People on the Move

Bulkley Richardson has named Elizabeth Quick its new executive director. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing all business operations including finance, human resources, information technology, business development/marketing, and facilities. “We are pleased that Elizabeth will be joining us,” said Peter Barry, chairman of the firm’s executive committee. “She has directed many programs and business systems for law firms throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C. Based on her experience and her abilities, we are confident that she will be a major contributor to continuing the firm’s success.” Quick said she is excited about her new opportunity. “I look forward to working with this talented group of professionals as we continue to serve Bulkley Richardson clients and the community. Continuous improvement of systems and management to foster the firm’s delivery of superior legal services is an important focus for me.” An experienced operations professional, Quick’s career spans more than 25 years as a legal-industry administrator. She has developed and implemented new processes, along with coordinating all administrative functions required to ensure smooth day-to-day operations. She has a strong network of colleagues and vendors which has allowed her to streamline tasks to bolster productivity and performance. Prior to joining Bulkley Richardson, she worked as a multi-location administrator for a law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Connecticut. She was responsible for strategic planning, expansions and moves, human resources, budgeting, day-to-day operations, business lines of insurance, and cohesive interaction with the management group in benefits, finance, technology, recruiting, and marketing to forward the firm’s overall success and business operations. Quick earned her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Eastern Connecticut State University, and received her associate degree from Manchester Community College, and was honored with the David A. Greenberg Award for Academic Excellence and the Fred A. Ramey Jr. Award for Outstanding Business Student. She is a member of the Assoc. of Legal Administrators (ALA), and also a member of the Nutmeg and Capitol chapters of ALA. Quick is based in Bulkley Richardson’s Springfield office. She succeeds Patrick Hourihan, who retired in September after 36 years of service to the firm.

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Country Bank President and CEO Paul Scully announced that Jodie Gerulaitis has been promoted to vice president of Community Relations. “Jodie’s commitment to the local communities we serve and her deep understanding of the bank’s mission made her the obvious choice for this new position,” Scully said. “Jodie will further enhance the bank’s long-standing commitment to helping those in need and work with local nonprofits on various events while managing the bank’s charitable-giving programs.” Gerulaitis has been with Country Bank for 24 years in various positions and holds several certifications from the Center for Financial Training. She is currently attending the New England School for Financial Studies, serves as a local treasurer of the Salvation Army, and is on the West Brookfield Elementary and Stanley M. Koziol school councils.  Annually, Country Bank partners with more than 500 local nonprofits to support their needs and was recently recognized as one of the Top 100 Charitable Giving Companies by the Boston Business Journal.

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The Solidago Foundation, a national social-justice foundation, appointed Springfield native, Amherst College graduate, and Truman scholar Pierre Joseph to the newly created role of program associate. Within this role, Joseph will have a critical role in developing four new signature projects as well as researching, recruiting, and managing new national and state partners. “Pierre is joining our growing team at a pivotal time for the foundation,” said CEO Elizabeth Barajas-Román. “We are excited about the expertise and fresh perspective he’ll bring to our ongoing work.” Prior to working at the Solidago Foundation, Pierre worked as a policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. There, he staffed the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services and worked on many issues including two-generation approaches to child poverty, family implications of substance-use disorder, and linking health-systems transformation to the social determinants of health. “In this new role, I am very interested in how emerging financing strategies, blended funding streams, and democratized access to capital can build wealth, expand opportunity, and increase economic mobility in underserved communities throughout the United States,” he said. Joseph is also responsible for working with senior staff on supporting the team’s budgeting, financial analysis, and planning efforts. “I am thrilled to be working alongside Pierre,” said Jeff Rosen, CFO of the Solidago Foundation. “We are lucky to have a person who has gained so much experience in both local and national arenas to bring to the next phase of our work. Pierre offers the rare blend of practical focus and long-range vision. He will be an invaluable field and thought partner, and we look forward to working together on a host of new initiatives.”

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Florence Bank, a mutually owned savings bank serving the Pioneer Valley through 10 branch locations, has hired Michelle Cayo of Granby in the position of vice president, Credit Administration manager. She brings nearly 20 years of commercial credit experience to her new role. Cayo studied at Bay Path University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in finance, and her master’s degree in communications and information management. She completed the New England School for Financial Studies program and is in the process of completing the Graduate Banking Program from the American Bankers Assoc. Cayo serves her community as a member of the Jimmy Fund Council of Western Mass. In the past, she has also served as president of the Professional Women’s Chamber of Western Mass. In 2013, she was recognized by Western Mass Women magazine as Volunteer of the Year to recognize her work for children with pediatric cancer. She was also recognized by BusinessWest as a member of the 40 Under Forty Class of 2011, which celebrates young business and civic leaders in the Pioneer Valley. “We are thrilled to announce the addition of Michelle Cayo to our Florence Bank family,” said President and CEO John Heaps Jr. “She has an impressive background in commercial credit, and we feel she’s the ideal candidate to take on the role of VP/Credit Administration manager. I know we will be seeing excellent results from her in the years to come, and I look forward to watching her success.”

