People on the Move

United Financial Bancorp Inc. announced that J. Jeffrey Sullivan, president and member of the board of directors, is leaving the company to pursue other professional interests. In addition, it was announced that Dena Hall has been promoted to Western Mass. Regional President for United Bank, and Michael Moriarty will be Executive Vice President, Western Mass. Commercial Banking Executive. “I want to thank Jeff for his commitment to United Bank over the past 12 years and his effort in helping us achieve a successful legal close of our merger,” said William Crawford IV, CEO of United Bank and United Financial Bancorp Inc. “Jeff has enjoyed a long career in banking and demonstrated a strong personal and professional commitment to Springfield and Western Mass. All of us who have had the opportunity to work with Jeff wish him well in his future endeavors.” In addition to her leading role as Western Mass. Regional President for United Bank, Hall will continue to serve as Chief Marketing Officer for the bank and President of the United Bank Foundation. She has nearly 20 years of experience in bank marketing and charitable giving. She came to United Bank in 2005 after serving as Assistant Vice President of Marketing for Woronoco Savings Bank (now Berkshire Bank) and Executive Director of the Woronoco Savings Charitable Foundation in Westfield. Hall worked previously for the Community Foundation of Western Mass. Hall was named one of the Springfield region’s top young business and community leaders by BusinessWest magazine in its inaugural 40 Under Forty compilation in 2007, and was also named the Business Woman of the Year by the Westfield Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the board of trustees for the Baystate Health Systems Foundation as well as a member of the Westfield Re-Development Authority and the Western Mass. Corporate Funder’s Forum. She is also the chairwoman of the Capital Campaign Scheduling Committee of Greater Springfield. Hall is a graduate of UMass Amherst, the Massachusetts School for Financial Studies, and the National School of Banking and Finance at Fairfield (Conn.) University. Moriarty, who previously held the title of Senior Vice President and Regional Team Leader for United Bank for more than seven years, will take on a key role as Executive Vice President, Western Mass. Commercial Banking Executive. Prior to joining United Bank, Moriarty was Vice President of Commercial Lending for the Bank of Western Massachusetts. He also was Vice Pesident of Commercial Lending for the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency. Earlier in his banking career, Moriarty was a Bank Examiner with the Office of the Commissioner of Banks in Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College and an MBA from Western New England University. He is also a graduate of the Stonier National Graduate School of Banking, American Bankers Assoc. Hall’s and Moriarty’s new roles with the company became effective earlier this month.
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Banker & Tradesman has named Douglas Bowen, President and CEO of PeoplesBank, a Community Bank Hero. In awarding that honor, the publication said it goes to individuals who show “an exceptional dedication to service and investment in their community.” Bowen and the others were recognized at a special reception to honor those in the industry who have gone above and beyond to better their organization and their community. Since becoming President and CEO of PeoplesBank in 2007, Bowen and his leadership team have led a culture change at the bank. That shift defined a triple bottom line for the bank: going forward, enhanced financial performance would be linked to community and employee engagement as well as environmental sustainability. The team focused on developing new and higher levels of employee engagement and involvement by creating life-work balance initiatives, a management-development program, employee-led think tanks, and employee-recognition events. PeoplesBank associates have volunteered an average of 6,000 hours each year for charitable causes, and 48 of the bank’s officers serve on the boards and committees of 115 nonprofit organizations. The bank has also donated more than $5 million to local charitable and civic organizations and financed more than $70 million in wind, hydroelectric, and solar energy projects. PeoplesBank, having built three LEED-registered offices, is also a leader in green construction. “I am proud to say that, when I look around at work, I see heroes — PeoplesBank associates doing remarkable things for our customers, the community, and our organization every day,” Bowen said in accepting the award.
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Linda Ellen Jones, currently the Vice President of Statutory Affairs at Alfred University in New York and a national expert in structural ceramic materials, has been appointed Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Western New England University. Jones will be the university’s chief academic officer and oversee the academic integrity of all colleges, schools, and institutes on campus. The provost is responsible for working with the deans and faculty to develop new programs, and oversees the academic-appointment process.
