People on the Move

Holyoke Community College recently welcomed Patrick Carpenter as its director of Institutional Advancement. In his new role, Carpenter will serve as the principal gifts officer for the HCC Foundation, facilitate donor cultivation and engagement, and supervise the office of Alumni Relations. Before his hiring at HCC, he held advancement positions at Westfield State University as major gifts officer, Boston College School of Law as associate director of University Advancement, and Elms College, his alma mater, as director of Annual Giving. Carpenter has worked in higher education since earning his bachelor’s degree in English from Elms College in 2002, starting his professional career at the College of Saint Rose as coordinator of Residence Life before returning to Elms in 2007 as director of Residence Life and eventually moving into the office of Institutional Advancement there. He has also been a member of the adjunct teaching faculty at Elms since 2011 and served on the Elms College board of trustees and as president of the Elms College Alumni Assoc. In 2014, he received Bay Path University’s Recent Alumni Award, which is presented to a graduate who possesses great leadership potential. Carpenter holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from Bay Path University and is working on his doctor of education degree in higher education administration from Northeastern University.

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NAI Plotkin, a third-generation commercial real-estate firm based in Springfield, announced the promotion of Daniel Moore to vice president and leader of the company’s Brokerage division. President and CEO Evan Plotkin praised Moore, a 12-year veteran of the firm, for his contributions to the company, his extensive experience in both brokerage and construction management, and his ability to both understand and exceed client expectations. “These are exciting times for NAI Plotkin,” he noted, “and Dan is exactly the right person to guide our brokerage division as it propels forward.” Moore succeeds Bill Low as NAI Plotkin’s broker of record, as Low pursues other interests.

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River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC) announced the promotion of Joy Brock to program director of the CONCERN Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Brock received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland University College, a master’s degree in psychology from Old Dominion University, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology and a doctorate in psychology, both from Regent University. She practiced in Virginia and Florida before moving to Vermont for a clinical psychology internship at the Brattleboro Retreat, where she was involved in the Uniformed Service Program. Brock joined RVCC in October 2014. Her experience includes being a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a member of Regent University’s trauma team, and a member of the Florida Red Cross Disaster Action Team. This unique blend of experience supports her role as the new program director of the CONCERN EAP.

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Sanjay Raman, associate vice president for the Virginia Tech National Capital Region and president and CEO of the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corp., has been named the new dean of the College of Engineering at UMass Amherst. The announcement was made by John McCarthy, provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. Raman begins his new duties at UMass Amherst in August. Raman succeeds Timothy Anderson who served as UMass Amherst’s dean of the College of Engineering from 2013 to 2018. Anderson is a distinguished professor in Chemical Engineering and remains on the faculty. At Virginia Tech, Raman is a tenured full professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) based at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, Va. From 1998 to 2009, he was assigned to the Virginia Tech main campus in Blacksburg. As the associate vice president for the Virginia Tech National Capital Region, Raman is responsible for planning and executing region-wide initiatives to enhance the university’s research, education, and outreach missions, focusing on cross-cutting themes of data and decision science, integrated security, intelligent infrastructure, global systems science, policy, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Since July 2016, he has also served as the president and CEO of the Virginia Tech Applied Research Corp., whose mission is to deliver analytic and technology solutions to the university’s government and non-government customers. From 2007 to 2013, Raman served as a program manager in the Microsystems Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, on loan from the university under Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignments. He is also a graduate of the Virginia Tech Executive Development Institute. Raman earned his doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1998 and joined the ECE faculty at Virginia Tech. Prior to his doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, Raman served as a nuclear-trained submarine officer in the U.S. Navy from 1987 to 1992. He earned a bachelor’s of electrical engineering degree, with highest honors, from Georgia Tech in 1987.

