sean Collins was appointed to the board last July. Together, these individuals represent extensive experience in the military and healthcare and have a direct connection to Western and Central Mass. Keefe will serve a seven-year term, replacing former trustee Christopher Dupont, whose term ended in July. Bigda will serve until July 2022, serving the remainder of former trustee Cesar Lopez’s term following his resignation in September. Collins will serve until July 2024, serving the remainder of former trustee Richard Girard’s term following his resignation in June. Keefe is currently assigned as adjutant general for the Massachusetts National Guard. In 1992, he joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard with the 104th Fighter Wing, and has held numerous assignments with the Massachusetts National Guard, having been appointed as adjutant general in May 2016. Bigda serves in the Massachusetts Air National Guard as a flight surgeon for the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, and has practiced as a physician for 30 years at his private practice, Manhan Internal Medicine, and also served as facility physician for 28 years at Hampshire County House of Correction. Bigda founded a nonprofit organization called Mustard Seed Missions and, since 2004, has led twice-yearly mission trips to remote villages in Haiti. Collins, a board-certified nurse practitioner, currently serves as the Air National Guard assistant to the deputy surgeon general, assisting in the overall operation of the Air Force Medical Service, a 44,000-person, integrated healthcare-delivery system across the U.S. and overseas. He is also currently an assistant professor at UMass Medical School.

People on the Move

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People on the Move

Attorney Meaghan Murphy recently joined Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a labor and employment law firm serving employers in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Murphy has more than six years of experience in general litigation and labor and employment law. She will advise clients regarding all employment-related matters, including, but not limited to, compliance with state, federal, and local laws, and discipline of employees. She will also create workplace policies for clients and represent them in various forums, including at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, government agencies, and in state and federal court. Murphy is a graduate of Amherst College and received her law degree from Western New England University School of Law. She was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Star list in 2018 and 2019. She has also been an active volunteer with Hampden County Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2018.

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Peter DePergola II

Peter DePergola II

Elms College announced the appointment of Peter DePergola II, associate professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, as executive director of the newly created St. John Paul II Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture (CERC). DePergola is also associate professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and the director of the Bioethics and Medical Humanities program at Elms. CERC was launched on Oct. 13 to increase engagement and discourse on the most pressing and complex questions related to ethics, religion, and culture in today’s society, and to lead the regional community in thoughtful, engaging dialogue. A $1 million naming gift from an anonymous donor and two six-figure contributions from Carolyn Jacobs, and B. John (Jack) and Colette Dill and family helped the college establish the center. In addition to his appointment as CERC executive director, DePergola has been named the Shaughness Family Chair for the Study of the Humanities, which is the college’s only endowed chair. The Shaughness Family Chair was funded in 1994 by the late L. Stella Shaughness, and the endowment income is to be used to promote academic excellence by supporting teaching, publishing, and/or research in the humanities. At Baystate Health, DePergola serves as chief ethics officer, senior director of Clinical Ethics, chief of the Ethics Consultation Service, and chair of the ethics advisory committee. He also holds secondary academic and research appointments at UMass Medical School, Sacred Heart University, the American Academy of Neurology, and TEDMED. A professional member of several international academic societies and associations, DePergola earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religious studies at Elms College, his MTS in ethics at Boston College, and his Ph.D. in healthcare ethics at Duquesne University. He completed his residency in neuroethics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, his fellowship in neuropsychiatric ethics at Tufts University School of Medicine, and his advanced training in neurothanatological ethics at Harvard Medical School.

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Nikki Burnett

Nikki Burnett

Nikki Burnett, executive director of Educare Springfield, the nation’s 24th Educare early-education center, has been appointed to a number of national Educare-related boards, including the Educare Learning Network (ELN) collaborative fundraising advisory board, which finds opportunities for greater financial sustainability of the ELN through enhanced fundraising programming. Burnett, the first executive director of Educare Springfield, has also joined the Red Nose Day advisory board, which provides guidance over the grant from Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day Fund on behalf of the ELN. Burnett has also joined the Educare Policy Work Group, which guides and supports the collective network’s engagement in early-childhood policy and advocacy, and the Educare Learning Network steering committee, which informs the direction of the annual meeting. Locally, Burnett has also joined a number of local serving boards, including the board of trustees of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, as well as the boards of Holyoke Community College Foundation and Dress for Success. Burnett earned her undergraduate degree in leadership and organizational science from Bay Path University. She will be completing her master’s degree in leadership and negotiation from Bay Path in 2020. Before joining Educare, she served as regional vice president of Multicultural Initiatives for the American Heart Assoc., where she worked throughout the New England region to build capacity and support revenue generation around community health and education initiatives. She has more than a decade of leadership experience and, prior to her position with the American Heart Assoc., worked at Baystate Health as education coordinator of Cardiopulmonary Services. At Baystate, she managed three cardiology fellowship programs. Burnett also has been actively involved in other community organizations in Springfield and in the region, having served on the board of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the Baystate Health community benefits advisory board, and Live Well Springfield, an organization that promotes a culture of health in Springfield.

