People on the Move

Freedom Credit Union, which has nine branches throughout the Pioneer Valley, recently announced the following:

• Patricia Carbee, Freedom’s Assistant Vice President of Internal Auditing, has been promoted to Vice President and Director of Enterprise Risk Management. Carbee, with more than 33 years of experience in the finance industry, including expertise in regulatory auditing, compliance auditing, lending, and management, will manage risk management, guide the development of a risk-based culture throughout all product lines, and oversee the Compliance Department, loan-litigation matters, and business continuity. Most recently, she was an Auditor with New England Credit Union Services, LLC, a division of the Massachusetts Credit Union League. Carbee earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Nichols College. She is also member of the Assoc. of Credit Union Internal Auditors and the Mass. Bankers Internal Auditors Assoc.;
• Jeffrey Smith joined Freedom as Chief Lending Officer and will manage commercial, mortgage, and consumer lending activities. Smith has 30 years of lending experience in the financial-services industry and has held several senior management positions throughout his career, including his most recent position as Vice President at Florence Savings Bank. Smith earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Orono and his MBA in Finance from Western New England University. He is currently President of the Northampton Rotary Club and a member of the Realtor Assoc. of Pioneer Valley. Smith has also been an instructor for the Center for Financial Training since 1994, teaching courses on subjects such as real-estate finance, marketing, accounting, and analyzing financial statements; and
• Nora Braska was named Freedom’s Training and Development Officer. She is responsible for managing employee training of Freedom’s staff and overseeing their professional development. Braska has more than 20 years of experience in the financial-services industry, including her most recent position as Assistant Vice President and Training Officer at Hampden Bank. She is a board member of the Center for Financial Training – Springfield Regional Council, and is a member of the Professional Women’s Chamber of Western Mass.
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Jonathan Goldsmith, Esq., a partner in the Springfield-based law firm Goldsmith, Katz & Argenio, P.C., was selected as the first recipient of the Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court Pro Bono Award for Western Mass. Goldsmith received the recognition from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts. Goldsmith was presented the award by at a special reception held at the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston on Oct. 23. The program honors those in the legal professions who have improved the availability of and delivered volunteer legal services in Massachusetts, and recognizes those who have served their local communities as well as assisted in the administration of justice in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. For more than 25 years, Goldsmith, a specialist in bankruptcy and commercial law, has represented debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, trustees, financial institutions, and creditors’ committees. Goldsmith received his bachelor’s degree from Boston College and his juris doctor degree from Western New England University School of Law.
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Jewish Geriatric Services (JGS), a healthcare system serving seniors and their families for more than 100 years, recently announced the following:
• Alta Stark has been named Director of Marketing & Public Relations and is responsible for ongoing marketing, public relations, and corporate communications for JGS and its affiliates. Stark comes to JGS from Baystate Health, where she spent more than six years as a senior communications specialist. Stark holds a master’s degree in Television, Radio & Film from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and graduated from SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising Design.
• Darlene Francis has been named Executive Vice President of Wernick Adult Day Health Care Center, located on the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Campus of JGS. Francis is responsible for directing, supervising, and coordinating daily activities for participants at Wernick. Most recently, Francis was the practice manager of the JGS Family Medical Practice, which closed in June 2013. Francis received an associate’s degree in Medical Assisting from Springfield Technical Community College, and is certified by the AAMA. She also holds a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration from American International College, where she earned the Martha Wilson Memorial Award.
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Amy B. Royal, Esq., Founding Partner of Royal LLP, the woman-owned, boutique, management-side labor and employment law firm, has been elected to serve as the Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Center for Human Development Inc.
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TD Bank has promoted Lauren Winters to Store Manager of the 412 Boston Road store location. Winters is responsible for new-business development, consumer and business lending, managing personnel, and overseeing day-to-day operations. Winters has six years in banking centered on the customer experience, operations, and training. She joined TD Bank in 2011 and most recently served as an Assistant Store Manager in Chicopee.