People on the Move

Inspired Marketing recently announced several promotions and additions to the company:

• Heather Ruggeri, the company’s Chief Events Officer, was recently promoted and adds Vice President to her business card. She joined Inspired Marketing in 2015 and previously worked as the conference service manager and sales manager at the Springfield Sheraton for nine years. In addition, she was recently named to the board of the Connecticut River Valley Chapter of Meeting Professionals International and is one of only a few certified meeting professionals in the area and one of only about 13,000 worldwide;
• Another team member, Kristin Carlson, was recently named Senior Marketing Visionary Partner. She started with Inspired Marketing as an apprentice right out of college in 2014. She has continued to evolve into a valued team member, creating innovative, successful media campaigns for several clients with outstanding results;
• Lauren Mendoza, who was with Inspired Marketing in its infancy before leaving for tech startup Waterdog, has rejoined the team and is now the Office Manager. Her organization keeps the team on track and helps communication, meetings, and schedules to run smoothly;
• Cara Cole recently joined Inspired Marketing as a Marketing Visionary Partner, serving on the front line with client creative implementation. She came to Inspired Marketing from the Center for Human Development and previously from Square One; and
• Jenifer Esile joined Inspired Marketing as On-staff Graphic Designer after having been a freelance partner since the company’s inception. In addition to 20 years of diverse design experience, she brings copywriting and social-media skills to the team to provide greater value to clients.

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MassMutual announced the election of Karen Bechtel to its board of directors. Bechtel is managing director of global alternative asset manager the Carlyle Group. “I’m extremely pleased to welcome Karen Bechtel to MassMutual’s board of directors. She brings both a sterling reputation and keen business acumen built on more than 30 years of investment management and corporate development expertise, and we look forward to her contributions,” said Roger Crandall, chairman, president, and CEO. “Importantly, as part of MassMutual’s unwavering commitment to best-in-class corporate governance, we are focused on ensuring that our board reflects diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.” Bechtel joined Carlyle in 2005 as the head of the Global Healthcare team and currently is focused on corporate buyout opportunities within the private equity market. Prior to her role at Carlyle, for 28 years, she held a variety of leadership roles within Morgan Stanley & Co., including as managing director of its Private Equity Group. During her career with Morgan Stanley, she was also co-head of the Financial Sponsors Group and head of the Corporate Restructuring Group, with a strong focus on healthcare investments as well as mergers and acquisitions. She was also a member of the firm’s Investment Banking Operating Committee. In addition to her role as a new MassMutual director, Bechtel serves on the boards of Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, HCR-ManorCare, and Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC. She is also a former board member of Healthscope Ltd., Grupo Qualicorp, Multiplan Inc., and LifeCare. Mergers & Acquisitions magazine in 2015 named her one of the Most Influential Women in mid-market M&A. She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin and earned her MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.

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OMG Roofing Products promoted Philip Johnson to the position of Key Account Manager, the company announced. In his new role, he will be responsible for managing several strategic accounts with a high level of responsiveness and customer service. Johnson started with OMG in 2012 as a field sales representative in Texas, and was promoted in 2014 to the position of regional sales manager for the United Kingdom and Ireland. He will report to Josh Kelly, vice president and general manager. “Phil is a dedicated and talented manager, who has shown a commitment to helping the company grow,” said Kelly. “He excelled as a field sales representative in Texas and as a regional sales manager in the UK and Ireland. I’m confident that Phil will continue to thrive in this new account management role for the roofing products team.” Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark. Headquartered in Agawam, Mass., OMG Roofing Products is North America’s largest manufacturer of commercial roofing products, featuring specialty fasteners, insulation adhesives, drains, pipe supports, emergency repair tape, edge metal systems, and productivity tools.