“I am thrilled to be joining Western New England University as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs,” said Jones. “As we all know, higher education is at a remarkable crossroads. The work in front of us is to help our students answer the questions, who do I want to be, and how do I best prepare for a future rich in possibilities? I look forward to championing a faculty and staff who understand the potential and who are willing to embrace our collective future.” Jones currently heads the New York State College of Ceramics, which is comprised of the School of Art and Design, the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering, the Scholes Library, and the Schein-Joseph Museum. The College of Ceramics is a unit of the public SUNY system, but administered and housed by the private Alfred University. A materials scientist, Jones is recognized as a national expert in high-temperature corrosion and degradation of structural ceramic materials, and serves as a professor of materials engineering. Prior to her post at Alfred University, Jones served as Director of the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College in Northampton. She received her Ph.D. and master’s degree in fuel science, materials science, and engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Mary Washington College. Jones succeeds Dr. Jerry Hirsch, who is retiring after 16 years of service as the Provost of Western New England University.
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Monson Savings Bank (MSB) has announced the promotion of Terry Poloski to Mortgage Originator. Poloski joined the bank in December 2011, has more than 30 years of experience in consumer and mortgage lending, and has worked with every aspect of the lending process, including underwriting. She is not only adept at helping her borrowers obtain the right financing package, but also at assisting them with every detail along the way, said Steve Lowell, MSB president, adding, “we are extremely fortunate to have Terry on our team. She embodies the Monson Savings commitment to customer service and is highly qualified to help people find the right financing package for new homes, construction, and refinancing.” Poloski is a member of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley.
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PeoplesBank announced that Steven Mitus, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Balise Motor Sales Co., has been named to the PeoplesBank board of directors. Mitus formerly served as a Corporator for the bank. He is a cum laude graduate of UMass Amherst, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is also a graduate of Holyoke Community College. Mitus currently serves as a trustee of Baystate Health, where he is vice chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee; as a trustee of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, where he chairs the Audit and Finance Committee; and as a director of Health New England, where he is a member of the Compensation and Audit committees. The Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield presented him with the Richard J. Moriarty Citizen of the Year Award for his current and past community service. Mitus is also a past recipient of the Holyoke Community College Distinguished Alumni Award. He is a member of Financial Executives International, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the the Mass. State Society of CPAs.
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Easthampton Savings Bank announced that Ryan Leap has joined the bank as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending. Leap brings to the bank more than 14 years of commercial-lending experience, most recently as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending for Union Bank in Morrisville, Vt. He has worked as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending for Hoosac Bank, a division of Mountain One Financial Partners, MHC, in North Adams. Prior to that, Leap was a Vice President of Commercial Lending with the Bank of Western Massachusetts in Northampton, which later became People’s United Bank. Leap earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, with a concentration in finance, from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Pa.
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FieldEddy Insurance announced the following:
• Gina Clark has been appointed Finance Manager. She will be responsible for training and supporting the finance-team members on all aspects of accounts payable and accounts receivable. Previously, she worked for several years in the finance and human-resources departments at Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C.;
• Sara Goodreau has been appointed Personal Lines Account Manager. She holds her CISR and CIC designations. Her knowledge of various computer operating systems will benefit Goodreau as a staff trainer, and she will assist with operational tasks.
• Carla Dawley has been appointed  Personal Lines Account Manager. In that role,  she will apply her knowledge in both the insurance and banking industries to provide customer service to her existing and new clients. Dawley has her P&C license and is currently working on obtaining her CISR designation.
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TD Bank has named Denise Fleming Assistant Vice President and Store Manager of the branch located at 693 Memorial Dr. in Chicopee. She is responsible for new-business development, consumer and business lending, managing personnel, and overseeing the day-to-day operations at the store. Fleming has more than eight years of banking experience. Prior to joining TD Bank, she served as a Branch Sales Officer at Rockville Bank in Enfield, Conn. Fleming is a member of the Chicopee Rotary Club and the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, and is a graduate of the Connecticut School of Finance and Management. She serves as community chairperson for the Independent Transportation Network’s annual Walk for Rides and also is a volunteer driver for the nonprofit organization, which provides transportation to senior citizens and the visually impaired.
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The YMCA of Greater Springfield announced the following appointments to its board of directors:
• Fran Smith, a veteran of the newspaper advertising and circulation business for 34 years, and currently Advertising Manager at the Republican and masslive.com;
• Mark Smith, Vice President of Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management for Smith & Wesson, and previously Director with the Chicag0-based consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal;
• Dan Flynn, Senior Vice President and Marketing Manager at People’s United Bank; and
• Stacey Church, Assistant General Manager of the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.