People on the Move

Greenfield Savings Bank (GSB) recently announced the promotions of Kim Zabek, Jared Cyhowski, and Elisabeth Porter. Zabek has been appointed assistant manager of the bank’s Hadley office. She will oversee the daily operations of the office and assist customers with their banking. She first joined Greenfield Savings Bank in August 2011 as assistant manager in Shelburne Falls, and in 2015 she was promoted to manager of the GSB call center. Most recently, she held the position of assistant manager of the South Deerfield office. An active community volunteer, Zabek has served on the board of Friends of Children in Hadley and is a member of the South Deerfield Women’s Club. Cyhowski has been promoted to Loan Operations specialist. In his new position, he will work with customers providing residential and consumer loan servicing. He started his career at GSB as a teller supervisor and was previously promoted to customer-service representative in the bank’s call center. Cyhowski joined GSB in May 2016 after attending Fitchburg State University, where he graduated with high honors in communications and a minor in English. He is a member of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Studies Honor Society. He has volunteered at a range of community events, including Superhero Nights for Kids, where he wore a Mario (from Nintendo) costume, and he has volunteered at the Great Falls Festival (a/k/a Pumpkin Fest) in Turners Falls. Porter has been promoted to Corporate Support specialist, with responsibilities of assisting and providing support services to the bank’s CEO, COO, and financial officer. Her daily responsibilities include assisting in the preparation of reports, scheduling meetings and events, and maintaining official minutes. She will also assist other Greenfield Savings Bank executives as needed. Porter joined GSB in 2018 as a teller, and by October was promoted to customer service representative. This past March, she was promoted to the position of super banker. She is active in the community and volunteers at many GSB-sponsored community events.

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Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C., a labor and employment law firm serving employers in the Greater Springfield and Worcester areas, announced that one of its partners, Timothy Murphy, was listed in Best Lawyers in America for 2021. He was recognized in three fields: employment law – management, labor law – management, and litigation – labor and employment. Focusing his practice on labor relations, union avoidance, collective bargaining and arbitration, employment litigation, and employment counseling, Murphy has been included in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2013, and was Lawyer of the Year in 2015, 2019, and 2020. Murphy is very active within the local community. He sits on boards of directors for several area organizations, such as the Human Service Forum and Community Legal Aid. He also is a member of the World Affairs Council and the Finance Committee in Wilbraham. In 2017, he was named “Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout” by the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.

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Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that 10 attorneys have been named to Best Lawyers in America for 2021. Kenneth Albano, the firm’s managing partner, was recognized in Best Lawyers for business organizations including LLCs and partnerships; Michael Katz for bankruptcy and reorganization; Stephen Krevalin for family law; Hyman Darling for elder law; Gary Breton for banking/finance law and business organizations; Gina Barry for elder law; Jeffrey Fialky for commercial finance; Mark Tanner for real-estate litigation; Paul Rothschild for litigation; and Peter MacConnell for real-estate law.

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Robinson Donovan, P.C. announced six attorneys were listed in Best Lawyers in America for 2021, and one was also named Lawyer of the Year in her field. Jeffrey Roberts, managing partner, practices corporate and business counseling and estate planning, and was named in the practice areas of corporate law and trusts and estates. He has received Best Lawyers recognition for 29 consecutive years. James Martin, partner, was listed in the practice areas of franchise law and real-estate law. He concentrates his practice on corporate and business counseling, litigation, and commercial real-estate law, and is a member of Robinson Donovan’s alternative dispute resolution group. He has received Best Lawyers recognition for 21 consecutive years. Nancy Frankel Pelletier, partner, was listed in the practice area of personal injury litigation-defendants. A member of the firm’s alternative dispute resolution group, she concentrates her practice in the areas of litigation and alternative dispute resolution. She has received Best Lawyers recognition for 16 consecutive years. Patricia Rapinchuk, partner, was listed in the fields of employment law – management and litigation – labor and employment. She was also named Lawyer of the Year in the field of employment law – management. She practices employment law and litigation. She has received Best Lawyers recognition for 12 consecutive years. Carla Newton, partner, was named in the field of family law. She focuses her practice on divorce and family law, litigation, corporate and business counseling, and commercial real estate, and is a member of the firm’s alternative dispute resolution group. She has received Best Lawyers recognition for nine consecutive years. Richard Gaberman was named in the fields of corporate law, real-estate law, tax law, and trusts and estates. He focuses his practice on corporate and business counseling, commercial real estate, and estate and tax planning law. He has received Best Lawyers recognition for 29 consecutive years.

