Page 47 - BusinessWest January 20, 2021

DAWN FORBES DISTEFANO
On the heels of the recent retirement of Joan Kagan, Square One named Dawn Forbes DiStefano its new president and CEO. Following a 25-year career with the YWCA of Western Massachusetts, DiStefano joined the Square One team in 2016 to lead the agency’s grant-research, grant-
writing, and program-compliance efforts. She was quickly promoted to chief finance and grants officer, where she added oversight of the agency’s financial team to her list of responsibilities. In 2019, she was promoted to executive vice president and took on oversight of the agency’s early-education and care programs and family-support services, as well as management of operations, including transporta- tion, food service, and IT. DiStefano serves on the boards of directors for the Massachusetts Council on Gaming Health, Dress for Success Western Mas- sachusetts, the Springfield Regional Chamber, the Baystate Community Benefits Advisory Committee, and Businesses to End Human Trafficking. She also serves as a commissioner on the Hampden County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls. She received her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst and her master’s degree in public administration and nonprofit management from Westfield State University. Kagan, who led the agency for 17 years, announced her retirement plans last summer. She continues to serve as an advisor to the leadership team during the transition.
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Monson Savings Bank announced the hire of Anita Richard as vice president and residential operations officer of the bank’s Residential and Con- sumer Lending department, and of Sabina Vegiard as vice president of Monson Savings Bank and financial advisor with Infinex Investments Inc. In her new role, Richard is responsible for planning and organizing the residential and consumer lending operations, including streamlining loan processing, closing, and servicing. She also manages the staff in the Resi- dential and Consumer Lending departments. Richard has more
than 31 years of experience in the banking industry, with 27 years focused in the mortgage-lending area. She most recently served as Home Lending Compli- ance manager at Berkshire Bank and Savings Insti- tute Bank and Trust, where she was responsible for all residential-lending regulatory compliance. Previ- ously, she was director of Mortgage Operations at Alden Credit Union, managing the daily operations of the residential-lending area as well as compli- ance and loan servicing. In her new role, Vegiard is responsible for helping customers to plan for their short- and long-term financial goals, including buy- ing a home, paying for their children’s education, retirement, and life-insurance needs. She brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to help her customers achieve their financial goals through stra- tegic planning and tailored investment solutions. Vegiard has been in the finance industry for 15 years, with her experience as a financial advisor spanning 10 of those years. She most recently served as vice president and branch manager at Key Bank, where her responsibilities were to manage the day-to-day operations of the branch and staff as well as act as financial advisor for six branch locations. She is a
graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
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Holyoke Community Col-
lege (HCC) recently welcomed Amy Brandt as its new dean
of Health Sciences and Culi- nary Arts. Brandt most recently worked as associate vice presi- dent and dean of Health Sci- ences at Broome Community College in Binghamton, N.Y., which is part of the State Uni-
versity of New York system. At SUNY Broome, she focused on developing partnerships with local area hospitals to address healthcare-worker shortages and advocated for enhanced use of simulation to improve clinical education and position programs to remain current with emerging national trends in healthcare education. At HCC, she will oversee seven academic programs: Foundations of Health, Medical Assisting, Medical Billing and Coding, Nursing (asso- ciate of science and practical), Radiologic Technolo- gy, Veterinary and Animal Science, and Culinary Arts. Brandt holds a master’s degree in social work from California State University, Sacramento, and a Ph.D. in social work from the University of Cali-
fornia Los Angeles. After earning her Ph.D.,
she began working in education, initially at
the University of California Berkeley in the
School of Social Welfare, where she focused
on program administration and teaching introductory social-work courses. In 2007, she tran- sitioned to the community-college setting in Califor- nia, focusing on allied-health education, and she has worked on allied-health program development in California, Florida, Texas, and New York.
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The Royal Law Firm announced the return from
retirement of attorney Rose- mary Nevins. Nevins’ legal career in management-side labor and employment law has spanned more than 30 years. She has handled nearly two dozen trials to verdict, repre- sented clients during several arbitrations, and conducted numerous seminars and train-
ing sessions for supervisory personnel and human- resources managers dealing with myriad subjects germane to the employment relationship. In 2013, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recognized Nevins as a Top Woman of Law. She has authored numerous articles on employment-related topics and previ- ously served as associate editor of the Massachusetts Employment Law Newsletter.
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Michael Ostrowski, president and CEO of Arrha
Credit Union, announced
that acting Chief Financial Officer Lucas Manzi has been appointed to a permanent posi- tion in that role. Before being promoted to acting CFO, Manzi was the Accounting Depart- ment and Finance manager at Arrha Credit Union. Manzi is
a recipient of the 2019 Credit Union Difference Maker’s Award presented by the
Cooperative Credit Union Assoc. at the 2019 Credit Union Marketplace Experience, Ostrowski noted. The show highlighted new technology and offered break- out sessions in many topics, including cybersecurity, latest trends in digital banking, and ways to enhance member experience. Manzi is also a member of the Arrha asset-liability committee. He has a BBA in
accounting from the Isenberg School of Manage- ment at UMass Amherst.
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Bacon Wilson announced that two of the firm’s attor-
neys have been promoted.
Daniel McKellick and Christo- pher Pierson have both been named shareholders. McKellick is a business and real-estate attorney who works primarily on commercial and corporate matters, including real-estate transactions, leases, com- mercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, business startup and succession, and contract drafting and review. His prior experience in senior manage- ment for a large wholesale distribution company provides him with insight into business operations and profitability.
He is licensed to practice in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. Pierson is an
experienced trial attorney who has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict in courts across Massa-
People on the Move
chusetts. His practice encompasses all aspects of civil litigation, including commercial disputes, individual matters, and accident and injury litigation. He is a graduate of Northeastern University Law School and Gettysburg College.
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Adam Corcoran, president and CEO of Alden Credit Union, announced that Carole Bolduc will join Alden Credit Union as an LPL financial advisor with FR Investment Group. Bolduc is a lifelong resident of Western Mass. and an LPL financing advisor with 11 years of expe- rience. She holds her series
6, 7, 63, and 66 securities registration through LPL Financial, along with a Massachusetts life-insurance license. She is registered to service clients with LPL Financial in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, California, and Arizona.
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W.D. Cowls named Tony Maroulis its vice president
for Real Estate and Community Development. A regional leader in economic and community devel- opment, tourism, and the arts, Maroulis will focus his efforts on building the Mill District into a premier Pioneer Valley destination, while looking to grow the company’s real-estate and business portfolio. Marou- lis has worked in the chancellor’s office at UMass since 2014, when he was hired as director of Com- munity Relations to serve as liaison with local com- munities, civic groups, and neighbors while advising the campus administration on community-relations issues. Since 2017, he has served as executive direc- tor of External Relations and University Events.
From 2008 to 2014, Maroulis was executive direc-
tor of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce. He led a successful rebranding of the chamber and was instrumental in planning and launching the Amherst Business Improvement District and the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, which he co-
People
Continued on page 48
AMY BRANDT
DANIEL MCKELLICK
CHRISTOPHER PIERSON
ANITA RICHARD
CAROLE BOLDUC
ROSEMARY NEVINS
SABINA VEGIARD
LUCAS MANZI
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