Departments People on the Move

People on the Move

Aaron Miller

Aaron Miller

Strengthening its business strategy and development expertise, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual) named Aaron Miller Head of Strategy & Corporate Development. Miller reports to Betsy Ward, MassMutual’s chief financial officer and chief actuary. In his new role, Miller, who will work closely with MassMutual’s executive leadership team, is responsible for leading the development of the company’s corporate and business strategies, as well as competitive intelligence, helping maximize MassMutual’s long-term performance. Miller joins MassMutual from Capital One Financial Corp., where he spent more than six years as managing vice president of Strategy. In this role, he was responsible for supporting the company’s overall corporate development agenda and evaluating potential acquisition targets. Of note, he led Capital One’s $9 billion acquisition of ING Direct USA in February 2012, and the company’s $2.6 billion acquisition of HSBC’s U.S. credit-card business in May 2012. Prior to Capital One, from 2006 through 2010, Miller was a principal with Boston-based private equity firm Great Hill Partners, where he was responsible for originating and evaluating investment opportunities in the financial-services, Internet, and business-services sectors. He also served on the boards of Ziff Davis Media Inc. (acquired by j2 Global Inc.), and Central Security Group (acquired by Summit Partners), among others. Miller began his career in 1999 with McKinsey & Co.’s North American financial-services practice, eventually becoming a senior consultant. There, he helped Global 1000 and earlier-stage companies address such issues as strategy, new-business development, and operations. Miller received his bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy studies from Duke University, and earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

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Kevin Manghan

Kevin Manghan

PeoplesBank announced the appointment of Kevin Manghan to Infinex Financial Advisor, PeoplesFinancial and Insurance Services. Manghan possesses more than 29 years of financial-planning and investment experience. He will be responsible for providing financial planning and investment-portfolio planning to bank customers. PeoplesFinancial and Insurance Services offers access to a wide array of investment and insurance options through Infinex Investments Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Products include mutual funds, annuities, retirement and pension plans, life insurance, long-term care insurance, and 529 college savings plans. Manghan holds a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y., and is a certified financial planner. He served for more than 20 years on the board of directors for the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp. and Business Assistance Corp.

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 Alfred Albano Jr.

Alfred Albano Jr.

Bacon Wilson announced that Attorney Alfred Albano Jr. has joined the firm. He is a general practitioner with more than 35 years of experience representing clients in Western Mass. Albano is a member of Bacon Wilson’s real-estate, estate-planning, business, and family-law practice groups. To ensure continuity of client service, Bacon Wilson will maintain his current office at 100 Russell St. in Hadley. This new branch will also enhance Bacon Wilson’s presence as a regional, full-service law firm with five locations throughout the Pioneer Valley: in Amherst, Northampton, Springfield, Westfield, and now in Hadley.

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Daniel Carr

Daniel Carr

Attorney Daniel Carr has joined Royal, P.C., the management-side-only labor and employment law firm, and will focus his practice in labor law and complex employment litigation. Carr’s practice includes matters involving labor relations, workplace safety and OSHA, unfair competition and trade secrets, discrimination, harassment and retaliation, wrongful discharge, workers’ compensation, employee privacy, wage-and-hour law, breach-of-contract and unfair-competition claims, and laws related to disability and other leave. His preventive work includes drafting a variety of employment-related manuals and contracts, such as executive agreements, compensation and commission agreements, restrictive covenants, and severance and settlement agreements. Prior to joining Royal, P.C., Carr worked at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and has insight into state and federal employment discrimination law and agency regulations. He obtained his juris doctor from the George Washington University School of Law. He received his bachelor’s degree in English and American literature from New York University.

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Glenn Welch, president and CEO of Freedom Credit Union, announced a promotion within the credit union and the appointment of a new mortgage loan originator:

Edward Nuñez

Edward Nuñez

Edward Nuñez has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Member Business Lending at Freedom. He has more than 19 years of experience in the financial-services industry, 15 of which have been at Freedom. Most recently, Nuñez led the credit union’s business-development department and led its youth banking, credit union partners program, and financial-literacy programs. He is active in the community, and serves on numerous boards and committees, including the Roger L. Putnam Technical Fund, Elms College board of trustees, the Basketball Hall of Fame finance subcommittee, the executive committee for the Credit for Life Financial Literacy Fairs, and the Greater Springfield Visitors Convention Bureau Howdy Award committee, to name a few. He is a West Springfield Rotarian and treasurer for the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Committee. In 2012, Nuñez was named one of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty honorees and was one of the first recipients of the Warren Group’s Credit Union Hero awards recognizing credit-union leaders throughout Massachusetts; and

Lisa Mish

Lisa Mish

Lisa Mish has joined Freedom as a mortgage loan originator and is responsible for real-estate origination throughout Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. As she helps expand Freedom’s mortgage services to its members throughout the Pioneer Valley, she will offer her expertise in conventional, FHA, MassHousing, Mass. Housing Partnership’s One Mortgage, as well as USDA and VA loans. Mish has 14 years of experience in the finance industry, including expertise in residential mortgage origination, first-time homebuyer assistance, and secondary-market sales. Most recently, she was loan originator at Lee Bank. Currently, Mish is a board member of the Home Builders and Remodelers Assoc. of Western Mass., a member of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley, and participates on several committees. She is working at Freedom’s main office branch in downtown Springfield.

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Gary Blanchette

Gary Blanchette

Springfield College announced that Gary Blanchette has been named Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The move marks the return of Blanchette to his alma mater. He received a bachelor’s degree with honors from Springfield College in 1980 with concentrations in psychology and counseling. As vice president, Blanchette will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the college’s development and alumni-relations efforts, including the development and implementation of a long-range fund-raising strategy. He will serve as a member of Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper’s leadership team. Blanchette was the senior vice president of Development for the Junior Achievement USA, where he was responsible for the successful organization and execution of an unprecedented multi-year national campaign to raise $25 million. Previously, he served the regional Junior Achievement of Central Florida in several executive roles over a 20-year term including president for five years. There, he led a strategic planning process and launched a capital campaign that resulted in the establishment of the first JA Academy for Leadership and Entrepreneurship in the country. “It is with sincere gratitude and joy that I accept the position of Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Springfield College,” said Blanchette. “As a proud alumnus, the ability to come home to Springfield College and to be part of the team that will continue to create an environment where future students will have the opportunity to experience the life-changing education that Springfield College provides is a dream come true. Springfield College has made a difference in so many lives, including mine. I look forward to the opportunity to connect with the Springfield College community as together we move our mission forward.”

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Splash Marketing and Creative, a full-service marketing agency located in Westfield, announced the recent hiring of Amanda Myers, a 2016 graduate of Roger Williams University. Myers joins Splash Marketing and Creative as its newest web designer. In this role, Myers will combine creativity and technical savvy to build or redesign websites for clients, improving the aesthetics, functionality, and overall usability of a brand or company’s web presence. Myers earned a bachelor’s degree in web development with a minor in both marketing and graphic design. She has experience building websites for several different industries, including nonprofit, manufacturing, and higher education. Myers also has significant experience in customer service.