People on the Move

Tom Stewart, director of Athletics and Student Engagement at Holyoke Community College (HCC), is the recipient of the 2024 George E. Killian Award of Excellence, the highest award bestowed each year by the National Junior College Athletic Assoc. (NCJAA). The award is given to those who demonstrate the ideals of volunteerism, achievement, service, leadership, and excellence. At HCC, Stewart oversees nine intercollegiate sports programs and manages the David Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation. He serves on the NJCAA board of regents as the representative for Region 21. He chairs the NJCAA Division III men’s golf committee and the NJCAA Division III women’s golf committee while also serving on the NJCAA track and field committee. During his career, HCC has hosted nine NJCAA cross country championships and a track and field championship. In 2016, he was elected second vice president for the association’s men’s division. In that role, he oversaw the complete budgetary activity of the association. He has previously served as the co-chair of the finance and budget committee. Representing 550 schools, the NJCAA is the largest athletic association for two-year colleges in the U.S. Stewart is the first recipient of the George E. Killian Award from any college in New England since it was first presented in 2006. Stewart started his career in higher education at Westfield State, where he worked for seven years as Student Activities administrator and director of intramurals and coached cross country. He was hired at HCC in 1996 as Student Activities director and became assistant athletic director in 1999 and athletic director in 2007. He now also supervises the Student Engagement department at HCC, which includes Student Activities and the Student Senate. In October, Stewart was inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame. As an undergraduate there, he was a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams. An all-conference runner in 1985 and 1987 in cross country, he won the Westfield State Invitational and was an all-New England runner in steeplechase his sophomore year. Westfield State’s cross country and track teams won conference titles all four years he was on the team.

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Greenfield Cooperative Bank announced that President and CEO Tony Worden has been elected as a director of the Cooperative Banks Employee Retirement Assoc. (CBERA), a specialized organization dedicated to overseeing the retirement benefits of employees at member banks in Massachusetts. Established in 1946, the Cooperative Banks Employee Retirement Assoc. was formed to administer the pension programs for the employees of the Massachusetts cooperative bank industry. Today, CBERA serves not only cooperative banks, but all financial institutions. Worden brings a wealth of knowledge in the financial-services industry to the CBERA board. He has nearly 30 years of banking experience and has served as president of Greenfield Cooperative Bank since 2021.

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Diana Szynal, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, was honored with induction as an honorary member into the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma AACSB Honor Society on April 25. The induction ceremony was hosted by the College of Business Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter at Western New England University (WNE). Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a student can receive in an AACSB-accredited business program. Szynal’s honorary induction acknowledges her professional achievements, leadership, and commitment to advancing business education. According to Sharianne Walker, dean of the WNE College of Business, Szynal was selected as an honorary inductee not only because of her rich business experience, but because she has played a pivotal role in fostering economic growth, advocating for local businesses, and supporting entrepreneurship in the Springfield region.

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Pilot Precision Products, a leader in standard and custom broaching tool manufacturing, announced the elevation of John Fazzio to vice president and chief operating officer. Fazzio, who had served as the company’s chief financial officer for the past four years, earned the promotion by leading Pilot’s implementation of EPICOR Kinetic enterprise resource planning and adding smart inventory software to improve inventory management by providing closed-loop scheduling. The implementation allows for real-time order adjustments and the scheduling of more precise delivery times. Those technological advancements have also enabled the company to ensure that standard products are always available for immediate delivery, reducing lead times and improving customer service. Before joining Pilot, Fazzio held executive positions at Intermountain Electronics in Price, Utah. He earned a master’s degree in accounting from Southern Utah University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from Utah State University.

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Caolo & Bieniek Architects announced the promotion of Ashik Mubarak to an architectural staff position. This promotion comes as Ashik recently graduated from UMass with a master of architecture degree, marking a significant milestone in his career journey. He was also recipient of the second-place honor in the Metal Building Manufacturers Assoc. Student Design Competition, which sought to foster innovation in sustainable design for a marine nature center in Gloucester.

