People on the Move

Andrew Bresciano

Charles Jacques

The Greenfield Community College Foundation announced the addition of two new members to its board of directors, Andrew (AJ) Bresciano and Charles Jacques. Bresciano is first vice president, commercial loan officer at Greenfield Savings Bank. He was born and raised in Greenfield, attended Greenfield Public Schools, and is an alumnus of Greenfield Community College (GCC), which he says was pivotal to his path forward in life. After GCC, he attended the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst and obtained a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2004. He has served several local nonprofit organizations in the capacity of a board or committee member, including Franklin County’s YMCA, Franklin County Community Development Corp., and Greenfield Housing Associates. Jacques is a tax accountant at CBIZ with more than three years of experience in public accounting. He completed his graduate degree in accounting at UMass Amherst and is currently in the process of pursuing his CPA. His interest and industry focus is supporting the nonprofit field, stemming from his passion for supporting organizations, big and small, that are changing lives and improving their communities each day.

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Holyoke Community College Foundation Inc., the nonprofit fundraising arm of Holyoke Community College (HCC), has added four new members to its board of directors, including two alumni. They include Rob Cestola, a certified public accountant and tax and finance consultant who serves as board treasurer for Dakin Humane Society; Dan Desrochers, director of Communications at Amherst College and former Marketing director at Greenfield Community College; Deborah Rodriguez, an HCC graduate from the class of 2004, licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and founder of FAROS Counseling Services; and Matt Manganelli, an HCC graduate from the class of 2009 and Retail Lending Sales manager at Westfield Bank who serves on the Western Mass. Mortgage Review Board for the Massachusetts Division of Banks. New board members attended their first meeting on Dec. 3. The HCC Foundation has total assets of $25.5 million and an endowment of $18 million, the largest of all 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, due in large part to nearly 200 endowed scholarships and other funds established by alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the college. In 2024, the HCC Foundation provided more than $6 million to the college to support scholarships, academic programs, student support services, and facility improvements.

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Emily Gest

Former journalist and seasoned public-relations professional Emily Gest has been hired as associate vice chancellor for News and Media Relations at UMass Amherst. This is a newly created position that replaces that formerly held by Executive Director of Strategic Communications Ed Blaguszewski, who retired in June. Reporting to John Kennedy, vice chancellor for University Relations, Gest will oversee the university’s News and Media Relations office, which includes seven writers and editors, video production, and social media. Early in her career, Gest was a reporter for the New York Daily News, where she was a finalist, with other staff, for a Pulitzer Prize. She covered breaking news, including families of 9/11 victims, as well as health, entertainment, and general features. She has also worked for the Los Angeles Times and Mother Jones magazines. As a PR professional, Gest has extensive experience working in government, higher education, healthcare, and the law. Most recently, she served as senior director of Media Relations at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. For more than a decade, she worked at Rubenstein, a strategic-communications firm based in New York City, and she was also director of Communications for the Georgia State Department of Juvenile Justice and the DeKalb County solicitor-general.

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The Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce announced the election of its officers and directors following the chamber’s annual meeting conducted earlier this month. The chamber elected Renee Niedziela, co-owner of J. Stolar Insurance Agency, as president of the chamber. Niedziela first joined the chamber’s board of directors in 2016, and since 2018, she has served on several committees and as both treasurer and assistant treasurer. David Loos was elected as the chamber’s 1st vice president, while Edward Fisher Jr. has been tapped as 2nd vice president. Loos joined the chamber’s board in 2023 following a successful law-enforcement career and has since been named an associate partner with Keller Williams Realty Pioneer Valley. Fisher is the owner of Fisher Tech Solutions, a digital marketing agency that specializes in custom web development and search-engine and pay-per-click optimization. New appointments to the chamber’s board of directors include Kaitlin Young of Hardwick Vineyard & Winery; Michael Moore, owner of Silver Bell Farm in Monson; Rebecca Maurer, owner of Quabbin Valley Eye Care in Palmer; and Michael Harris, owner of multiple businesses and development properties in both Ware and Palmer.

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Daniel O’Sullivan

bankESB recently hired Daniel O’Sullivan as assistant branch manager of its 170 Sargeant St., Holyoke office. O’Sullivan has four years of banking experience and seven years of financial-services experience. Prior to joining bankESB, he was the banking center assistant manager at Peoples Bank and, before that, a field insurance agent at Knights of Columbus Insurance. In his new role, he will assist in managing the Holyoke team to provide a customer-first experience while fostering relationships within the community. O’Sullivan currently serves on the board of directors of Holyoke VNA Hospice Life Care and as treasurer of the board of directors of Holyoke Media.

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MassMutual announced it has elected Amy Stepnowski, chief investment officer of the Hartford and president of Hartford Investment Management Co. (HIMCO), to the company’s board of directors. An accomplished investment executive and industry veteran, Stepnowski has held various leadership roles at the Hartford over the past 16 years and has worked at HIMCO throughout her tenure. In her current role, which she assumed in 2020, she leads the development and execution of the Hartford’s investment strategy and management of its portfolio and has ensured the company’s investment assets are positioned to support its financial and strategic objectives amidst ever-changing economic conditions. She also oversees HIMCO’s efforts to provide tailored investment solutions to its third-party clients. A passionate advocate for sustainability and talent development, she is a member of the Hartford’s sustainability committee and leads HIMCO’s sustainability committee. Prior to joining the Hartford, Stepnowski spent 12 years at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., where she specialized in Latin American corporate and project finance. She holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and Spanish from Yale College and has completed executive education programming at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. She is active in the local Hartford, Conn. community through membership on the investment committees of Hartford HealthCare and Trinity College.

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Glenmeadow Inc. recently elected new leadership and new members to its board of directors. Michael Tremble, CEO of Valley Communications, will continue as chair. Kelly Koch, probate and family law attorney with Raipher, will continue as vice chair. Erin Koebler, executive director of the East Longmeadow Council on Aging, will continue as clerk. Rory O’Brien, vice president and chief operating officer at Schwerin Boyle Capital Management, was elected treasurer. The board of directors also welcomed five new members: Justin Ayala, manager of the divisions of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care at Baystate Health; Donna Durocher, clinic director at ATI Physical Therapy; George Kelly, Glenmeadow resident; Siobhan Matty, assistant vice president and financial advisor at St. Germain Investment Management; and Amanda Sbriscia, vice president of Institutional Advancement at Holyoke Community College and executive director of the HCC Foundation. Glenmeadow has also welcomed two new corporate ambassadors: Lynn Brown, senior vice president, chief of staff and Lending Operations at People’s Bank; and Suzanne Gile, director of Clinical Training and assistant professor of Graduate Psychology at Bay Path University. In addition, several Glenmeadow staff have taken on new responsibilities. Zhane Stone was promoted to director of Sales and Marketing, Karlene Smith-Shaw was promoted to assistant director of Hospitality, and Rania Kfuri joined Glenmeadow as vice president of Philanthropy, Sales, and Marketing.

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Stacey Grushkin

bankESB recently promoted Stacey Grushkin to Accounting officer. She was previously senior staff accountant at Abington Bank, part of Hometown Financial Group’s family of banks that includes bankESB, bankHometown, North Shore Bank, and Abington Bank, a division of North Shore Bank, as well as Hometown Mortgage. Grushkin has nearly 10 years of banking experience. She started at Abington Bank as a staff accountant in 2015 and was promoted to senior staff accountant in 2023. In her new role, she will lead the bankESB finance team and will also be responsible for regulatory reporting for Hometown Financial Group’s family of banks. Grushkin earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s certificate in accounting and finance from Bridgewater State University.