Page 43 - BusinessWest August 31, 2020

JOAN KAGAN
Following a human-services career spanning more than
45 years, Square One Presi- dent and CEO Joan Kagan has announced plans to retire. Kagan has served in her cur- rent role since 2003. Although her retirement will take effect on Dec. 31, 2020, Kagan will
continue to serve the agency as an advisor to sup- port the leadership team during transition. “When you think about the nonprofit community in Western Massachusetts, the name Joan Kagan immediately comes to mind,” said Peter Testori, chair of Square One’s board of directors and dean of Academic Sup- port Services and assistant Title IX coordinator at Bay Path University. “For decades, Joan has been a champion for the well-being and education of our region’s children. Her passion and commitment have positively impacted the lives of thousands of chil- dren and families.” Under Kagan’s leadership, Square One (formerly known as Springfield Day Nursery) expanded its offerings from providing child care exclusively to a full menu of family-support services. This expansion was built upon Kagan’s experience
as a child and family social worker and her in-depth understanding of the need for all children to have
a high-quality early education, nurturing adults to care for them, and a safe and healthy community in which to live. A committee of Square One staff and board members, as well as other community leaders, will conduct a search to determine the next president and CEO.
•••••
bankESB promoted Nathaniel Munson to assistant vice presi- dent – portfolio manager, and announced that Leighanne Sullivan has joined the bank’s Marketing Department as
its social-media coordina-
tor. Munson joined bankESB in 2018 as portfolio manager, and prior to that was with Westfield Bank for six years, most recently as senior credit analyst. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administra- tion from Western New Eng- land University and is an active member of the Mountain View Baptist Church in Holyoke, currently serving as a trustee,
Sunday school director, and youth leader. Prior to joining bankESB, Sullivan was a marketing assistant with Project Look Sharp in Ithaca, N.Y., and before that was a marketing intern with Westfield Bank and a public-relations and social-media intern with Sarah Hall Productions. She will be responsible for main- taining the bank’s social-media presence across all platforms as well as those of the member banks of its parent company, Hometown Financial Group. Addi- tionally, she will produce video content and serve as the primary administrator for the company intranet. This spring, Sullivan earned her bachelor’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Ithaca College, where she was a participant in the college’s Leadership Academy and a member of the women’s crew team.
•••••
Attorney Richard Juang has
joined the Royal Law Firm. He brings to Royal a decade of experience working with non- profits and small businesses on their core operations and transactions. He also provides
clients with Massachusetts legislative and public- policy advocacy. Juang’s clients have ranged from human-services organizations to cannabis entre- preneurs to restauranteurs, reflecting the breadth of economic activity that makes Massachusetts a vibrant state in which to
Greater Pittsburgh. The BEN is a strategic team of K-12, higher-education, and community educators working across school-district and community lines to help ensure the academic and personal success of African-American youth from underserved com-
live and work. He is avail-
able to represent clients in
transactions, regulatory and
nonprofit compliance, and
administrative-law matters.
For clients facing legislative,
regulatory, or public-policy changes, he is also able to help them navigate the Massachusetts legislative, budgetary, and regulatory landscapes. Juang received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University and his juris doctor from Northeastern University. He is admitted to practice in Massachu- setts and in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.
•••••
Elms College announced the hiring of Justin Monell as director of Career Services. Monell will help ensure that current Elms students are career-ready by providing them resources to help determine their career path, find intern- ships in their field of study, prepare for graduate school,
or look for employment. He will also be a resource for alumni seeking assistance with job searches, net- working, or planning for a career change. Through- out his career, Monell has worked in various roles within student affairs, career services, and student success. Most recently, he was assistant director of Career Development at Clark University in Worces- ter. He has also worked in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of South Florida and the Center for Advising & Student Success at Florida International University. Monell holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and political science from the University of Connecticut and a master of education degree in student affairs administration from Spring- field College.
•••••
Elms College announced the appointment of Tyra Good as the college’s first faculty direc- tor of the Center for Equity
in Urban Education (CEUE). Good has more than 10 years of experience teaching educa- tion, and, most recently, she was assistant professor of Prac- tice in Education at Chatham
University in Pittsburgh. In this new position, she is responsible for the strategic oversight and manage- ment of the college’s efforts to address this issue. The CEUE was launched in September 2019 to increase the number and diversity of qualified teachers in
the Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield school sys- tems. In these school systems, the racial and ethnic composition of teachers is not representative of
the students. This area also experiences an annual 800-teacher gap across K-12 schools, especially in specific roles such as special education, English- language learners, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Through a partnership with philanthropists, school districts, and charter-school networks, and with a reimagined curriculum, Elms College and Good aim to increase the pipeline of teachers, including teachers of color, who are cul- turally prepared to inspire the students whom they teach. Good is the founder and chief academic con- sultant for GOOD Knowledge Connections and the founder of the Black Educators Network (BEN) of
People on the Move
munities. For her dedication and commitment to diversifying the teaching pipeline and preparing pre- service teachers to work in urban settings, Good has received myriad award recognitions. Most recently, she was awarded a 2019 National Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship through Big Picture Learning and Internationals Network for Public Schools. Good received her bachelor’s degree in business manage- ment from Howard University, a master’s degree in teaching from Chatham University, and a doctor- ate in educational leadership and evaluation from Duquesne University.
•••••
River East School-to-Career Inc. announced that Director Loretta Dansereau will retire in August after more than 16 years of service to the organization. Dansereau has been the driv- ing force behind growing the organization since 2004, when it was still in its infancy, to be a recognized local business and
education partnership under the MassHire Hamp- den County Workforce Board and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In addition
to helping incorporate as a non-profit 501(c)(3), she has been instrumental in building a community of more than 300 business partners, increasing partner- ship awareness, and mentoring numerous students. Under Dansereau’s leadership, River East School- to-Career has become a model for other school-to- career organizations in Massachusetts. In the just the past five years, the organization has impacted the lives of more than 1,000 students in Hampden and Hampshire counties by bringing together schools, businesses, and organizations to create career-explo- ration opportunities. The aim is to help students make informed decisions regarding their career and educational goals through work-based learning and internship opportunities, co-op placements, career days, and work-readiness workshops. Dansereau will be succeeded by Amy Scribner, who has been part of the organization in various capacities for more than 10 years.
••••• Christopher Silipigno, chief
operating officer and managing director at Renaissance Invest- ment Group, LLC, earned the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) professional designa- tion from the American College of Financial Services. Candi- dates for the ChFC designation
must complete a minimum of eight college-level courses and 18 hours of supervised examinations. They must also fulfill stringent experience and ethics requirements and participate in continuing educa- tion to maintain professional recertification. Since its inception in 1982, the credential has been widely regarded as a premier standard of knowledge and trust for financial-planning professionals. The ChFC
People
Continued on page 44
JUSTIN MONELL
LORETTA DANSEREAU
NATHANIEL MUNSON
LEIGHANNE SULLIVAN
TYRA GOOD
CHRISTOPHER SILIPIGNO
RICHARD JUANG
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