Departments People on the Move

People on the Move

Jane Albert

Jane Albert

Jane Albert has been promoted to the position of senior vice president for Marketing, Communications & External Relations at Baystate Health. She will report to Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health, and serve as a member of the president’s cabinet. She will oversee the functions of marketing and digital strategy, government and public relations, community relations and public health, communications, and philanthropy. “Jane has been a trusted Baystate Health leader for 15 years in roles that have progressively increased in responsibility and scope. She has a breadth and depth of career experiences and skills that make her ideal for this senior leadership role,” Keroack said. When she joined Baystate Health as manager of Medical Practices Marketing, she presented the first marketing plan to integrate two legacy medical groups to become one organization as Baystate Medical Practices. She then served as manager of Corporate Marketing, overseeing Baystate Health’s marketing efforts, loyalty programs, and events, and developing marketing priorities based on the strategic objectives of the organization. Albert was promoted to director of Public Affairs & Internal Communications, developing metrics for the measurement of media activities while strategically building the community presence of Baystate Health and its entities. She then returned to Baystate Medical Practices, successfully launching the organization’s first physician referral office. Over the last four years, Albert has served as vice president of Philanthropy for Baystate Health and executive director of the Baystate Health Foundation. Among her accomplishments, she led the transformation of the foundation to diversify philanthropic support in alignment with a newly developed strategic plan and recently oversaw the completion of a $5 million capital campaign for the new surgical center at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield. “In all of her roles, Jane has helped advance the work of her teams by developing priorities that align with the mission and strategic objectives of the organization. She is a positive ambassador for our health system and has always been a driving force behind providing honest, timely communications to our constituents,” Keroack said. “She is an incredible contributor to Baystate Health on many fronts, and her energy, enthusiasm, and affection for our organization will serve her well in her new role.” Before joining Baystate Health, Albert served as vice president of Advancement and Marketing at Western New England College, with responsibility for national and regional marketing efforts and philanthropic efforts focused on engaging alumni, businesses, and foundations in support of the university. She holds an MBA from Babson College and a BBA in accounting from UMass Amherst. Active in the community, she has held leadership positions on many boards, including Spirit of Springfield, the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Jewish Community Center, Rotary Club, and chambers of commerce. She has been recognized as Woman of the Year by the Springfield Women’s Commission and as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary Club International.

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Lee Bank recently announced the promotion of three leaders within the company and the addition of a mortgage officer to support its continued growth in 2017.

Susie Brown

Susie Brown

Susie Brown has been named to the position of senior vice president, Human Resources and Administration. She has been employed at Lee Bank for more than 37 years and has worked in many areas of the bank, including operations, human resources, building and maintenance, security, and administration. She will continue to oversee human resources, administration and security, and management of board meetings and governance processes for Lee Bank and its holding company, Berkshire Financial Services;

Paula Gangell-Miller

Paula Gangell-Miller

Paula Gangell-Miller has been named to the position of vice president, Community Banking – Retail Operations. She joined Lee Bank 29 years ago and has been involved in many facets of the bank throughout the years, having held positions as teller, operations supervisor, community banker, branch manager, and area manager, in addition to her new role;

Paula Lewis

Paula Lewis

Paula Lewis has been named to the position of first vice president, Retail Lending. She joined Lee Bank in 2012 as vice president of Mortgage Loan Operations. In her new position, she will oversee residential lending and will sit on Lee Bank’s ALCO committee as well as its executive loan committee; and

Kathy Kelly

Kathy Kelly

Kathy Kelly has joined Lee Bank as a mortgage officer in its Pittsfield office. Kelly has been a mortgage professional for most of her banking career, with First Agricultural Bank, Legacy Banks, and most recently Berkshire Bank.

“I am pleased to announce these well-deserved promotions and to welcome Kathy Kelly to the Lee Bank team,” said President Chuck Leach. “I’m confident that Kathy will not only mesh with but also enhance our culture just as Susie Brown, Paula Lewis, and Paula Gangell-Miller have for many, many years. Lee Bank is very fortunate to have an extremely valuable culture of loyal, dedicated employees who are not only outstanding contributors in the workplace, focused on continued excellence in serving our customers, but also to our Berkshire community.”