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Crevier & Ryan, LLP announced the addition of a new associate to the firm, attorney Richard “Kick” Sullivan III. Sullivan works primarily for attorney Michael Ryan. Collectively, Ryan, Sullivan, and fellow associate Rebecca Moran have a practice devoted to residential real-estate transactions, commercial lending, commercial real-estate acquisitions and sale (including 1031 tax-free exchanges), corporate governance, buy and sell agreements for closely held businesses, contract analysis and negotiation, civil litigation, and pre-litigation disputes (including conflicts involving trusts and estates). Sullivan graduated from Bates College in 2012, then enrolled in Western New England University School of Law, graduating earlier this year. During his legal education, he completed concentrations in estate planning, real estate, and business law. Eager to expand his education beyond the classroom, he completed the WNEU Law Small Business Clinic, Real Estate Practicum, and an estate-planning drafting course. These experiences have provided him with an advanced handle on transactional skills as well as a specialized knowledge in these practice areas. While most experienced in these legal fields, he aims to expand the practice and his expertise. Sullivan was previously employed during law school for Westfield Bank, as a law clerk for Fitzgerald, Attorneys at Law in East Longmeadow, and as a legal intern for the city of Springfield Law Department, Code Enforcement. Active in the community, he serves on the Westfield Zoning Board of Appeals.

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The Gove Law Office announced that Cynthia Shaw has joined the firm as a Paralegal focused on civil and criminal litigation and real-estate transactions. “Cindi Shaw will provide experienced and active support to our attorneys working in the diverse practice areas which Gove Law offers our clients,” said Michael Gove, founding partner of Gove Law Office. Shaw has more than 20 years of experience as a paralegal, holds a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies from Elms College, and is a member of the Western Mass Paralegal Assoc. and the National Federation of Paralegals. The Gove Law Office, with offices in Ludlow and Northampton, is a bilingual firm with attorneys who provide guidance to clients in the areas of business representation, criminal and civil litigation, personal-injury law, commercial lending, residential and commercial real estate, estate planning, immigration, and bankruptcy.

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Katisha Woods-Johnson, director for the Center for Human Development’s (CHD) Terri Thomas Girls Program, has received a Department of Youth Services (DYS) Commissioner’s Award for 2016. The Terri Thomas Girls Program is a secure, residential treatment program operated by CHD at the DYS facility on Tinkham Road in Springfield. Woods-Johnson was recognized for her work leveraging community connections to touch the lives of many youth in CHD custody and care, as well as their families. For example, she built a partnership with Home Depot that began with the company’s commitment to visit the Tinkham Road campus to do some projects with the youth. That blossomed into an ongoing monthly program in which the youth have hung doors and installed windows, learned basic wiring and put in outlets, built Adirondack chairs and picnic tables, and installed tile. Home Depot has donated all the materials and their employees’ time for the projects. Woods-Johnson also connected with Suit Up Springfield, a nonprofit organization that donates suits and dresses to people in need so they have proper attire for job interviews. Every young person in the programs at Tinkham Road received such an outfit and wore it to a semi-formal Thanksgiving banquet also attended by their families. Woods-Johnson paid for the banquet — the first most of the youth had ever attended — with donations and a fund-raising event. The youth served their families dinner, and a professional photographer volunteered to take pictures of each family as a keepsake. Woods-Johnson has brought local poets, painters, Zumba instructors, hip-hop artists, and more to the DYS campus to volunteer their time running groups with the youth.

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Aesthetic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, P.C., a community-centered cosmetic surgery and non-invasive practice serving Western Mass. and Northern Conn., announced that Dr. Glen Brooks participated in a prestigious preceptorship program hosted by Dr. Charles Randquist, a board-certified plastic surgeon with 20 years of experience. For the last decade, Randquist has been a speaker around the world on various cosmetic procedures, while his main focus has been on primary, secondary, and reconstructive breast surgery. The preceptorship was held in Sweden, and gathered a small group of U.S. physicians. “I felt like this was a great opportunity to continue my education and ensure a world-class experience and results for my patients,” Brooks said. “Dr. Randquist is renowned for his knowledge, emphasizing a natural appearance with less short- and long-term complications, which is always a focus at my practice.” Learning alongside Randquist was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Brooks said, featuring live surgery and follow-ups as well as techniques and practice management. “The best practices and higher-level understanding I have about new products and devices are credible, authentic, and valuable.”