Page 46 - BusinessWest July 25, 2022

KEVIN DAY
Florence Bank announced that president and CEO Kevin Day will retire on Nov. 25, and a focused search is underway for a new leader. Day took over as president in January 2020 and became CEO in May of the same year. When Day took the helm at age 64, he promised
that nothing would change at the bank. Little did he know he’d be called upon to usher Florence Bank through some of the most tumultuous times in histo- ry, including a pandemic and the resulting financial strife. Day led the bank in ensuring that countless homeowners and businesses were able to defer their payments during the pandemic and in helping busi- ness customers connect to grants and other available funding. These measures helped customers navigate
committees for the Brightside Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is also a member of the board of directors for Boys Scouts of America, Western Massachusetts Council, where he serves as the risk management chair.
•••••
Holyoke Medical Center
announced the appointment of Lisa Wray-Schechterle
as the hospital’s director of Community Benefits. Wray- Schechterle joins the hospital from Pyramid Management Group, where she served as the marketing director of the Holy- oke Mall at Ingleside for more
than 20 years. She holds both a master’s degree in communication and a bachelor’s degree in business
Adam Hogan has joined Bulk- ley Richardson as the firm’s controller. In this manage- ment role, Hogan will execute all financial and tax-related activities for the firm, includ- ing development of the annual operating budget; partnership reporting; successful collabo- ration with his team for bill-
ing, payables, and receivables; and working closely with firm leadership to contribute to the growth and overall success of the firm. Previously, Hogan held the positions of CFO, controller, and staff accountant at several area businesses. He holds both a master’s degree in accounting and financial planning and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Elms College.
•••••
The Young Professional Soci- ety of Greater Springfield (YPS) welcomed Elizabeth Hillis, Business Develop- ment associate at WWLP-22 News, to its board of directors. “I’m excited to share my skills with the board and learn new things about the area,” Hillis said. “I’m thrilled to be able to
help with the amazing events our organization has to offer. Being a Springfield YPS member is a great way to develop your network, meet other profession- als, and become more involved in your community. I can’t wait to get started.”
•••••
Evan Collins joined Lee Bank as a mortgage origina-
tor and will be working out of the Pittsfield branch. Collins was previously employed as a sales associate at Piretti Real Estate and Stone House Properties. He has been involved in real-estate sales in Berkshire County for seven years and said he is looking forward to exploring a different side of the local real-estate market in his new position.
•••••
BK Investments Hotel Group announced the pro-
motion of Karen Warren to regional director of Operations. Warren will be responsible for the man- agement of the hotel portfolio. She will have respon- sibilities for a range of brands, including Residence Inn Chicopee, Hampton Inn Chicopee, Tru by Hilton Chicopee, and Holiday Inn Express in Brattleboro, Vt. Vickie Maryou has been promoted to general man- ager of Residence Inn Chicopee to succeed Warren.
•••••
ServiceNet’s diversity coor- dinator, Gisenia Stewart, will join a group of experts, lead- ers, and community members to spearhead the Baby Bonds Task Force, a group charged by the state treasurer, Office of Economic Empowerment, and Economic Empower- ment Trust Fund to provide
recommendations for creating a Baby Bonds initia- tive in Massachusetts. Baby Bonds is an initiative that provides government-supported trust funds for children. When account holders reach adulthood, they can access their fund and spend it on assets that can grow over time or generate wealth (e.g., higher education, buying a home, starting a business, etc.). Studies show that Baby Bonds can help close the racial wealth gap. The Task Force’s diverse, cross- sector group includes people who have expertise and lived experience in racial wealth equity, community engagement, child welfare, and asset-growth initia- tives. The Task Force will be chaired by former Mas- sachusetts State Treasurer Shannon O’Brien.
