People on the Move
Ariana Williams
Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. (MLKFS) announced the appointment of Ariana Williams as the organization’s first-ever chief of Public Health Strategy and Innovation. Williams’s journey with MLK Family Services began in 2018 as a part-time community health worker after earning her bachelor’s degree in public health from American International College (AIC). Within nine months, she was promoted to director of Public Health, spending three years leading initiatives that strengthened community health, public-health programming, and youth development. After a brief period away, she returned in February 2023 as a grants consultant. In her new position, Williams will integrate public-health strategies into the organization’s core mission, develop new community-driven initiatives, and strengthen strategic partnerships that advance health equity. A Springfield native, she is also the CEO and founder of Catalyst for Equity Consulting, where she helps nonprofits strengthen their position in the public-health ecosystem by aligning with public-health funding, developing evidence-based programs, and driving systemic change. She has led community-based initiatives in problem-gambling prevention, gun-violence prevention, food insecurity and nutrition, and mental-health advocacy. In 2019, she led a cohort of junior community health workers, whose advocacy efforts played an instrumental role in raising the tobacco-purchase age from 18 to 21 in Springfield. Their work later contributed to the movement to eliminate flavored tobacco products, a tactic used by the tobacco industry to target youth. In 2020, she co-led Springfield’s first-ever youth mental-health advisory board, Beat the Odds, creating a safe space and platform for young people to support one another, share lived experiences, and influence mental-health policies and resources. Williams earned her master of public administration degree from Westfield State University in 2024. She is also an adjunct professor at AIC, teaching in the same public health program she graduated from. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Rise LEAP & Achieve Foundation Inc. and the board of Anti-Racism Community Organizers.
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James Hagan, president and CEO of Westfield Bank, announced the promotions of Tom Donnelly, Colin Dunn, and Craig Lacey to assistant vice president, commercial loan officer. They will continue to be responsible for managing middle-market commercial loan portfolios and driving new business-development opportunities in Western Mass. and Northern Conn. Donnelly joined Westfield Bank in 2020 as a commercial loan administrator with 10 years of experience with business development and account management. He graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree, followed by completing his master’s degree in management at Springfield College in 2013. He serves as a member of the Economic Development Council and St. Joseph Society. Outside of work, he volunteers by coaching youth sports. Dunn joined Westfield Bank in 2019 as a commercial loan administrator and quickly worked his way up to commercial loan officer. He graduated from Westfield State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He also completed a credit analyst apprenticeship with the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. in 2022. Outside of work, he serves as a member of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield and the Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Assoc. Lacey joined Westfield Bank in 2019 as a commercial loan administrator and was then promoted to commercial loan officer. He graduated from Bryant University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. Outside of work, he serves as an ambassador for the Office of Manufacturing for Connecticut along with being a member of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce.
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The W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Freedom & Democracy announced the appointment of John Lloyd as its interim director. A seasoned executive with more than two decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, Lloyd brings a wealth of expertise in organizational strategy, financial management, and community engagement to this role. As interim director, he will oversee the center’s strategic initiatives, strengthen partnerships, and continue to advance the legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois by promoting scholarship, civic engagement, and social-justice advocacy. Lloyd is the principal of Agile Consulting Group, a management consulting practice specializing in nonprofit strategy, financial management, board development, and executive-transition services. Throughout his career, he has successfully guided numerous organizations through periods of transformation, stabilizing leadership teams and fostering sustainable growth. His interim leadership roles at organizations such as Community Healing Network, InReach, and Domestic Violence Ended have showcased his ability to enhance operational efficiency and advance mission-driven objectives. His leadership approach is deeply rooted in fostering collaboration, driving mission-driven impact, and enhancing operational efficiency to support long-term organizational success. A Massachusetts native, Lloyd holds a doctorate in organizational learning and development from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Bentley University, and a bachelor’s degree from Plymouth State University. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Bentley, where he teaches strategic management and human dynamics in organizations. His commitment to education and leadership development is further reflected in his extensive experience in training and facilitation for nonprofit boards and executives.
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Kevin Engel
Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury and Murphy, P.C. announced that the firm has hired a new attorney, Kevin Engel, to serve as an associate in the business practice. Engel joined the firm in October after graduating from the University of Maine School of Law, and is admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Bar of the State of Maine. He is also a member of the Hampden County Bar Assoc. and the Massachusetts Bar Assoc. Engel’s law practice includes general business and corporate law, business formation and planning, financing, mergers and acquisitions, and a variety of other business and real-estate matters. While in law school, he worked at Jackson and MacNichol, a law firm in South Portland, Maine, with a main practice in veterans’ disability law. Prior to law school, he attended Syracuse University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. While at Syracuse, he worked for a soccer team in the United Soccer League in business development.
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Elizabeth Román has been promoted to executive editor for NEPM News. Román joined New England Public Media (NEPM) as managing editor in 2022 after reporting for nearly two decades at the Republican. In her new role, she will oversee NEPM’s award-winning local newsroom, ascertaining community needs, setting editorial priorities, and supervising journalists, local program hosts, freelancers, and interns. Sam Hudzik, who has led the NEPM newsroom for over a decade, will leave NEPM and the world of public media for a position in housing law in March. As executive editor for news, Román will assume oversight of the newsroom, reporting to NEPM’s vice president for content and audience strategy. Román is a graduate of Holyoke Community College and UMass Amherst. In recent years, she has also edited El Pueblo Latino, co-founded Colectivo de Medios Latinos, and appeared as a panelist on NEPM’s “The Fabulous 413” and “The Rundown with Carrie Saldo.”
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Olivia O’Connor
Monson Savings Bank recently announced the promotion of Olivia O’Connor to assistant Monson branch manager. In that role, she will provide support to her entire team and be the ‘encyclopedia’ of the Monson branch. She will also be responsible for assisting customers with banking transactions, including account and HELOC openings. O’Connor has worked in customer service for more than eight years. Prior to joining Monson Savings Bank a little more than three years ago, she worked at Rice Fruit Farm and Springfield Technical Community College as a tutor. O’Connor holds an associate degree in general studies from Springfield Technical Community college, where she earned a near-perfect grade point average. Her career in banking began in 2021 when she was hired as a customer service associate at the bank’s Hampden Branch. From there, she quickly proved herself to be a trusted and capable team member. She excelled in the bank’s branches and was promoted to CSA supervisor, then briefly served as the East Longmeadow branch’s assistant branch manager before her most recent role.
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The Big Y board of directors announced the appointment of Michael Pashko as director of Pharmacy. As director, he will be responsible for setting overall direction and goals for the Pharmacy division and the development and execution of programs, promotions, services, and operational excellence for Big Y’s 33 in-store pharmacies. He reports to Nicole D’Amour Schneider, senior vice president of Retail Operations and Customer Experience. Pashko was born into the profession of pharmacy as the son of a pharmacist, spending many days during his childhood in independent pharmacies. He was introduced to drugstore and retail operations in 2002 as a service clerk for Walgreens and, two years later, moved into pharmacy operations as a pharmacy technician. After graduating from pharmacy school in 2012, he had a strong desire to learn more about business growth and moved into pharmacy and field management. In 2022, he was promoted to director of Pharmacy and Retail Operations for 84 Walgreens locations in Massachusetts. Pashko earned a doctor of pharmacy degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston in 2012. He is a registered pharmacist in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Illinois, along with being a certified immunizer since 2012.