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Bulkley Richardson announced that 13 lawyers from the firm were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America for 2021. Bulkley Richardson had more honorees than any other law firm in Springfield. These 14 lawyers were recognized in 20 unique areas of practice. They include Peter Barry, recognized for construction law; Michael Burke, medical-malpractice law (defendants) and personal-injury litigation (defendants); Mark Cress, banking and finance law, bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, and corporate law; Francis Dibble Jr., bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, criminal defense (white-collar), litigation (antitrust), litigation (labor and employment), and litigation (securities); Daniel Finnegan, administrative/regulatory law and litigation (construction); Robert Gelinas, personal-injury litigation (defendants); Kevin Maynard, commercial litigation, litigation (banking and finance), and litigation (construction); David Parke, corporate law; Melinda Phelps, medical-malpractice law (defendants) and personal-injury litigation (defendants); Jeff Poindexter, commercial litigation; John Pucci, bet-the-company litigation, criminal defense (general practice), and criminal defense (white-collar); Elizabeth Sillin, nonprofit/charities law and trusts and estates; and Ronald Weiss, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions law and tax law.

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Florence Bank has promoted Shelley Daughdrill to the position of senior vice president, director of Retail Banking. In her new role, she will oversee the bank’s retail banking operations and direct and supervise the retail administrative staff and managers throughout the bank’s branches, as well as the Customer Service Center. Daughdrill first joined Florence Bank in 2005. Prior to her recent promotion, she served as vice president and area manager. During her tenure at the bank, she’s been the recipient of both the President’s Award and the Community Service Award, given by the bank to employees who consistently go above and beyond at work and in the community. Daughdrill is also the recipient of the 2011 Paul Winske Access Award given by Stavros, a local nonprofit organization that supports people with disabilities. The annual award is given to organizations and people who go above and beyond for the people they serve. Daughdrill is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies at Babson College. Additionally, she is currently enrolled at UMass Amherst pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business studies. She serves her community as a board member and attendance chair of the Amherst Rotary Club.

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Coldwell Banker Community Realtors announced the addition of Realtor Lori Baronas to its roster of professional real-estate agents serving Franklin and Hampshire counties. Baronas has had her Realtor and broker licenses for more than 42 years. Her father started Dresser Real Estate in Turners Falls when she was a child, and once in high school, she began helping out in the office. When her father retired in the 1980s, she took over the office in addition to working at UMass, earning a general business and finance degree from UMass, running a bookkeeping business, and raising her two children, Megan and Justin. She has long been active in her community, volunteering in the public schools her children attended. Her biggest achievement was starting the Pop Warner Football league in Deerfield more than 26 years ago and chairing the Frontier Athletic Field Lights Project, which allowed the children to play night games. Baronas is a member of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley, the National Assoc. of Realtors, and the Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors. With Coldwell Banker, her primary focus will be residential real estate in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

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The Springfield Rescue Mission (SRM) introduced its new executive director, Kevin Ramsdell Sr. Ramsdell served in the U.S. Navy, receiving two honorable discharges, and has been employed by Ford Motor Co. for 35 years. He also has been a part of his local church and involved in many areas of ministry. The Springfield Rescue Mission is a leader in meeting the needs of the poor and homeless in Greater Springfield. The SRM provides food, shelter, clothing, medical attention, Christian counseling, literacy training, and advocacy through its emergency shelter, give-away center, mobile feeding program, rehabilitation center, and transitional living facility, all free of charge. The programs help individuals take meaningful steps toward becoming responsible and productive members of the community.