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For the second time in the award’s history, the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts’ trustees of the Order of William Pynchon have Pynchon Medal recipients amidst a global pandemic. Slated to receive the Advertising Club’s Pynchon Medal at an October 2021 event are two local residents. Elizabeth Wills-O’Gilvie is a longtime community activist for good nutrition and healthy eating, and a tireless advocate for Gardening the Community and the Springfield Food Policy Council, to name just a few initiatives she supports. Janine Fondon serves as co-founder of Unity First, a distributor of diversity-related e-news, chair of the undergraduate Communications department at Bay Path University, and a writer, communicator, and professor focused on amplifying the diverse voices throughout the Pioneer Valley and around the U.S. through inclusion and equity initiatives. This year’s recipients were chosen from a pool of nominations for the award received earlier this year by the Advertising Club. All nominees are researched by the trustees, who then deliberate before selecting final recipients. All Pynchon medalists are chosen by unanimous decision of the Pynchon trustees, who are the current and five past presidents of the Advertising Club. Pynchon trustees for 2020 are Jillian Gould, Teresa Utt, David Cecchi, Mary Shea, Scott Whitney, and current Advertising Club President Brenda McGiverin. The official presentation of the Pynchon Medal and celebration will take place in the fall of 2021 in concert with the following year’s recipients. When confirmed, event details and ticket information will be available at adclubwm.org or by calling (413) 342-0533.

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Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso

Jean Deliso, CFP has been named a member of the 2020 Chairman’s Council of New York Life. Members of the Chairman’s Council rank in the top 3% of New York Life’s sales force of more than 12,000 licensed agents in sales achievement. She has accomplished this level of achievement for nine consecutive years. Deliso has been a New York Life agent since 1995 and is associated with New York Life’s Connecticut Valley General Office in Windsor, Conn. She is a member of the Nautilus Group, an exclusive, advanced planning resource for estate-conservation and business-continuation strategies. She is president and owner of Deliso Financial and Insurance Services, a firm focusing on comprehensive financial strategies that help position clients for a solid financial future. She has worked in the financial field for more than 30 years, her first seven in public accounting and the balance working in the financial-services industry. Deliso has developed an expertise assisting business owners and individuals protecting and securing their and their family’s future. Her extensive experience has led to a focus in certain fields, such as cash and risk management, investment, retirement, and estate planning. She is fully committed to educating individuals regarding their finances and frequently conducts workshops advocating financial empowerment. She currently serves on and has held chairman of the board positions at Baystate Health Foundation and the Community Music School of Springfield. She is also a former board member of the YMCA of Greater Springfield and Pioneer Valley Refrigerated Warehouse, a former trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and a former member of the Bay Path University advisory board.

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MassDevelopment announced that, after three years as president and CEO, Lauren Liss will step down from this position at the end of the calendar year. Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chairman of the board of directors of MassDevelopment, will lead the search for the next head of the state’s finance and development agency. Before taking the reins at MassDevelopment in 2017, Liss held leadership positions in both the private and public sectors, including commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and a partner in a Boston law firm. In fiscal year 2020, MassDevelopment financed or managed 341 projects, generating investment of more than $2.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,871 jobs and build or preserve 1,787 housing units. As president and CEO, Liss expanded its work in gateway cities through an array of finance programs and real-estate services, such as the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) and Commonwealth Places program, and oversaw tremendous growth at Devens, MassDevelpment’s iconic mixed-use redevelopment of the former Fort Devens. This year, under Liss’ leadership and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MassDevelopment pivoted programs and tools to support small businesses in some of the state’s hardest-hit communities and aid in economic recovery. These efforts helped to stabilize businesses in TDI districts and created crowdfunding opportunities for community partners to prepare public spaces and commercial districts to safely serve residents and visitors. MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth.

