Page 44 - BusinessWest April 1, 2024

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE (CONT’D)>>
executive director role, Roncarati-Howe has an intimate understanding of the work of the organiza- tion. Before joining DFSWM, Roncarati-Howe held several leadership roles, including executive director of both the AIDS Foundation of Western Massachu- setts and the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Com- merce. She has dedicated her career to promoting dignity and quality of life in the community and
has 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, focusing on program development, management, board governance, and leading mission-based orga- nizations toward maximum community impact. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and fine arts from Elms College and a master’s degree in non- profit management and philanthropy with a certifi- cate in fundraising from Bay Path University.
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Caolo & Bieniek Associates Inc. announced that
Principal Bertram Gardner has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Donald & Lois Prescott Found- ers Award by the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee. This recognition is awarded annually to individu-
als who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the youth, community, and mission of the club. Each year, the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee care- fully selects community members who exemplify dedication and support toward the club’s vision. Gardner has been chosen as this year’s recipient in acknowledgment of his inspirational commitment, vision, courage, enthusiasm, and leadership. The Donald & Lois Prescott Founders Award, initiated at the Centennial Gala in 2012, honors the legacy of Lois Prescott and the late Donald Prescott, a long- standing member of the club’s board of directors.
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Monson Savings Bank
announced the recent promo- tion of Shannon Ortona to Ware branch manager. In addi- tion to her new role, Ortona will continue to serve as the bank’s IRA administrator. She is now based out of the Ware branch, located at 136 West St.
Prior to joining the Monson Savings Bank family 11 years ago, Ortona began her banking career with Chicopee Savings Bank. After five years there, where she held the positions of full-time teller, senior teller, and head teller, she accepted the position of customer service associate supervisor in Monson Savings Bank’s Ware branch. During her tenure with the bank, Ortona has earned positions of increas- ing responsibility. She became the assistant branch manager of the Ware branch and became a certified IRA specialist through Ascensus. Prior to her most recent promotion, she worked as the Wilbraham assistant branch manager. In her new role, she will draw on her extensive experience and knowledge of retail banking. She will be responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the Ware branch’s opera- tions. She will also aim to foster an environment of teamwork within the branch and provide her team with a high level of leadership. She will work with customers to conduct various banking transactions and help them reach their financial goals. Ortona is board member with the Ware Business Civic Assoc.
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Aaron Lansky, founder and president of the Yiddish
Book Center, announced he plans to retire in June 2025. Lansky founded the Yiddish Book Center in 1980 as a 24-year-old graduate student, and since then, the organization has rescued more than 1.5 million Yiddish books, created educational pro- grams that bring the language and culture to new
audiences, documented the oral histories of more than 1,300 narrators, created a publishing imprint devoted to Yiddish translation, and much more. Susan Bronson, who has been the center’s execu- tive director for 14 years and holds a doctorate in Russian and Jewish history, will succeed Lansky as president.
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Market Mentors LLC recently welcomed Heather Rush to
its team as associate creative director. She arrives with more than 20 years of experience in everything from graphic design, photography, and copywriting to creative direction, art direc- tion, and brand development.
In her previous roles, Rush has been immersed in all things creative, from storyboarding, strategiz- ing, and conceptualizing to brand development and implementation, photography, and video shoots. Over the past six years, she managed a marketing team of designers and project editors and launched campaigns and products through digital and print channels. A graduate of Elms College with a degree in commercial arts, Rush is a member of the Ameri- can Institute of Graphic Arts. She has received the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for book-cover design and layout, and several awards for book- series design from BookBuilders of Boston, which also awarded her the 2017 iPad App UX/UI design award. An avid painter, she recently spent two weeks in Italy on a watercolor painting intensive. Active in the Hampshire County community, Rush is a team captain and team organizer/top-50 fund- raiser for the Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage,
a member of the Easthampton Farmers and Makers Market committee, and a volunteer with Easthamp- ton Arts.