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John Garvey, president of Springfield-based digital-marketing and public-relations firm Garvey Communication Associates Inc. (GCAi) recently completed a certificate program in corporate reputation management offered by the Public Relations Society of America. The eight-week program was taught by communications experts from global brands including Weber Shandwick, the Hershey Co., MasterCard, Revlon Inc., and Burson-Marsteller. The program included modules on “Reputation and the CEO,” “Key Performance Indicators,” “Digital Reputation,” and “Reputational Risks.” The program is designed to help communications professionals navigate the space between marketing, public relations, and digital, as well as to recognize the importance of reputation and the CEO’s impact on brand value. Garvey was also a keynote presenter at the 2017 Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. Executive Officers Conference, where he presented on “Managing the Media and Your Reputation in a Crisis.” He has close to four decades of public-relations and reputation-management experience, having worked as a consultant to a variety of corporations and nonprofits, as well as a political campaign consultant. Garvey earned a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and has served as a guest lecturer at the university’s Diederich College of Communications. He earned a master’s degree in organizational development at American International College. He is also a judge and mentor for the Boston-based global startup accelerator MassChallenge, where he has worked with cohorts from Spain, Columbia, Morocco, France, and Mexico.

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Ivonne Vidal, a staff attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Springfield, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College board of trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker. Vidal holds a law degree from Boston University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economics from Brown University. As an undergraduate, she spent a year studying international relations and economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. A native Spanish speaker, Vidal grew up in Cuba and has been living in the U.S. since she was 15 and in Western Mass. for the past six years. “As a public defender and an immigrant, I am keenly aware of the transformative role education plays in a person’s life,” Vidal said. “Holyoke Community College is at the forefront of this movement, finding innovative ways to engage and improve the lives of residents in Holyoke and Western Massachusetts. I am very excited to become a part of this institution, and I’m looking forward to helping advance its mission.” Before coming to New England for college, Vidal worked as an aide at the English Center in Miami, helping to teach classes in English as a second language and citizenship. She also spent summers during college in Miami working as an executive intern in the public defender’s office. As a law student at Boston University, she worked for Greater Boston Legal Services and as a legal intern with Masferrer & Associates, P.C. “Ivonne’s background in law and fluency in Spanish will strengthen our already-talented board,” said Robert Gilbert, board of trustees chair. “Our goal is to foster an environment where students can succeed not only academically in college, but in their lives as well. New trustees bring fresh ideas that will help guide HCC into the future and strengthen our connections with community partners.”

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OMG Roofing Products has hired Shaun Jennings as digital marketing specialist. In his new role, Jennings is responsible for all digital marketing activities for OMG Roofing Products, including company websites, social media, and mobile marketing activities. He is based in Agawam and reports to Sam Everett, director of Marketing Communications. Jennings joins OMG Roofing from SABIC, a manufacturer of high-performance plastics, where he led digital platform development for the Specialties business unit in the Americas region, based in Houston. He holds a bachelor’s degree in interactive media advertising from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Headquartered in Agawam, OMG Roofing Products is a manufacturer of commercial roofing products including specialty fasteners, adhesives, edge metal systems, drains, pipe supports, and advanced productivity tools.

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Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, announced the appointment of Michael Koziol as chief financial officer at Holyoke Medical Center (HMC). “Mike has over 30 years of experience in nonprofit organizations, including several hospitals throughout New England,” said Hatiras. “His knowledge and successful contributions to organizational financial stability and improved operating efficiencies have already proved to be an asset to the leadership team of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems.” Koziol has served as interim CFO at HMC since April 2017. His prior experience includes executive-level finance positions with Southcoast Physicians Group in Fairhaven, Mass.; MaineGeneral Health in Augusta, Maine; South County Hospital Healthcare Systems in Wakefield, R.I.; Massachusetts Eye & Ear Associates in Boston; Rhode Island Hospital in Providence; and Memorial Hospital of South Bend in South Bend, Ind. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Illinois State University and completed his MBA at the University of Illinois. “I have spent the past six months as interim CFO with Holyoke Medical Center, and I am very happy to be a part of this organization,” said Koziol. “The people who work here are wonderful, and enable a bright future in continuing to provide high-quality, cost-effective care to the community.”

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Rachel Turgeon, a United Personnel employee who has worked in a variety of customer-service roles for the past five years, has been awarded the 2017 United Personnel Academic Merit Award. Turgeon received the $1,000 scholarship to defray student-loan payments related to her bachelor’s degree she received from Elms College last June. As an aspiring oncologist, Turgeon hopes to begin medical school next year. In addition to her work as a United Personnel contract employee, Turgeon is currently a women’s leader at Celebrate Recovery. In 2010, she suffered from an autoimmune disorder, and, in order to grow and heal from that occurrence, she began to counsel women in similar situations. She wanted women to see their beauty and worth beyond their physical impairments, such as hair loss. It was through this experience that she realized her calling and began taking steps to one day specialize in oncology, with the dream of traveling the world through Doctors Without Borders. “Working at United Personnel has taught me that hard work pays off,” Turgeon said. “United Personnel has been a blessing to work for. They have helped me during an extremely tough time in my life, and through them I found a job that has supported me and my long-term goals. I am extremely grateful to receive the United Personnel scholarship. Because of this scholarship, I can pay off a portion of my student loans and process quite a few medical-school applications. United Personnel has brought me one step closer to my goals, and I am so thankful for their support.” Each year, United Personnel identifies one contract employee, or the child of a United Personnel contract employee, who has worked at least 160 hours and is currently enrolled or is a recent graduate of an accredited college as the winner of its annual Academic Merit Award. This $1,000 award recognizes hard work both inside and outside of the classroom, and can be utilized to defray current costs or for loan forgiveness.