Page 42 - BusinessWest June 10, 2024

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE>>
Tom Stewart, director of Athlet- ics and Student Engagement
at Holyoke Community Col- lege (HCC), is the recipient
of the 2024 George E. Killian Award of Excellence, the high- est award bestowed each year by the National Junior College Athletic Assoc. (NCJAA). The
award is given to those who demonstrate the ide- als of volunteerism, achievement, service, leader- ship, and excellence. At HCC, Stewart oversees
nine intercollegiate sports programs and manages the David Bartley Center for Athletics and Recre- ation. He serves on the NJCAA board of regents
as the representative for Region 21. He chairs the NJCAA Division III men’s golf committee and the NJCAA Division III women’s golf committee while also serving on the NJCAA track and field commit- tee. During his career, HCC has hosted nine NJCAA cross country championships and a track and field championship. In 2016, he was elected second vice president for the association’s men’s division. In
that role, he oversaw the complete budgetary activ- ity of the association. He has previously served as the co-chair of the finance and budget committee. Representing 550 schools, the NJCAA is the largest athletic association for two-year colleges in the U.S. Stewart is the first recipient of the George E. Killian Award from any college in New England since it was first presented in 2006. Stewart started his career
in higher education at Westfield State, where he worked for seven years as Student Activities admin- istrator and director of intramurals and coached cross country. He was hired at HCC in 1996 as Stu- dent Activities director and became assistant ath- letic director in 1999 and athletic director in 2007. He now also supervises the Student Engagement department at HCC, which includes Student Activi- ties and the Student Senate. In October, Stewart was inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame. As an undergraduate there, he was a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams. An all-conference run- ner in 1985 and 1987 in cross country, he won the Westfield State Invitational and was an all-New England runner in steeplechase his sophomore year. Westfield State’s cross country and track teams won conference titles all four years he was on the team.
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Greenfield Cooperative Bank
announced that President and CEO Tony Worden has been elected as a director of the Cooperative Banks Employee Retirement Assoc. (CBERA), a specialized organization dedi- cated to overseeing the retire- ment benefits of employees
at member banks in Massachusetts. Established
in 1946, the Cooperative Banks Employee Retire- ment Assoc. was formed to administer the pension programs for the employees of the Massachusetts cooperative bank industry. Today, CBERA serves not only cooperative banks, but all financial institu- tions. Worden brings a wealth of knowledge in the financial-services industry to the CBERA board. He has nearly 30 years of banking experience and has served as president of Greenfield Cooperative Bank since 2021.
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Diana Szynal, president of the Springfield Region-
al Chamber, was honored with induction as an honorary member into the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma AACSB Honor Society on April 25. The induc-
42 JUNE 10, 2024
tion ceremony was hosted by the College of Busi- ness Beta Gamma Sigma Chapter at Western New England University (WNE). Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society serving business pro- grams accredited by AACSB International, the Asso- ciation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a student can receive in an AACSB- accredited business program. Szynal’s honorary induction acknowledges her professional achieve- ments, leadership, and commitment to advancing business education. According to Sharianne Walker, dean of the WNE College of Business, Szynal was selected as an honorary inductee not only because of her rich business experience, but because she has played a pivotal role in fostering economic growth, advocating for local businesses, and supporting entrepreneurship in the Springfield region.
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Pilot Precision Products, a leader in standard and custom broaching tool manufacturing, announced the elevation of John Fazzio to vice president and chief operating officer. Fazzio, who had served as the company’s chief financial officer for the past four years, earned
the promotion by leading Pilot’s implementation
of EPICOR Kinetic enterprise resource planning
and adding smart inventory software to improve inventory management by providing closed-loop scheduling. The implementation allows for real- time order adjustments and the scheduling of
more precise delivery times. Those technological advancements have also enabled the company to ensure that standard products are always available for immediate delivery, reducing lead times and improving customer service. Before joining Pilot, Fazzio held executive positions at Intermountain Electronics in Price, Utah. He earned a master’s degree in accounting from Southern Utah University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from Utah State University.
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Caolo & Bieniek Architects
announced the promotion of Ashik Mubarak to an architec- tural staff position. This promo- tion comes as Ashik recently graduated from UMass with a master of architecture degree, marking a significant milestone in his career journey. He was
also recipient of the second-place honor in the Metal Building Manufacturers Assoc. Student Design Competition, which sought to foster innovation
in sustainable design for a marine nature center in Gloucester.
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Greenfield Cooperative Bank announced that
Chelsea Depault, vice president of Commercial and Municipal Lending, has been named the recipient
of the prestigious Emerging Leader Award from the Massachusetts Bankers Assoc. This award recog- nizes outstanding individuals in the Massachusetts banking industry who demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and a commitment to serving their communities. During the PPP rollout, Depault played a pivotal role in ensuring the bank could effectively serve clients. Her quick thinking and willingness to go the extra mile, including work-
ing evenings and weekends, helped secure vital funding for many local businesses. Committed to continuous learning, she completed the ABA Stonier
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Graduate School of Banking program and earned
a Wharton leadership certificate. Additionally, she actively seeks out professional-development oppor- tunities through courses offered by the Massachu- setts Bankers Assoc. and the Center for Financial Training. Depault’s impact extends beyond the bank. She also volunteers with the VITA program, serves on committees, and holds treasurer positions with local organizations, as well as dedicating her time to youth sports programs.
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Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Coopera- tive Bank, announced that Mar- keting Director Siobhan Tripp has successfully completed
the American Bankers Assoc. (ABA) Bank Marketing School. This intensive program, which was held April 10-19 in Atlanta,
is designed to equip banking professionals with
the skills and knowledge needed to develop and execute effective marketing strategies in today’s dynamic financial landscape. The program empha- sizes practical application through a collaborative marketing planning case study, allowing participants to grapple with real-world scenarios and refine their marketing problem-solving abilities.
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The Greenfield Community College (GCC) nurs-
ing faculty has named Lauren Bell the third Jean Simmons Nursing Faculty Chair. Bell was chosen
for her dedication to the GCC nursing program and her students. The Jean Simmons endowed chair was established in 2013 with a $1 million gift from anonymous donors. It was the first endowed faculty position at a community college in Massachusetts. Since joining the GCC nursing faculty in 2012, Bell has guided faculty through curriculum and program assessments and outcomes, a critical part of state and national accreditation processes, and she has helped her colleagues incorporate the newest style of NCLEX questions in order to better prepare stu- dents for their licensing exams. She has also served on several college committees, including student activities and professional development. She co- teaches the second-year medical-surgical courses and has led the graduating class in organizing
their pinning ceremony. Bell earned her bachelor’s degree at Elmira College and her master of science degree at the University of New Hampshire. In addi- tion to her work with GCC, she is a nurse at Brattle- boro Memorial Hospital in the Progressive Care unit.
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Monson Savings Bank (MSB) recently announced the hiring of Lirianna Powers as assistant branch manager of the Ware Branch located at 136 West Main St. She will assist the branch’s manager and oversee the operation of branch functions. She aims to provide the bank’s
customers with superior customer service and help them find the financial products that best suit their unique needs. Powers comes to Monson Savings Bank with eight years of experience in banking and finance. She previously worked at Florence Bank as a teller operations manager and customer service representative. In this role, she oversaw and man- aged her branch’s teller line, educated team mem-
TOM STEWART
SIOBHAN TRIPP
JOHN FAZZIO
ASHIK MUBARAK
TONY WORDEN
LIRIANNA POWERS
People
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