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Greenfield Cooperative Bank announced that Chelsea Depault, vice president of Commercial and Municipal Lending, has been named the recipient of the prestigious Emerging Leader Award from the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. This award recognizes outstanding individuals in the Massachusetts banking industry who demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and a commitment to serving their communities. During the PPP rollout, Depault played a pivotal role in ensuring the bank could effectively serve clients. Her quick thinking and willingness to go the extra mile, including working evenings and weekends, helped secure vital funding for many local businesses. Committed to continuous learning, she completed the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking program and earned a Wharton leadership certificate. Additionally, she actively seeks out professional-development opportunities through courses offered by the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. and the Center for Financial Training. Depault’s impact extends beyond the bank. She also volunteers with the VITA program, serves on committees, and holds treasurer positions with local organizations, as well as dedicating her time to youth sports programs.

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Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, announced that Marketing Director Siobhan Tripp has successfully completed the American Bankers Assoc. (ABA) Bank Marketing School. This intensive program, which was held April 10-19 in Atlanta, is designed to equip banking professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to develop and execute effective marketing strategies in today’s dynamic financial landscape. The program emphasizes practical application through a collaborative marketing planning case study, allowing participants to grapple with real-world scenarios and refine their marketing problem-solving abilities.

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The Greenfield Community College (GCC) nursing faculty has named Lauren Bell the third Jean Simmons Nursing Faculty Chair. Bell was chosen for her dedication to the GCC nursing program and her students. The Jean Simmons endowed chair was established in 2013 with a $1 million gift from anonymous donors. It was the first endowed faculty position at a community college in Massachusetts. Since joining the GCC nursing faculty in 2012, Bell has guided faculty through curriculum and program assessments and outcomes, a critical part of state and national accreditation processes, and she has helped her colleagues incorporate the newest style of NCLEX questions in order to better prepare students for their licensing exams. She has also served on several college committees, including student activities and professional development. She co-teaches the second-year medical-surgical courses and has led the graduating class in organizing their pinning ceremony. Bell earned her bachelor’s degree at Elmira College and her master of science degree at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to her work with GCC, she is a nurse at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in the Progressive Care unit.

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Monson Savings Bank (MSB) recently announced the hiring of Lirianna Powers as assistant branch manager of the Ware Branch located at 136 West Main St. She will assist the branch’s manager and oversee the operation of branch functions. She aims to provide the bank’s customers with superior customer service and help them find the financial products that best suit their unique needs. Powers comes to Monson Savings Bank with eight years of experience in banking and finance. She previously worked at Florence Bank as a teller operations manager and customer service representative. In this role, she oversaw and managed her branch’s teller line, educated team members, and provided customer service while serving as a positive role model.

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Former Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer was among those honored by the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) at its annual Home for Good fundraiser and award ceremony on May 16 at WBUR CitySpace in Boston. Tyer, along with Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch and Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, received the prestigious Canon Brian S. Kelley Public Service Award from MHSA, which recognizes individuals who are steadfast in their commitment to ending homelessness. Inaugurated as the mayor of Pittsfield for a second four-year term in January 2020, Tyer holds the distinction of being the first mayor in Pittsfield’s history to be elected to a four-year term. This past January, Tyer stepped down from office and now serves as executive director of Workforce Development and Community Education at Berkshire Community College. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, Tyer assembled the city of Pittsfield’s COVID-19 Task Force. For more than a year, a team comprised of city and school officials, law enforcement, first responders, leadership from the Sheriff’s Office, Berkshire Medical Center, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency worked to ensure that the Pittsfield community had what it needed to remain safe during this unprecedented public-health crisis.

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Bulkley Richardson recently welcomed three law students to its 2024 summer associate program, which introduces law students to the inner workings of a law firm, where they will receive mentorship from lawyers ranging from firm leaders and retired judges to junior associates, gaining exposure to real-life legal matters. Johanna Huyhn is currently attending Western New England University School of Law, where she received the Best Oral Advocate Award and is a member of the National Moot Court team. She earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude in social thought and political economy from UMass Amherst. Tim Kwarcinski, a current student at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, was a University Honors Scholar at New York University, where he majored in politics. He has experience as a mental-health counselor at Holyoke Medical Center, worked at the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office in Northampton, and was a legal intern for Judge Mary Beth Ogulewicz. Cameron Reis, currently attending Western New England University School of Law, is an Oliver Wendall Holmes Scholar and member of the Law Review staff, set to step into the role of editor next academic year. He majored in criminal justice, magna cum laude, at Pace University.