Page 74 - BusinessWest December 21, 2020

BRIAN THOMPSON
Springfield College Director
of Strength and Condition-
ing Brian Thompson has
been named the National Strength and Conditioning Assoc. (NSCA) College Strength and Conditioning Coach of
the Year as part of the 2021
NSCA awards announcement. Thompson was selected by his peers from a list of
nominees that represented Division I, II, and III col-
Bacon Wilson announced that attorney David Lavenburg has joined the firm as of counsel and
a member of the litigation team. He will practice primarily from Bacon Wilson’s Springfield location. Lavenburg represents creditors of all kinds, such as banks, credit unions, and debt purchasers, in loan- recovery and collection matters. He also litigates extensively for commercial property landlords and tenants, management companies, and large and small businesses. His legal work spans a variety of areas, including complex commercial litigation, lease
held the roles of chief of the Sensory and Physical Rehabilitation Service and an investigator for Equal Opportunity Employer policies in the Office of Reso- lution Management. Before his time at the Bedford VA, Hevy held other public-service positions, includ- ing unit manager at the North Central Correctional Institute, program director at the Department of Youth Services, and as program director at human- services agencies in the Commonwealth. Hevy served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. During his 10 years in the Army, he was a rifle pla- toon leader, senior instructor, company commander, and academic chairperson. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from North- eastern University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Troy State University.
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Six campus researchers in the College of Natural Sci-
ences (CNS) at UMass Amherst have been recog- nized among the world’s most highly cited research- ers in 2020 by London-based Clarivate Analytics, owner of the Web of Science. They have consistently hadhighcitationcountsoveradecade.Nowinits seventh year, the citation analysis identifies influen- tial researchers as determined by their peers around the world. They are judged to be influential, and their citation records are seen as “a mark of exceptional impact,” the company says. The six from UMass Amherst are environmental chemist Baoshan Xing in CNS’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Distin- guished Professor of Food Science David McCle- ments and food scientist Hang Xiao, microbiologist Kelly Nevin Lovley, materials scientist Thomas Rus- sell, and Vincent Rotello, the Charles A. Goessmann Professor of Chemistry and a Distinguished Profes- sor of Chemistry. All are repeat members of the list. McClements is internationally known for his cut- ting-edge work in food design and nanotechnology, including encapsulating nutraceuticals in nanopar- ticles to preserve nutrients. Xiao’s lab focuses on molecular mechanisms and interactions of possible disease-preventing nutraceuticals to enhance nutri- ent bioavailability through food processing and nan- otechnology, among other topics. Nevin Lovley’s lab, part of the Geobacter Project, works to determine the electron transport chain in these bacteria with a goal to develop techniques to optimize the cells’ electrical production for better fuel-cell performance, among other goals. The Rotello lab takes a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing chemistry, biology, and biomedi- cal engineering to tailor nanomaterials to develop new biological applications. Russell, internationally known as an inventor, names his lab’s research inter- estsinpolymerphasetransition,polymers’surface and interfacial properties, directed self-assembly processes, and using polymers as scaffolds and templates to generate nanoscopic structures. Envi- ronmental scientist Xing’s lab focuses on protecting the environment by maintaining and improving soil and water quality. This includes investigating the behavior and agricultural application of engineered nanomaterials and using spectroscopic and analyti- cal instruments to study interactions among organic compounds, natural organic matter, and mineral particles. Two years ago, Highly Cited Researchers introduced a new cross-field category to identify researchers with substantial influence across sev- eral fields during the data census period. At UMass Amherst, Nevin Lovley and Rotello appear in this cat- egory for 2020.