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Pathlight, a Valley leader in residential and community services for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, named Program Manager Victoria Barsaleau the recipient of its annual Donald Fletcher Scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship, which is awarded yearly, is meant to assist an employee in obtaining an undergraduate degree. A committee of Pathlight board members and staff made the selection after receiving applications from employees. The scholarship is named after Donald Fletcher, Pathlight’s former executive director, who was committed to helping staff pursue their education. This scholarship is in addition to Pathlight’s current tuition-reimbursement program. Barsaleau was also recognized for her leadership with Pathlight’s Michelle Reberkenny Supervisor Recognition award. She started at Pathlight in 2016, but began her career in human services nine years ago, serving as a direct-support professional supporting people with intellectual disabilities and intensive behavioral needs. She got her start in the field after her father drove her to a day program that supports adults with disabilities and encouraged her to apply for a job. Barsaleau is currently working toward her undergraduate degree at Bay Path University, majoring in human services and rehabilitation.

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At its annual meeting on March 13, the corporators of GSB, MHC voted to appoint three new directors to the board of directors of both GSB, MHC and Greenfield Savings Bank. The new directors are Lisa Alber, Amy McMahan, and Elizabeth Sillin. “We are honored to strengthen our board of directors with these three outstanding business leaders,” said John Howland, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank. “They bring a wealth of knowledge to contribute to our board from both their professional careers and their commitment to supporting the communities served by Greenfield Savings Bank.” Alber is the owner and audiologist for Alber Hearing Services, a business she founded in 2009. Prior to forming her own firm, she worked as an audiologist at Berkshire Medical Center. McMahan has been co-owner and sole operator of the Greenfield eatery, Mesa Verde, since it opened in 2002. Prior to founding Mesa Verde, she worked her entire professional career in a variety of positions in the food-service industry. Sillin is a partner at the law firm Bulkley Richardson, working with individuals in all areas of estate and gift-tax planning and administration. Her clients include nonprofit institutions, assisting with formation and operational issues, including regulatory compliance, and providing advice regarding charitable trusts and endowments.

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Michael Cohen and Rudy Pawul have joined the all-volunteer board of directors for the International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI). With a strong commitment to healthy living, Cohen founded Lightlife Foods Inc. in 1979. He served as Lightlife’s CEO until 2000, when he and his wife sold the company. In 2003, he retired. In addition to his work on the ILI board, Michael is a former member of the board of directors for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and finance chair and treasurer of the Northampton Survival Center’s board of directors. Pawul is the director of IT Infrastructure and Enterprise Support for ISO New England. He manages and provides strategic vision for software applications and data centers that allow ISO New England to carry out its mission. While earning his master’s degre at UMass Amherst, he participated in hurricane hunter flights and traveled to the Arctic to study the effects of climate change on the Greenland ice sheet.

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Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts (JAWM), now celebrating its centennial anniversary, announced that Aieshya Jackson has joined its board of directors. Jennifer Connolly, JAWM president, noted that Jackson “has been actively involved with our organization for many years as a volunteer, and now we look forward to her contributing her thoughts at a decision-making level.” Jackson is a branch manager for Santander Bank, where she oversees a full range of products and services, leads branch staff, ensures member satisfaction, and minimizes operational issues. Prior to her current role, she served as branch manager at United Bank. Aside from serving on JAWM’s board of directors, Jackson sits on the board for the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services organization and volunteers for Revitalize CDC and the Springfield Rescue Mission. She graduated from the Connecticut School of Finance and Management.

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Freedom Credit Union announced the addition of Michelle Caron to its staff as branch officer at its Feeding Hills location. As branch officer, Caron is responsible for directing and administering operational efforts in the branch and ensuring that established policies and procedures are followed. She oversees a full range of products and services, leads branch staff, ensures member satisfaction, and minimizes operational issues. Prior to joining Freedom Credit Union, she served as banking center manager at Bank of America and branch manager at Peoples United Bank. Caron earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and finance from Westfield State University. She volunteers at the Springfield Rescue Mission and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.