People on the Move

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People on the Move
Richard Swift

Richard Swift

Dr. Ira Klein

Dr. Ira Klein

Richard Swift, who has served as Health New England’s (HNE) interim chief financial officer since April, has been appointed president and CEO, effective immediately. HNE also announced the appointment of Dr. Ira Klein to the role of vice president and chief medical officer. Swift is an experienced chief executive officer and chief financial officer for provider- owned health plans, and a senior healthcare executive with over 30 years of leadership with integrated delivery systems, health plans, and provider groups throughout the country. He has served as president of Medwise Partners, a health-insurance consulting company he founded in 1996. In that capacity, he has served in numerous interim executive roles for regional health plans throughout the U.S. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University and an MBA in healthcare administration from the University of Miami in Florida. In this new position, Klein is responsible for ensuring the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services for Health New England members, and will focus on clinical excellence, innovation, and technology to improve health outcomes. Before joining Health New England, Klein served as senior director and lead, Healthcare Quality Strategy at Janssen for Johnson and Johnson Inc. in New Brunswick, N.J. Previously, he held various positions at Aetna Inc. in Hartford, Conn., including medical director, Patient Management, Northeast Region; senior medical director and analyst, National Accounts; and chief of staff and national medical director, Clinical Thought Leadership. Klein holds an MBA degree from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Management, a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University’s College of Pharmacy.

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Lt. John Vanasse

Lt. John Vanasse

American International College (AIC) recently welcomed Lt. John Vanasse to lead the campus police department. Vanasse is an employee of G4S Secure Solutions North America, a leading international security-solutions group and the provider of campus-security services for American International College for more than five years. Vanasse’s background and experience lend well to his new role at the college. Most recently, he was an instructor of Criminal Justice at Westfield High School. He has also served as a corrections officer and deputy sheriff at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Corrections. Additionally, while working in safety and security for the Springfield public schools, he managed a million-dollar budget, supervised security staff at schools throughout the district, developed safety and security training programs, and conducted investigations into major security infractions. Prior to relocating to Western Mass. 15 years ago, he was deputy director for Safety and Security at the Massachusetts State House and other state facilities throughout Government Center in Boston. Vanasse received his undergraduate degree in criminology and law from Suffolk University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Anna Maria College.

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Michael Bartoszek

Michael Bartoszek

Aegis Energy, EDF Group, a leading provider of co-generation technology, hired experienced energy-sector professional Michael Bartoszek to the role of business development manager. Bartoszek’s hire comes during an extended period of growth; Aegis recently added 12 team members and has plans to add four more. Although new to Aegis, Michael is no stranger to the company or its affiliates, having previously held the position of regional manager for the Eastern U.S. for Citelum North America, a unit of the EDF Group. With his knowledge of EDF offerings and more than two decades of industry experience, he is well-equipped to suggest energy solutions in his current role of business development manager.

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Michael Bartoszek

Florence Bank promoted Shelley Moreau to the position of vice president, mortgage compliance specialist in the Residential Lending department at the main office in Florence. Moreau has been an employee of Florence Bank for 37 years. Prior to her recent promotion, she served as the assistant vice president, mortgage compliance specialist. She is a graduate of the American Bankers’ Assoc. Compliance School for Lending. During her tenure at the bank, she has been the recipient of the President’s Award, which is awarded to employees who demonstrate superior levels of performance, customer service, and overall contribution to the bank. Moreau serves her community as treasurer and board member of the Hilltown Community Development Corp. in Chesterfield.

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Bruce Dixon

Tech Foundry, a nonprofit with a mission to support the region’s growing need for a qualified technology workforce and elevate underrepresented groups into sustainable careers in information technology, has named Bruce Dixon its new CEO. Dixon will work alongside an 11-member board, lead a five-member staff, and drive strategic business partnerships and curriculum development to propel the already-thriving organization forward. Dixon previously served as CEO of the Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program, a social venture that inspires and prepares underrepresented students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It’s this background that generated interest among Tech Foundry board members, but it’s his well-rounded background and personal philosophy that solidified his candidacy. Dixon is an award-winning innovator, social entrepreneur, adventurer, storyteller, and self-proclaimed “human-performance geek.” He has held a variety of leadership roles with the Hartford Financial Services Group and the Chubb group of insurance companies; was honored with numerous awards, including the Connecticut Science Center Award for Achievement in STEM Innovation and Education and Wesleyan University’s Social Entrepreneurship Award; and was invited as an honored guest to the 2014 inaugural White House Maker Faire.

