People on the Move

The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts recently appointed Vanessa Pabón-Hernandez CEO of the philanthropic organization, effective June 17. A native of Springfield’s North End and a driven, longtime mentor of women and champion for social change and empowerment, Pabón-Hernandez succeeds Donna Haghighat in the key role for the nonprofit. Throughout her 25-year career, Pabón-Hernandez has supported women and Latinx community members, first as a marketing strategist in business for herself and later in roles that include program director for the YMCA North End Youth Center, founder of a community-based digital storytelling center, and executive producer at New England Public Media, a role she left in early June after 14 years to accept the CEO position at the Women’s Fund. Pabón-Hernandez has experience as a program developer, grant writer, mentor, facilitator, consensus builder, and storyteller. Inspired by a strong, independent mother who helped facilitate her path, she defied the odds several decades ago as a young, single mother, earning two associate degrees at Springfield Technical Community College before launching her own business as a marketing strategist for political candidates and area businesspeople. She mastered the art of storytelling to advance social change, entered the nonprofit sector, and, over 25 years, led and founded innovative programs in marginalized communities that have allowed thousands of individuals to access resources, leverage their strengths, and drive their own career paths. She has received the Unsung Heroine award from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and was named to BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty. She was also the grand marshal for the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade.

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James Hagan, president and CEO of Westfield Bank, announced that Kenneth Askins has been appointed to the role of mortgage loan officer. He is responsible for the Connecticut towns of Granby, Bloomfield, West Hartford, and surrounding communities, and will be based out of the bank’s 12 East Granby Road location in Granby, Conn. Askins will develop and maintain business relationships with prospective home buyers, Realtors, builders, and colleagues. He has 23 years of experience in the mortgage industry, working as a mortgage loan officer at local competitive banks prior to joining Westfield Bank. He has been recognized as a top performer multiple times throughout his career.

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MassMutual announced that accomplished cybersecurity executive and veteran Eric Boateng has been named head of Enterprise Cyber Security. In this role, he will be responsible for leading the company’s cybersecurity and cyber risk-management strategies and safeguarding MassMutual’s information assets. Boateng most recently served as vice president of Cyber Security, Technology & Resiliency Risk Oversight for American Express. In this role, he developed and implemented the technology risk-management program strategy that included cybersecurity and risk management, while providing effective oversight and credible challenge to American Express’s information-security and technology activities. Prior to that, he held various information and cybersecurity roles of increasing responsibility at New York eHealth Collaborative, Roundpoint Mortgage, Georgia Department of Human Services, and Lockheed Martin. Prior to his career in the private sector, Boateng served two decades as an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he managed multiple IT initiatives and programs, employing industry information security risk-management frameworks and best practices for the U.S. Department of Defense. He earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology from the University of Central Florida, a master’s degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in information technology from Carnegie Mellon University, and a professional degree as a computer systems engineer from Columbia University.

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Elms College named higher-education executive Joyce Hampton its new vice president of Academic Affairs following an extensive search. Reporting directly to President Harry Dumay, Hampton is responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the college’s academic affairs. Her appointment is effective June 3. For 34 years, Hampton has worked at Elms College, where she has progressively risen through the academic ranks as assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor. She has served as director of English as a Second Language and International Programs, associate academic dean, dean of Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, and most recently, associate vice president for Strategic Initiatives and dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, and Professional Programs. She holds both a doctoral degree and master’s degree in education from UMass Amherst and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas.

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Berkshire Bank announced that Cathy Velez has joined the bank as managing director of Retail Banking and Deposit Operations. As a senior leader, she will oversee the bank’s financial-center network, retail sales and service delivery, and branch operations. She will also direct the execution of the retail banking strategy to drive short- and long-term growth, business-line initiatives, and major divisional projects. Velez joins Berkshire Bank with more than 25 years of extensive experience in banking. Most recently, she served in multiple senior retail and private banking roles for Webster Bank.

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Sandri Energy announced the appointment of Leslie Cernak as vice president of Operations, overseeing the Heating Fuels, Commercial Fuels, and Mechanical Services divisions. With more than 36 years of experience in the fuel-oil and propane industry, Cernak brings considerable expertise to the team. Previously, she served as vice president and treasurer at Cernak Fuel Corp. in Easthampton until its acquisition by HOP Energy LLC in 2018, where she continued to contribute in compliance and legal support roles. Cernak remains deeply engaged in industry affairs and currently holds the position of events chairperson on the executive board of directors for the National Energy and Fuels Institute. She recently earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law for legal studies in energy and natural resource law. Sandri Energy also announced the promotion of Rudy Herzig to manager of HVAC, Plumbing, Sales, and Service. Herzig started with Sandri in 2003, became a licensed oil burner technician in 2004, and quickly advanced to the position of lead installer. He excels with troubleshooting heating and cooling system issues, and he takes pride in providing quality service for Sandri customers. For the past several years, he has been in a service manager support role, gaining management experience. He looks forward to growing professionally with his new role and guiding Sandri’s service department with exceptional customer service.

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bankESB recently promoted Melissa LaBonte to assistant vice president, Core Systems. LaBonte has 23 years of banking experience. She was promoted to Core Systems manager in 2018 and promoted to Core Systems officer in 2021. She joined the bank in 2001 as a teller, and over the past two decades has held a variety of roles in the Collections, Finance, and Strategic Projects departments. She has an associate degree in business administration and accounting from Holyoke Community College and earned a project management diploma from the Center for Financial Training.

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MountainOne announced that Seth Shepard has been promoted to financial advisor. In this role, Shepard determines a client’s financial objectives, offers strategic advice on products and services to meet client goals, and manages client assets through portfolio design and retirement solutions. His focus is on asset management, portfolio management, retirement planning, and college-education planning. Shepard has been with MountainOne Investments since 2022, most recently as a paraplanner. He is a member of MountainOne’s communications committee and previously served on the MountainOne 175th celebration committee. Prior to joining MountainOne Investments, he was an account manager with Girardi Distributors in Pittsfield and a football coach at Mount Ida College in Newton. He holds a bachelor’s degree in coaching and event operations from Johnson & Wales University.