ADAM HOGAN
LISA WRAY-SCHECHTERLE
ELIZABETH HILLIS
People on the Move
administration from Western New England University. She serves as a marketing commit- tee member for Girls Inc. of the Valley, a board member of the Holyoke Chamber of Com-
the financial turmoil and gave them much-needed time to adjust to new financial situations. The bank also expanded over these past two years, opening
a branch in Chicopee, creating a work-from-home program for employees, and granting hundreds of thousands of dollars to nonprofit organizations in the Valley. Day joined Florence Bank in 2008 as chief financial officer, responsible for finance, facilities, and risk management. His responsibilities expanded to include compliance in 2013, residential lending in 2014, and retail banking in 2016. He was also pro- moted to executive vice president in 2016.
•••••
The board of directors of Mar- tin Luther King Jr. Family Services has elected Aieshya Jackson as president, and
the organization announced that Karon Forde has been appointed director of Youth Programs. Jackson is a business manager for the Springfield Library Department and has more than 15 years of finan- cial-services experience. She is a graduate of Bay Path Univer- sity, where she earned a mas- ter’s degree in healthcare man- agement. She also attended the Connecticut School of Finance and Management. Forde had served as the Community Cen-
ter director for the Police Athletic League in Brook- lyn, N.Y. She has more than seven years of experience working directly with youth as well as serving as an administrator of after-school programs. She earned a bachelor’s degree in values, ethics, and social action from Allegheny College.
•••••
The Dowd Agencies announced the promotion of
Jack Dowd from account executive to vice president of Personal Lines. Dowd has been with the agency since 2016 and represents the fifth generation to join the family business. He graduated from Saint Michael’s College with a bachelor’s degree in busi- ness administration and received his MBA from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Busi- ness. A licensed property and casualty insurance producer, he achieved his certified insurance coun- selor (CIC) designation in 2019. In addition, he has participated in the 18-month Agents Sons & Daugh- ters Training Program for underwriting at Quincy Mutual Insurance. In his community, he serves on
merce, and an advisory board member for the Holy- oke Community College School of Business. Holyoke Medical Center Community Benefits provides pro- grams and services to improve health in communi- ties and helps to increase access to healthcare. Wray- Schechterle succeeds Kathy Anderson as director of the department following Anderson’s retirement.
•••••
The Springfield College board of trustees recently announced the outcome of its 2022-23 board election results during its annual spring meeting. Wil- liam Burke III was re-elected as chair of the board of trust- ees. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola College and an MBA from Loyola Col-
lege Sellenger School of Management. Other trustees elected to the board include Mark Elgart, president and CEO of Cognia in Alpharetta, Ga.; Pia Flanagan, chief of staff to the CEO at MassMutual in Spring- field; Peter Pappas, a wealth management associate at Morgan Stanley in Springfield; Suzanne Robotti, founder and president of MedShadow Foundation in New York, N.Y.; Terry Powe, principal of Elias Brook- ings School in Springfield; Anthony Sarage, a podia- trist and partner at Western Massachusetts Podiatry Associates in East Longmeadow; Denise Alleyne, retired vice president for Student Services at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill; Douglass Coupe, retired vice president of State Street Global Investor Services of Boston; Samantha Hourihan, student trustee and a physical therapy major; Gizzelle Aba- nador, student trustee-elect and a biology major; and David Henke, student trustee-elect and a sec- ondary education major.
•••••
Tiffany Appleton has been named president of the
board of directors at Dakin Humane Society in Springfield. Appleton joined the board in 2017 and served as its secretary from 2020 to 2022. She is cur- rently the associate director of Employer Relations at UMass Amherst, a position she has held for the past two years. Prior to that, she was a director of the Accounting and Finance Division at Johnson & Hill Staffing Services in West Springfield from 2016 to 2020. Appleton earned both a master’s degree in sci- ence education and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at UMass Lowell. She previously served as a board member at the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley from 2018 to 2020.
•••••
WILLIAM BURKE III
AIESHYA JACKSON
KARON FORDE
GISENIA STEWART
46 JULY 25, 2022
DEPARTMENTS
BusinessWest