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Darcy (Fortune) Young

Darcy (Fortune) Young

The Children’s Study Home recently appointed board of directors member Darcy (Fortune) Young to its executive committee. Young has been a member of the board since 2018, serving on the communications committee. She has consulted on everything from fundraising to digital marketing and, most recently, was part of the board effort to transition to a new executive director for the 155-year old agency. One of her first acts as a member of the communications committee was to film and produced a promotional video for the nonprofit agency. In the video, professionals from Baystate Orthopedic Surgery Center; PeoplesBank; Gomes, DaCruz, & Tracy P.C.; and Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn explain not only the critical impact the Children’s Study Home has on youth, but also the community. Founded in 1865, the Children’s Study Home serves children, adolescents, and families with special needs throughout the Pioneer Valley, the Berkshires, and Cape Cod, who are often struggling to cope with behavioral, psychiatric, and cognitive issues related to the experiences they have survived. The staff of the Children’s Study Home assesses their needs and develops individualized service plans that foster recovery, growth, and wellness. As a digital public relations analyst for Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi), Young has developed and implemented numerous public-relations campaigns for some of the market’s leading brands. She is also one of the only female video producers in the region. In 2018, she produced “Innovation Series,” which won an award from the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts. Prior to joining GCAi, she was a field producer, assignment desk editor, and production assistant for FOX News and ABC News affiliates. Young is a cum laude graduate of Westfield State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, and public & corporate communication.

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Andrea Kunst

Andrea Kunst

CitySpace announced that Andrea Kunst will fill the role of capital campaign manager for the organization, and will guide the Transformation Campaign, a project to restore and create a flexible performing-arts and community space in Easthampton’s Old Town Hall. Kunst brings 20 years of advancement experience, raising close to $30 million in funding for schools and mission-driven nonprofits. After being introduced to the field of development at a Jesuit middle school in Jamaica Plain, Kunst found her calling and has continued to support organizations with strong missions of meeting community needs. Prior to retiring from Boston public schools, she spent a decade as the director of Advancement for a competency-based alternative high school in Roxbury. She has worked extensively in many creative fields, including writing columns for Boston magazine, teaching technical writing at Boston Architectural Center, managing a jazz club in Cambridge, and serving as board chair for Dorchester Arts Collaborative during its successful opening of Dorchester’s first community art gallery. In 2016, Kunst began Cushing Mill, a contracting company for schools and nonprofits in need of advancement services. In that role, she has worked for the Center for Health and Food Law Policy at Harvard University, Fields Corner Main Street in Dorchester, All Dorchester Sports and Leadership; Boston Green Academy in Brighton, and Boston Farms Community Land Trust. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from Emerson College.

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OMG Roofing Products promoted Adam Cincotta to the position of vice president of the company’s Adhesives and Solar Business unit, one of three business units within OMG Roofing Products. In this role, he is responsible for developing and executing the overall business-unit strategy, including product and market development, as well as managing the business unit’s profit and loss. He reports to Peter Coyne, senior vice president and general manager of OMG Roofing Products. Cincotta joined OMG Roofing Products in 2014 as a product manager for the OlyBond Adhesives product line. Most recently, he was director of the Adhesives and Solar Business unit. Under his leadership, the business unit has experienced strong growth driven by several successful new products for which he was responsible, including OlyBond500 Canisters, PaceCarts, and the PowerGrip solar-mount portfolio. Prior to joining OMG, Cincotta served in product-management and marketing roles at Newell Rubbermaid, ITW, and Danaher. He holds a bachelor’s degree in applied economics and management from Cornell University, and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts.

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Aesha Mu’min

Aesha Mu’min, a 2019 American International College (AIC) alumna of the clinical psychology graduate-degree program, and current doctoral student in the mental health counseling program, was recently named a 100 Women of Color class of 2020 award recipient. The gala and awards event recognizes the contributions that women in business, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment, and service have made to impact the lives of people throughout their communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Mu’min was selected to the 2020 cohort of awardees because of her dedication to and innovative work as a deputy warden in the Connecticut Department of Corrections. In November 2019, she was integral in piloting the equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions offered by Operation Warrior Horse, a 10-week program housed in the 110-bed unit for military veterans at the Willard-Cybulski Correctional Institution in Enfield, Conn. The program offered inmates an opportunity to meet with therapists and interact with horses in the prison yard for two hours each week. Operating at no cost to the state, the program was sponsored by Healing Hoofbeats of Connecticut. While similar correctional programs utilize equine therapy, this was the first such program to be tailored to the needs of incarcerated military veterans.

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Kyle Sullivan

Kyle Sullivan

Kyle Sullivan, assistant vice president at John M. Glover Insurance Agency, recently celebrated his 10th anniversary at the firm. Sullivan sells home, auto, and business insurance and became assistant vice president in 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Nichols College. To better assist his commercial customers, he also holds a commercial-lines coverage specialist certification through the Hartford School of Insurance. Sullivan previously worked in the restaurant industry for 10 years, which gave him customer-service experience along with a unique perspective on insuring restauranteurs. He works with commercial clients who range from contractors, real-estate investors, and restauranteurs to the owners of car dealerships and auto-body shops.

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