Page 52 - BusinessWest December 12, 2022
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within their field of influence. The class of 2022 features Latoya Bosworth, program officer at Mass Humanities; Sr. Mary Caritas of the Sisters of Provi- dence; Jodi Falk, executive director of Rachel’s Table; Anika Lopes, Amherst town councilor and president of Ancestral Bridges; Laurie Raymaakers, president of J.L. Raymaakers & Sons Inc.; Hilda Roqué, executive director of Nuestras Raíces Inc.; Ashley Sullivan, president of O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun; and Aelan Tierney, president of Kuhn Riddle Architects. Their stories are told in the Oct. 31 issue of BusinessWest and at BusinessWest.com. The fifth annual Women of Impact Gala will take place at the Sheraton Springfield, One Mon- arch Place. The livestream begins at 6:30 p.m. and is available at business- west.com/womenofimpact. The event’s presenting sponsors are Country Bank and TommyCar Auto Group, and the
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supporting sponsors are Comcast Busi- ness, Granite State Development Corp., and Smith Executive Education.
Light UP the Fairgrounds
Dec. 9-11: Light UP the Fairgrounds, Franklin County’s drive-through holi- day light spectacular, will run through one more weekend. The Franklin County Fairgrounds is the site of this holiday tradition. For a minimum donation of $5 per car (cash only), visi- tors are invited to drive through the main gates of the fairground and wit- ness the light extravaganza starting at 5 p.m., with the last car allowed into the fairgrounds at 8 p.m. Queueing for the event will be via Laurel Street to Fair- view Street and will wrap around the fairgrounds to the main entrance.
‘A Holiday Musicale’
Dec. 11: MOSSO, the Musicians of
the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, will present “MOSSO and Friends: A Holiday Musicale” at 4 p.m. at First Church of Christ, 763 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow. The family-friendly concert showcases the talents of vio- linist Marsha Harbison, cellist Boris Kogan, pianist Sofya Shainskaya,
and baritone John Thomas. The pro- gram features selections from Bach, Beethoven, Beach, Broadway, and holi- day favorites.The full program will be announced from the stage. Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased in advance by visiting www.eventbrite.com/e/mos- so-and-friends-a-holiday-musicale- tickets-456534696567. Tickets may also be available at the door one hour prior to the performance.
Service Above Self Luncheon
Dec. 15: The Naismith Memorial Bas- ketball Hall of Fame and the Rotary Club of Springfield announced the honorees for the Westfield Bank 2022 Basketball Hall of Fame/Springfield Rotary Service Above Self Luncheon, which will take place at noon on Cen- ter Court of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The public is invited to attend. This year’s honorees are Judy Matt, president of the Spirit of Spring- field, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research, founded by the late NCAA championship Coach Jim Valvano and ESPN. In addition to these two hon- orees, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Jack Toner, a third- generation Springfield business owner and Rotarian. Tickets to the luncheon cost $75. To purchase tickets, contact Jeremy Therrien at the Basketball Hall of Fame at (413) 231-5521 or jtherrien@ hoophall.com.
advocacy and negotiation. She graduated magna cum laude from Suffolk University, where she earned a bach-
elor’s degree, and cum laude from Western New England University School of Law, where she earned her juris doctorate. She represents the firm with the Westfield Chamber of Commerce. She has also vol- unteered with a small-business clinic while in law school, working with local startups.
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Springfield Technical Com- munity College (STCC) announced the hiring of Eli Freund as director of Market- ing and Communications and Louis Burgos as Digital and Social Media manager. Freund comes to the college with expe- rience in communications and journalism. In his new role, he will plan and execute strategic marketing and communica- tions programs that promote STCC, among other responsi- bilities. He was previously the director of communications for the University of Connecticut School of Engineering, where he oversaw external and inter-
nal communications. He also managed the integrated marketing plan for the school, which included social media, email marketing, paid advertising, search- engine optimization, and media relations. In addi- tion to his new role at STCC, he serves as an adjunct communications professor at Eastern Connecticut
well as oral
State University. Prior to his role at UConn, Freund worked as a reporter, covering education and town government for the Chronicle in Willimantic, Conn., and the Journal Inquirer in Manchester, Conn. After leaving journalism, he worked in the mayor’s office
in the town of East Hartford, Conn., as a communi- cations officer, and worked for Clarus Commerce in Rocky Hill, Conn., coordinating all its public relations. Freund earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in communication from the University of Hartford. Burgos will lead a strong content strategy for STCC across its digital platforms, advancing the college’s brand, stakeholder support, and enrollment. In his new role, he will develop the college’s web content, social-media channels, and digital media and man- age many creative projects, including writing digital copy. Burgos previously worked at the Center for EcoTechnology in Springfield as a bilingual Market- ing And Communication coordinator, where he man- aged its social-media presence and also served as videographer/video editor. In addition to his position there, he has also worked as a wedding videographer. Burgos earned an associate degree in communication media and theater arts in 2018 from Holyoke Com- munity College. In 2020, he continued his education and received a bachelor’s degree in communication
from Westfield State University. •••••
After a multi-state search, Brat-
tleboro Savings & Loan (BS&L) recently welcomed Deborah Stephenson to the position of president. Current president Dan Yates will retire at the end of this year after 17 years in
that role. Stephenson comes to BS&L from Berkshire Bank, where she served as senior vice president for Compliance and helped grow the bank’s assets from $2 billion to $13 billion. She first took her university degree in economics and finance into public service as a bank examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Seeing so many banks from the inside helped her to learn the fundamentals of banking as well as to become an expert at risk management and compli- ance issues. Her first job out of the government was with Woronoco Savings Bank in Westfield, which was suffering from compliance issues that Stephenson helped clean up. This became a specialty that has fol- lowed her throughout her career, leading her to Berk- shire Bank and now to BS&L.
•••••
Berkshire Money Management (BMM) recently wel-
comed Julia Lewis to a new position of compliance professional. Her arrival adds internal compliance capacity to the firm’s operations team. As compli- ance professional, Lewis is responsible for Berkshire Money Management’s internal compliance program, employee training, and processes and procedures. She brings to the team eight years of experience in the finance industry across the retirement, home- lending, and insurance sectors. Prior to joining Berk- shire Money Management, she was the Technical Operations manager at PCS Retirement. She is happy to join the BMM team, where she can be a part of giving back to the community and supporting local growth.
ELI FREUND
LOUIS BURGOS
DEBORAH STEPHENSON
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yards off the Lee exit on the Mass Pike, and also has a retail store in downtown Holyoke. Canna Provisions cultivation is located in Sheffield.
Burkhart Pizzanelli Delivers Coats to 200 Square One Children
SPRINGFIELD — The team at Burkhart Pizzanelli, a regional certified public accounting firm located in West Spring- field, is doing its part to spread warmth to 200 children in need of winter coats
this season. The local accounting firm organized a campaign through Opera- tion Warm to purchase the new coats for children served by Square One. The coats were distributed by Square One staff and employees of Burkhart Pizzanelli on Nov. 14 at Square One’s Tommie Johnson Child & Family Cen- ter in Springfield. Operation Warm is
a national organization that provides brand-new winter coats to children in need, helping to improve self-confi- dence, peer acceptance, school atten- dance, and overall wellness. Funding support comes from businesses and individuals within the communities they serve.
52 DECEMBER 12, 2022
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