Page 89 - BusinessWest August 18, 2021

ZAIDA GOVAN
sight as the agency grows. “Pam brings a wealth of experience to this role,” company President Michelle Abdow said. “We are thrilled that she agreed to join our team and has already made a strong impact. She’s extremely methodical, seeking order and ways to improve efficiencies in process and procedures. This mindset, paired with leadership experience, makes her an especially effective member of our management team.” Soisson most recently served as vice president of Marketing Strategy for Rebel Interactive Group in Southington, Conn. At Market Mentors, she is responsible for the development and success of both the agency’s team members and the agency itself.
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Leadership Pioneer Valley (LPV ) recently welcomed LaTo- nia Naylor of Springfield Col- lege and Gregory Thomas of UMass Amherst to its board
of directors. Naylor is a dedi- cated Springfield native and LPV class of 2016 alumna who has been serving the region for years through her work at non- profit organizations and the Springfield School Committee, where she serves as an elected member. Thomas, director
of the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship Management at UMass, has demonstrated exceptional leadership in posi- tions across corporate America
in both advising and coaching leaders and entrepre- neurs. The board also elected its officers, including Annamarie Golden of Baystate Health as chair, Tony Maroulis of W.D. Cowls as vice chair, Calvin Hill
of Springfield College as clerk, Callie Niezgoda of Common Capital as treasurer, and Russell Peotter, retired from WGBY, as immediate past chair.
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Monson Savings Bank announced the election of
five new corporators. Stefan Davis is president and CEO of I Found a Light Against All Odds, a Spring- field-based nonprofit that works with at-risk youth to address social, emotional, and economic issues they may be facing. He is also an educator in the Springfield public school system. Brendan Greeley
is president of R.J. Greeley Co. Inc., a real-estate firm located in Springfield that specializes in commercial and industrial real estate. He is also the vice presi- dent of the board of directors for the East Longmead- ow Educational Endowment Fund. Erica Nunley is a Realtor leading the Nunley Group at Keller Williams Realty. She is also a member of the Greater Hartford Board of Realtors, the National Assoc. of Realtors, the Massachusetts Assoc. of Realtors, and the Massachu- setts Landlord Assoc. Rebecca Smith is a Realtor on the Neilsen Team at Keller Williams Realty. In 2012, she was named a KW Cultural Icon for her dedica- tion to giving, knowledge, kindness, and service to others. She is a member of the Board of Realtors, co- founder of Massachusetts Ride for the Ribbon, and a licensed horseback-riding instructor. James White is president of Go Graphix, an East Longmeadow busi- ness that specializes in architectural graphics, signs and films, vehicle wraps, and more. He sits on vari- ous committees and boards, contributing to the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, East Longmeadow Bike Path, Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp., and LPVEC CareerTech & Put- nam Vocational School advisory committees.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services Inc. (MLKFS)
appointed Zaida Govan as vice president of Youth Services. She will direct all educational program-
ming, including after-school, summer, and college-readiness programs. She is a licensed clinical social worker and an accomplished community organizer who has worked with the Mason Square Health Task Force and its Drug Free Communities efforts. Her com-
munity work also includes serving as a board mem- ber of Wellspring Cooperative Corp. and Wellspring Harvest Greenhouse, as well as a board member of the League of Women Voters of Northampton. She is president of the Indian Orchard Citizens Council and president of the Springfield Community Land Trust, whose mission is to bring permanent, affordable housing to Hampden County. She also started com- munity-garden efforts in both the Indian Orchard and Mason Square neighborhoods. Govan attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Springfield College, including a master’s degree in social work and human services.
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Karen Wallace has joined Associated Industries of Mas- sachusetts (AIM) as executive vice president of Marketing. She will develop and lead strat- egies to support expansion of the association and implement AIM’s belief that business can be a positive force for change in creating a better, more pros-
perous Commonwealth. A native of Springfield, Wal- lace was most recently a consultant to Northeastern University Khoury College of Computer Sciences,
the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She previously spent more than 20 years in market- ing positions at Fidelity Investments, including as senior vice president of Marketing, Communications, and Branding. She has also held senior marketing positions at MFS Investment Management and Sun Life. She earned both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Simmons University in Boston. She has completed professional-development courses at MIT Sloan School, Harvard Business School, and Tuck School at Dartmouth College. She serves as a board member for the Boston Children’s Chorus and is a member of the National Black MBA Assoc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
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Western New England University (WNEU)
announced the recipients of the 2021 PeoplesBank Award. The award, first given in 2020, is made pos- sible by a grant to WNEU from PeoplesBank to advance innovation and entrepreneurship across the university and the entire Pioneer Valley ecosys- tem. This year, the award went to Jeremy Bowler,
a computer engineering major, for his work on an electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission (ECVT) for small-engine applications; Tytianie Brown, a sciences major, who runs a full- service beauty-services business; Caleb Miller, a mechanical engineering major and the co-founder of Woodside Getaways, an RV rental startup; Dante Talamini, an engineering major and team leader
for Frost Alert, a wearable smart device that moni- tors skin temperature and alerts the wearer if they are beginning to experience frostbite; Ethan Valdes, an entrepreneurship major with a minor in health sciences, who co-founded Bus Boiz, a social-media experience startup that captures travel experiences; and Shemika White, an MBA graduate student and founder of Notes of Beauty chemical-free beauty products. Western New England University aspires to
develop students’ entrepreneurial mindset with its innovation and entrepreneurial programs. Through co-curricular efforts, such as Startup Weekend and the Product Development and Innovation course, students are able to create innovations that have market potential.
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Westfield State University
(WSU) interim Dean of Faculty Enrique Morales-Díaz is the recipient of the Latino Schol- arship Fund (LSF) of West-
ern Massachusetts’ Antonia Pantoja Award, which honors people who contribute to the Latinx community through research and education. It was
presented in June, during the organization’s 30th annual awards ceremony, held virtually. The Latino Scholarship Fund of Western Massachusetts is a non- profit organization dedicated to putting higher edu- cation within reach of college-bound students in the region. Morales-Díaz leads Westfield State’s initiative to become a federally recognized Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and chairs the University’s Racial Equity and Justice Institute Team. The HSI desig- nation is part of a larger commitment by Westfield State to address systemic racism and inequities on campus, such as in its policies and practices. It also supports its efforts to become a student-ready, rela- tionship-centered campus community that is fluent in understanding all of its students’ needs and that values their culture. An activist for the Puerto Rican community in New York City, Pantoja is best known for establishing ASPIRA in 1961, a nonprofit organi- zation that promotes education and advancement for Puerto Rican youth by providing clubs within schools, career and college counseling, advocacy for bilingual education, and other services.
Excel Dryer Inc., manufac- turer of the XLERATOR hand dryer, recently welcomed a new director of global sales to its team. Tammy Stone joins Excel Dryer with more than
a decade of experience and a worldly expertise unlike many in her field. Born in the Repub- lic of Georgia, Stone moved to
the U.S. as a teenager. A graduate of Carl von Ossietz- ky University in Germany, Tbilisi State University in Georgia, and the University of Illinois College of Law, she holds degrees in business and political science. In previous positions, she grew national and inter- national sales, developed business-strategy plans, and led a team of employees focused on business-to- business activities. In her role at Excel Dryer, Stone will be responsible for managing and providing business-strategy plans for all business-to-business interactions, negotiating transactions, and working to increase domestic and international market share and build sales activity.
ENRIQUE MORALES-DÍAZ
LATONIA NAYLOR
GREGORY THOMAS
KAREN WALLACE
TAMMY STONE
DEPARTMENTS
AUGUST 18, 2021 89
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