Page 44 - BusinessWest June 17, 2024

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE>>
The Women’s Fund of West- ern Massachusetts recently appointed Vanessa Pabón- Hernandez CEO of the philan- thropic organization, effective June 17. A native of Springfield’s North End and a driven, long- time mentor of women and champion for social change
and empowerment, Pabón-Hernandez succeeds Donna Haghighat in the key role for the nonprofit. Throughout her 25-year career, Pabón-Hernandez has supported women and Latinx community mem- bers, first as a marketing strategist in business for herself and later in roles that include program direc- tor for the YMCA North End Youth Center, founder of a community-based digital storytelling center, and executive producer at New England Public Media, a role she left in early June after 14 years
to accept the CEO position at the Women’s Fund. Pabón-Hernandez has experience as a program developer, grant writer, mentor, facilitator, con- sensus builder, and storyteller. Inspired by a strong, independent mother who helped facilitate her path, she defied the odds several decades ago as a young, single mother, earning two associate degrees at Springfield Technical Community College before launching her own business as a marketing strate- gist for political candidates and area businesspeo- ple. She mastered the art of storytelling to advance social change, entered the nonprofit sector, and, over 25 years, led and founded innovative programs in marginalized communities that have allowed thousands of individuals to access resources, lever- age their strengths, and drive their own career paths. She has received the Unsung Heroine award from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and was named to BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty. She was also the grand marshal for the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade.
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James Hagan, president and CEO of Westfield Bank, announced that Kenneth Askins has been appointed to the role of mortgage loan officer. He is responsible for the Connecticut towns of Granby, Bloomfield, West Hartford, and surrounding communities, and will be based
out of the bank’s 12 East Granby Road location in Granby, Conn.
Askins will develop and maintain business relation- ships with prospective home buyers, Realtors, build- ers, and colleagues. He has 23 years of experience in the mortgage industry, working as a mortgage loan officer at local competitive banks prior to join- ing Westfield Bank. He has been recognized as a top performer multiple times throughout his career.
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MassMutual announced that accomplished cyber-
security executive and veteran Eric Boateng has been named head of Enterprise Cyber Security. In this role, he will be responsible for leading the com- pany’s cybersecurity and cyber risk-management strategies and safeguarding MassMutual’s informa- tion assets. Boateng most recently served as vice president of Cyber Security, Technology & Resilien- cy Risk Oversight for American Express. In this role, he developed and implemented the technology risk-management program strategy that included cybersecurity and risk management, while providing effective oversight and credible challenge to Ameri- can Express’s information-security and technology activities. Prior to that, he held various information
and cybersecurity roles of increasing responsibil- ity at New York eHealth Collaborative, Roundpoint Mortgage, Georgia Department of Human Services, and Lockheed Martin. Prior to his career in the pri- vate sector, Boateng served two decades as an offi- cer in the U.S. Navy, where he managed multiple IT initiatives and programs, employing industry infor- mation security risk-management frameworks and best practices for the U.S. Department of Defense. He earned a bachelor’s degree in information tech- nology from the University of Central Florida, a master’s degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in informa- tion technology from Carnegie Mellon University, and a professional degree as a computer systems engineer from Columbia University.
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Elms College named higher- education executive Joyce Hampton its new vice president of Academic Affairs following an extensive search. Report- ing directly to President Harry Dumay, Hampton is responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the college’s
academic affairs. Her appointment is effective June 3. For 34 years, Hampton has worked at Elms Col- lege, where she has progressively risen through
the academic ranks as assistant professor, associ- ate professor, and full professor. She has served as director of English as a Second Language and Inter- national Programs, associate academic dean, dean of Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, and most recently, associate vice president for Strategic Initiatives and dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, and Professional Programs. She holds both a doc- toral degree and master’s degree in education from UMass Amherst and a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas.
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Berkshire Bank announced that Cathy Velez has joined the bank as managing director of Retail Banking and Deposit Operations. As a senior leader, she will oversee the bank’s financial-center network, retail sales and service delivery, and branch operations. She will also
direct the execution of the retail banking strategy
to drive short- and long-term growth, business-line initiatives, and major divisional projects. Velez joins Berkshire Bank with more than 25 years of extensive experience in banking. Most recently, she served in multiple senior retail and private banking roles for Webster Bank.
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Sandri Energy announced the appointment of
Leslie Cernak as vice president of Operations, overseeing the Heating Fuels, Commercial Fuels, and Mechanical Services divisions. With more than 36 years of experience in the fuel-oil and propane industry, Cernak brings considerable expertise to the team. Previously, she served as vice president and treasurer at Cernak Fuel Corp. in Easthampton until its acquisition by HOP Energy LLC in 2018, where she continued to contribute in compliance and legal support roles. Cernak remains deeply engaged in industry affairs and currently holds the position of events chairperson on the executive board of directors for the National Energy and Fuels Institute. She recently earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law for legal studies in energy and natural resource
law. Sandri Energy also announced the promotion of Rudy Herzig to manager of HVAC, Plumbing, Sales, and Service. Herzig started with Sandri in 2003, became a licensed oil burner technician in 2004, and quickly advanced to the position of lead installer. He excels with troubleshooting heating and cooling system issues, and he takes pride in providing quality service for Sandri customers. For the past several years, he has been in a service man- ager support role, gaining management experience. He looks forward to growing professionally with his new role and guiding Sandri’s service department with exceptional customer service.
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bankESB recently promoted Melissa LaBonte to assistant vice president, Core Systems. LaBonte has 23 years of banking experience. She was promoted to Core Systems manager in 2018 and promoted to Core Systems officer in 2021. She joined the bank in 2001 as a tell-
er, and over the past two decades has held a variety of roles in the Collections, Finance, and Strategic Projects departments. She has an associate degree in business administration and accounting from Holyoke Community College and earned a project management diploma from the Center for Financial Training.
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MountainOne announced that Seth Shepard has been pro- moted to financial advisor. In this role, Shepard determines
a client’s financial objectives, offers strategic advice on prod- ucts and services to meet cli- ent goals, and manages client assets through portfolio design
and retirement solutions. His focus is on asset man- agement, portfolio management, retirement plan- ning, and college-education planning. Shepard has been with MountainOne Investments since 2022, most recently as a paraplanner. He is a member of MountainOne’s communications committee and previously served on the MountainOne 175th cel- ebration committee. Prior to joining MountainOne Investments, he was an account manager with Girardi Distributors in Pittsfield and a football coach at Mount Ida College in Newton. He holds a bach- elor’s degree in coaching and event operations from Johnson & Wales University.
from Eversource Foundation
PITTSFIELD — Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont announced it has received a grant of $1,200 from the Eversource Foundation for its Soar for Success program. In the last year, Goodwill’s Soar for Success program served 53 individuals with job coaching and other services, while providing 1,168 vouchers for clothing and household items to individuals in need. Goodwill’s Soar for Success job-training program focuses
on teaching essential employment skills, provides interview and work-appropriate clothing, and helps community members secure meaningful work. The program is offered free of charge to all Berkshire County residents.
VANESSAPABÓN-HERNANDEZ
MELISSA LABONTE
JOYCE HAMPTON
SETH SHEPARD
KENNETH ASKINS
CATHY VELEZ
44 JUNE 24, 2024
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