People on the Move

Christine McCormick, Dean of the College of Education at UMass Amherst, was elected a fellow in Division 15 Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Assoc. (APA), the premier scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the U.S. The APA is the world’s largest association of psychologists, with more than 134,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as its members. Fellow status is an honor bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology. With UMass Amherst since 2005, McCormick is the author or co-author of publications on a variety of topics in child development and education. In 2012, she was elected to serve a three-year term on the executive board of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions, an assembly of deans of education from research and land-grant institutions throughout North America. She was also elected to the executive committee of the American Educational Research Association’s Organization of Institutional Affiliates, which provides a forum for academic institutions, non-university-based research institutions, and professional associations to share information about federal education research issues, people, and events, as well as to be engaged in shaping policy with regard to significant research issues. She was appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to the Mass. Special Commission on Civic Engagement and Learning, which completed its work last January, and also served on the editorial boards of two major journals in her field: the Journal of Educational Psychology and Educational Psychology Review. She received her Ph.D. in educational psychology, with a minor in measurement and statistics, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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The Springfield-based regional law firm Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that Francis Mirkin, Esq. has been named 2013 Top Rated Lawyer in Real Estate by lawyer-ranking service Martindale-Hubbell. This distinction will appear in the December issue of American Lawyer & Corporate Counsel magazine. Mirkin is a shareholder and a member of the firm’s real-estate and banking and finance departments. He is also member of the Mass. Real Estate Conveyancer’s Assoc. and a frequent speaker on commercial real-estate and foreclosure-related matters. He is a multi-year recipient of the SuperLawyer distinction and is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest ranking achievable. Mirkin earned his BA from the University of Massachusetts and his JD from Suffolk University School of Law.
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Mortgage Originator Teresa Parker is now located at United Bank’s Ludlow branch. Parker had served as the personal banker at United’s Longmeadow branch for nine years before transitioning to her new position as mortgage originator in the bank’s Springfield region. She joins Ludlow personal banker Yvonne Santos and her staff at the 528 Center St. location.
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The BrunoFox Group recently named Angela Lussier its Chief Strategy Officer. Lussier is an award-winning speaker, TEDx alumna, author, and business consultant whose advice has been featured on Yahoo!, NBC, ABC, Virgin.com, the Ladders, About.com, CBS Money Watch, and other outlets. Within this role, Lussier will serve as lead developer for the organization’s Innovation Unit, which is producing Consulting 2.0 services for entrepreneurs and young professionals. Lussier has worked with individuals, as well as Fortune 100 companies, who have used her successful strategies to achieve unprecedented results.
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Erin Catharine, copywriter with the Lenox-based creative agency Winstanley Partners, has been named Young Careerist of the Year by Western Mass. Women magazine. The award is part of the magazine’s annual Women to Watch competition, which recognizes local women working in a variety of careers. Winners were decided by nominations and votes from the public. The honor is celebrated with a special issue of Western Mass. Women and an awards banquet. The Young Careerist award was added this year to recognize a professional woman in the region between the ages of 20 and 26 who has a college degree, has been working for less than three years in her profession, and has excelled in her position through contributions to the organization, continued professional development, volunteerism, and more. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Catharine joined the Winstanley creative team in 2012 following stints with Howell Creative Group in Williamsburg, Va. and Taradel LLC in Richmond, Va. She is a past recipient of the Advertising Women of New York scholarship, a Student Silver Addy award, a Richmond, Va. Ad Club Bronze Student Cannonball Award, and the Judge’s Choice Award at the Dallas Society of Visual Communications National Advertising Student Show and Conference.
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The Martin J. Clayton Insurance Agency, based in Holyoke, recently named Daniel Sullivan President. Sullivan has worked at the agency since 1990 and holds the Charter Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designations. Sullivan works extensively in the commercial property and casualty arena, serving the needs of local businesses. The full-service agency provides personal and commercial insurance and financial services to clients throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut.
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The Loomis Communities recently announced the appointment of Dr. Charles Hines as Medical Director at the Loomis House Nursing Center in Holyoke. Hines has been a geriatric medical practitioner for 20 years and is board-certified in gerontology and internal medicine. Hines, who graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine, is a certified medical director through the American Medical Assoc.
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Beth Raffeld was named Vice President for Development at Smith College. Raffeld, a Senior Executive at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has a 30-year career in educational fund-raising and, as the new chief development officer, will over seen an organization that raised $39 million last year and direct a staff of more than 60.
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The Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield (YPS) recently welcomed the following new members to its Executive Board:
• Jeremy Casey, Assistant Vice President and Commercial Services Officer at Westfield Bank, takes the reins as President. Casey is also on the board of the Springfield Rotary Club and a member of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2013;
• Peter Ellis, Creative Director at DIF Designs, is the new Vice President. Ellis is a member of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2011;
• Elizabeth Ginter, Attorney with Ellis Title Co., returns to the board as Clerk. Ginter is a member of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2012 and Western Mass. Women magazine’s Women To Watch for 2013-14;
• Edward Nuñez, Assistant Vice President of Business Development at Freedom Credit Union, joins the board as Treasurer. Nuñez is a member of BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty class of 2012 and is the 2012 recipient of the Bankers & Tradesman Credit Union Hero Award.
• Ashley Clark, Commercial Service Officer at Westfield Bank, also serves on the YPS Marketing Committee. Clark is a board member of the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity.
• Juli Thibault, Talent Acquisition Marketing & Operations Manager at Baystate Health, is Co-Chair of the YPS Marketing Committee and Strategic Plan Task Force.