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Francis “Sandy” Dibble, John Pucci, and Jeffrey
Roberts, attorneys at Bulkley Richardson, have been recognized by Super Lawyers for 20 consecu- tive years, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Massachusetts Super Lawyers. According to Super Lawyers, there are 42,635 attorneys registered with the Massachusetts state bar, but only 264 attorneys selected to Super Lawyers all 20 years, making this an elite group of 0.6% of attorneys in the state. Dibble, partner, has been recognized in the area of business litigation. He has tried and won, or favor- ably settled, significant cases for a wide range of clients throughout the U.S. Pucci, partner, has been recognized in the area of criminal defense: white collar crimes. He is one of Massachusetts’ top trial lawyers, representing individuals and companies in complex civil and criminal litigation of all kinds in both state and federal courts. Roberts, counsel, has been recognized in the area of estate & probate. He has handled many sophisticated estate-planning matters throughout his career, as well as corporate work and business transactions, primarily for closely held companies.
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Tech Foundry, the regional leader in IT workforce
development and training, announced the appoint- ment of 12 new members to its board of trustees. Hailing from a wide variety of professional back- grounds and including an alumnus of the orga- nization’s 18-week IT support training program, the new slate of directors represents the diversity of the communities served by Tech Foundry. The organization welcomes Paul Nicholson (treasurer), Finance director at Wellfleet Insurance, and Briana
Dawkins (clerk), associate attorney at Litchfield Cavo LLP in Simsbury, Conn. They join veteran offi- cers Mike Walker (chair), retired financial-services professional at MassMutual Financial Group, and Delcie Bean (founder and immediate past chair), CEO of Paragus Strategic IT. New directors include Jay Ash, CEO of Mass Competitive Partnership; Everton Chin, director of IT at Travelers; Damon DePaolo, director of Human Risk Management at MassMutual; Samalid Hogan, CEO and principal consultant at Greylock Management Consulting; Xiaolei Hua, first vice president at PeoplesBank; Cindy Knowles, Strategy & Change Management lead at MassMutual; George Timmons, president of Holyoke Community College; and Hector Toledo, commercial lender and vice president at New Valley Bank. Patrick Streck, president and founder of Estli Consulting, returns to Tech Foundry after serving on the original board of advisors from 2013 to 2021. Salam (Sam) Zebian, Information Protection senior advisor at Cigna, graduated from Tech Foundry in 2017 and has been volunteering with the organiza- tion as a guest speaker since then. They join veteran board members Greg Bialecki, principal at Redgate; Ann McFarland Burke, owner of Ann McFarland Burke Consultancy; Dawn Creighton, Community Outreach officer at Liberty Bank; and Dianne Fuller Doherty, one of the original founders of the Wom- en’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.
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American International Col- lege (AIC) announced that Hubert Benitez plans to step down as president of the col- lege at the end of the current academic year on June 7. Frank Colaccino, chair of the AIC board of trustees, said Nicolle Cestero, who serves as execu- tive vice president and chief operating officer at AIC, will
be appointed interim president immediately. In his letter of res- ignation, Benitez said, “I made this decision by engaging in a deep process of prayer and dis- cernment, and after thoughtful
consideration and reflection with my family, I have decided to focus on the next chapter of our lives.” Colaccino said the tenure of Benitez’s service as president of the college was marked by a number of progressive actions designed to promote the mission of AIC and his effective leadership in the development of AIC Reimagined, the strategic plan that will guide the initiatives undertaken by the col- lege during the coming years. Cestero, who will serve as interim president until the next president
is identified, has been with AIC since 2011 when
she joined as associate vice president for Human Resources. She has served the college as chief of staff and most recently as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining AIC, her professional journey began in New York City at the Council on Foreign Relations, a leading nonpartisan foreign-policy think tank in the U.S., focused on dis- seminating information to members, government officials, and the public on matters of international significance. She holds an MBA degree from AIC, a master of arts degree from the University of West Florida, and a bachelor of arts degree from Mount Holyoke College. According to Colaccino, as COO, Cestero has overseen the day-to-day operations of the college and played a key role in implementing AIC’s strategic plan.
HEATHER RUSH
HUBERT BENITEZ
SHANNON ORTONA
NICOLLE CESTERO
44 APRIL 1, 2024
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