Page 59 - BusinessWest December 22, 2021

People
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she worked as a fundraising event coordinator for a large Western Mass. program and during that time also supervised its homefinding team, recruiting fos- ter homes. She has a passion for working with and advocating for children. In addition to her profes- sional experience, she has remained actively involved in her community and serves as a volunteer for the WNBA Her Time to Play program. Nogué is the first woman of color and first Latina to hold this posi- tion. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in counsel- ing foundations and her MBA at Bay Path University. She is also a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts.
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Willie Ross School for the Deaf (WRSD) announced that Mary Cate Mannion has joined the school’s board of trustees. Man- nion works for Garvey Com- munication Associates Inc. (GCAi) and is a former news anchor and reporter for West- ern Mass News. Mannion said
her hard-of-hearing sister is part of the inspiration behind her joining the school’s board of trustees. Her sister underwent surgeries and gained more language access through hearing aids and the use of Ameri- can Sign Language (ASL), and is now an educator
at a school for the deaf and hard of hearing on the West Coast. Mannion is a public relations analyst and video producer with eight years of storytelling experi- ence. She previously worked as a news reporter for WMTW-TV in the Portland, Maine area, and prior to that was at Western Mass News. She earned a bach- elor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Emerson College.
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The board of directors of Work Opportunity Center
Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Company Notebook
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addressing the gaps and barriers within multiple sys- tems, including the ‘cliff effect,’ which makes transi- tioning out of state assistance programs challenging. This project also brings a gender- and racial-equity lens to workforce strategies. Home City Development is the main partner in this project, which means all program participants are Home City Development residents. The program will incorporate the Spring- field WORKS’ 2Generation/Whole Family Approach with Home City Development’s HUD Family Self Suf- ficiency program. Other partners include Dress for Success of Western Massachusetts, HCS Head Start, EforAll, Families First, Springfield Partners for Com- munity Action, and MassHire Springfield. Springfield WORKS leverages employer partners including Bay- state Health, MGM Springfield, United Personnel/ Masis, Springfield Public Schools, and others for career pathway opportunities.
MCLA Department of Business Administration Earns ACBSP Accreditation
NORTH ADAMS — MCLA’s Department of Busi-
ness Administration has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). This accreditation covers all
the department’s business-degree paths, as well as the college’s MBA program. A global accreditation agency, ACBSP focuses on recognizing teaching excel- lence, determining student learning outcomes, and
individuals with developmen- tal disabilities obtain employ- ment in the community and promoting social inclusion, has appointed Mary Akers as its new executive director. Akers replaces long-term Executive Director Robert MacDonald, who retired after 40 years. Following a 15-year career at
American International College, where she served as associate athletic director and senior woman admin- istrator, Akers joined Work Opportunity Center as its first assistant executive director in February 2015. She has held the position of interim executive director since January 2021. Akers holds an associate degree in business management from Elizabethtown Com- munity College, and she received both her bachelor’s degree in business and MBA from American Interna- tional College.
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Comcast has named Carolyne Hannan senior vice president of the company’s Western New England Region, leading a team serving more than 300 com- munities across Connecticut, Western Mass., Vermont, West- ern New Hampshire, and New York. In this role, Hannan is the top executive responsible for all
aspects of the business, including customer experi- ence, sales, marketing, operations, and financial per- formance. Hannan, who has held a series of progres- sively more senior management positions at Comcast over the past 17 years, returns to the Western New England Region, where she previously served as vice president of Sales and Marketing from 2008 to 2010. In her most recent role, Hannan served as vice presi- dent of Sales & Marketing for Comcast’s Freedom Region, which serves customers across Greater Phila-
a continuous improvement model. ACBSP’s student- centered teaching and learning approach, which
is measured and analyzed for quality, ensures that students gain the right skills from their educational investment. Institutions with programs accredited by ACBSP are committed to continuous improvement that ensures their business program will give stu- dents the skills employers want. MCLA’s Department of Business Administration already has an excellent track record for job placement. Recent graduates have secured full-time work at major national com- panies like BDO Consulting, General Dynamics, and Google. MCLA accounting majors who sit for the cer- tified public accountant exam currently have a 100% pass rate.
Hancock Associates Acquires Sherman & Frydryk
DANVERS — Hancock Associates, a leading provider of land-surveying, civil-engineering, and wetland- science services, recently announced it has acquired Sherman & Frydryk, LLC, a land-surveying and civil- engineering firm located in Palmer. With roots dating back to 1950, Sherman & Frydryk’s long list of clients includes residential and commercial developers, municipalities, service utilities, MassDOT, hospitals, and more throughout Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties and the surrounding areas. Sher- man & Frydryk will operate as a division of Hancock Associates. Don Frydryk will serve as regional office manager, and the current staff will continue to be
delphia, New Jersey, and Northern Delaware. •••••
United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region
has added four new members to its staff team, allow- ing it to enhance its work with partner organizations, donors, and general operations. The new hires will augment the organization with their combined expe- rience in leadership, education, marketing, donor relations, database management, and account-
ing. They are all eager to be part of a nonprofit that impacts the community in a positive way. Jenny Coeur will serve as United Way’s program coordina- tor, Jenna Farrell as donor relations manager, Jen- nifer Nhong as database assistant, and Cathy Zim- merman as the organization’s bookkeeper. Coeur, who began her work at United Way in mid-July, was previously a teacher and Math Department chair at Applewild School in Fitchburg. She has 13 years of experience in public and independent education as a community-focused teacher, program developer and coordinator, and department chair. She holds a bach- elor’s degree in elementary education from Hamp- shire College and a master of education degree from UMass Amherst. Farrell took on her role as donor relations manager in mid-September and will apply the experience she gained in the nonprofit world at UMass Amherst and skills she honed while working at for-profits in marketing and event management. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administra- tion from Western New England University. Nhong started in her new role in early October and will help manage United Way’s database. She worked for 13 years at MicroTek, a nonprofit cable manufacturing company in Chicopee, in production, quality, and planning and management. Zimmerman has worked as an accountant for Temp-Pro, Argotec, Sisters of Providence, and Holyoke Medical Center. She holds
a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Elms College. She began her new role in early October.
part of the Sherman & Frydryk team. The acquisition assists Hancock in expanding services to Central and Western Massachusetts. It also adds historical survey records from W.H. and H.W. Brainerd, John Casey, Nathaniel Clapp, Charles Dingman, R.O. and G.F. Dingman, Kenneth Sherman, Sherman and Woods, Sherman & Frydryk, Richard Stowe, and Arthur Sul- livan to Hancock’s collection of land-surveying and civil-engineering resources.
Junior Achievement Gets Support from Balise Auto Group
SPRINGFIELD — Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts is getting assistance from a local auto dealer for one of its educational programs about car ownership. Balise Auto Group volunteers will present JA All About Cars, a Junior Achievement program that explores the personal-finance considerations that go into purchasing a vehicle, to nearly 200 students in six area high schools during December. JA All About Cars programs are funded by a grant from American Honda Finance Corp. Through the program, students make a real-world connection to the car-buying expe- rience, motivating them to make good financial deci- sions when buying or leasing. Following participa- tion in the program, students will be able to consider whether a dream car is a realistic purchase for most people, explore their driving needs and things to con- sider when choosing a car, identify a car that meets their needs, and research the cost and understand the pros and cons of financing or leasing a car.
MARY AKERS
MARY CATE MANNION
CAROLYNE HANNAN
DEPARTMENTS
DECEMBER 22, 2021 59
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