People on the Move
disputes, commercial collec- tions, real-estate foreclosure, and bankruptcy litigation. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Mas- sachusetts and Connecticut,
leges and universities from throughout the country. The NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award is given to one outstanding certi- fied strength and conditioning specialist, recognizing his or her dedication to improving athletic perfor- mance with safe and effective science-based pro- grams.Since1998,Thompsonhasservedmanyroles at the college, including associate director of Strength and Conditioning, head Strength and Conditioning coach, professor of Exercise Science, and the gradu- ate Strength and Conditioning program director. In addition to teaching in the Applied Exercise Science program, he is responsible for the Strength and Con- ditioning program design and implementation for
26 sport programs at Springfield College, as well as teaching and advising in the graduate Strength and Conditioning program. Thompson first started work- ing in the field of strength and conditioning in 1987 and has trained athletes at the elementary-school, middle-school, high-school, collegiate, professional, Paralympic, and Olympic levels. He has presented and conducted strength-and-conditioning-related workshops in Australia, China, Mexico, Taiwan, and throughout the U.S. In 2016, Thompson received an official appointment as an expert technical consul- tant to the Chinese National Fitness Trainers Assoc. by the Chinese Sports Bureau, the only non-Chinese citizen ever to receive this status.
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Monson Savings Bank recently announced the promotion of Sara Rodrigues to Commercial Loan Operations officer. In her new role, she is responsible
for managing the commercial- loan administrative team and servicing team at Monson SavingsBank,aswellasplan- ning, organizing, and directing
all commercial-lending operations. Rodrigues has been with Monson Savings for eight years, previously serving in the role of Commercial Loan Operations manager. She has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, with 19 of those years within the commercial-lending sector. Prior to working with Monson Savings Bank, she worked with TD Bank, N.A. as a commercial-loan document supervisor. A believer in giving back to the communities she works and resides in, Rodrigues is a volunteer with Link
to Libraries and the Monson Schools Read a Loud program. She reads to schoolchildren and helps the organization with its mission to distribute new books to the school and home libraries of children in need. She also serves on the Monson Savings Bank com- munity reinvestment committee.
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appears regularly in the trial and appellate courts for both states, and has argued in the Connecti-
cut Supreme Court. Prior to joining Bacon Wilson, Lavenburg was a partner with Kroll, McNamara, Evans & Delehanty, LLP, of West Hartford, Conn., preceded by his partnership with the Springfield law firmGold&Vanaria,P.C.Hereceivedhisjurisdoctor in 1990 from Capital Law School of Columbus, Ohio, having earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism
in 1987 at Ohio Wesleyan University. He also chairs Longmeadow’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
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Eleanor Williams, a lawyer who now works for MassMutu- al, has been appointed to the Holyoke Community College (HCC) board of trustees by Gov. Charlie Baker. Her term will expire on March 1, 2024. She attended her first HCC board meeting on Nov. 24 over Zoom. Williams has worked 2011, starting as assistant vice
ELEANOR WILLIAMS
74 DECEMBER 21, 2020
DEPARTMENTS
BusinessWest
for MassMutual since
president and counsel in the company’s dispute- resolution group. From 2017 to 2019, she served as chief of staff to the executive vice president and was part of the senior leadership team. She is now the business leader working with the Product and Mar- keting business units to drive product development and efficiency. Prior to that, she worked at Choate Hall & Stewart LLP in Boston as an associate in the law firm’s finance and restructuring practice group. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, a law degree from Bos- ton College School of Law, and an MBA from North- western University’s Kellogg School of Management.
SARA RODRIGUES
••••• Shatz,SchwartzandFentin,P.C.announcedthat
attorney Mark Esposito has taken on an expanded role within the firm, now serving of counsel. Esposito joined the firm in 2017 and has a wide-ranging, litigation-focused practice. He represents clients in general, commercial, and probate litigation; labor and employment matters; administrative law; and criminal cases. After graduating magna cum laude from Williams College, Esposito graduated summa cum laude from Boston University School of Law.
He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S. District Court, the District of Massachusetts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit.
•••••
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services
announced that Glen Hevy will join the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home as its new, permanent deputy super- intendent on Dec. 21. Hevy, a retired U.S. Army Infantry Officer, joins Holyoke from the Bedford VA Medical Center, where he was the senior operations official for Patient Care Services at the 400-bed VA hospital. Also at the Bedford VA Medical Center, he