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Ellen Freyman, attorney and shareholder with Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, P.C., was recently recognized by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) for her significant contributions to the local community. NCCJ was founded in 1927 in response to religious divides in the country at the time. The goal of the organization and its prominent founders — including social activist Jane Addams and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes — was to bring together diverse populations to combat social injustice, a mission perpetuated to this day. Freyman concentrates her practice in all aspects of commercial real estate: acquisitions and sales, development, leasing, and financing. She has an extensive land-use practice that includes zoning, subdivision, project permitting, and environmental matters. She is a graduate of the Western New England University School of Law (1988) and Pennsylvania State University (1977). One of the most highly awarded attorneys within the Pioneer Valley, she has been recognized or awarded by BusinessWest magazine (Difference Maker, 2010), the Professional Women’s Chamber (Woman of the Year, 2012); Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts (Pynchon Award, 2012); Springfield Leadership Institute (Community Service Award, 2011); Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (Top Women of Law Award, 2010); and Reminder Publications (Hometown Hero Award, 2010).

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Victoria Owen

Victoria Owen

Victoria Owen has joined United Personnel as the organization’s newest business development representative, as the company expands its team to better serve area businesses. Owen, former owner of Owen Employee Benefit Strategies LLC and past director of Employee Benefits at Northwestern Mutual, brings a wealth of knowledge about business operations and human-resources priorities to her current role at United Personnel. She leverages more than 20 years of industry expertise in employee benefits, strategic planning, and business development to support clients and candidates throughout Western Mass. Owen received her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University, serves on the board of directors of the Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. of Western Mass., and is committed to building meaningful relationships within the business community.

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Sunshine Village announced several personnel changes as the organization continues to grow its programming footprint in the area.

Jenny Galat was promoted to program manager of the new Litwin Center Day Habilitation Program. Since 2013, Galat has worked for the organization as a developmental specialist, case manager, and program supervisor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a concentration in social work from Saint Anselm’s College. When it opens this summer, she will oversee the new program’s focus on innovative day services for adults aged 18-32 years old;

Nichole Chilson came on board as human resource generalist to assist with employee benefits, safety and health protocol compliance, and employee-relations initiatives. Chilson brings more than 25 years of human-resources and customer-service experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice from Western New England University; and

Amie Miarecki was named director of community relations. She brings 15 years of experience working in health and human services, including marketing, community relations, and resource development. She will promote Sunshine Village’s mission to help everyone shine by engaging with community partners and employers. Miarecki holds a master’s degree in corporate and organizational communication with a specialization in leadership from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology from UMass Amherst.

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Maria Mitchell, a graduate of Springfield Technical Community College’s newly accredited Health Information Technology program, is the first person from STCC to receive the MaHIMA Student Achievement award. The Massachusetts Health Information Management Assoc. (MaHIMA) offers the award to an outstanding student from any accredited health-information technology or health-information management program. STCC’s program received accreditation in December, making a graduate of the program eligible for the first time this year. Mitchell received a certificate of achievement and one-year membership to the national American Health Information Management Assoc. (AHIMA), free full-day registration for MaHIMA’s fall and winter meetings, and free MaHIMA webinars for one year. She is seeking a position as a health-information technician or coding specialist and hopes to eventually return to school and earn her bachelor’s degree. Graduates of STCC’s Health Information Technology program receive associate degrees. The program prepares students for certification and practice as registered health-information technicians, who typically work with patient medical records at healthcare facilities. Technicians focus in areas beyond coding, including data analytics, compliance, and more.

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Duncan Mellor

Duncan Mellor

The American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) honored Tighe & Bond’s Duncan Mellor with its 2017 Distinguished Lighthouse Community Service Award at its annual gala at the Nonatum Resort in Kennebunkport, Maine on May 7. Every year, the organization honors one person who has contributed significantly to ALF’s mission. Since 2011, Mellor has donated his engineering and waterfront expertise to upgrade the Whaleback Lighthouse in Kittery, Maine. This three-phase project included designing repairs for two granite breakwaters and a new docking system with walkways that achieved federal government approval and met ALF’s goals for public access and safety. “This is a well-deserved honor for Duncan — and just one example of his exceptional expertise and commitment to our coastlines and waterfronts,” said Tighe & Bond President and CEO David Pinsky. Mellor leads Tighe & Bond’s coastal engineering services with more than 30 years of experience in the profession. Clients throughout New England know him well for his role in complex coastal projects and solving all types of shoreline and waterfront challenges. Mellor has also overseen unique projects that have required highly creative solutions, such as tidal turbines, offshore structures, and lighthouses. A licensed engineer in New Hampshire and Maine, Mellor has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and master’s degree in Ocean Engineering, both from the University of New Hampshire.