Page 81 - BusinessWest September 19, 2022

has an advanced education in environmental health and safety, receiving a master’d degree in industrial hygiene from UMass Lowell and a doctor of law and policy degree in occupational safety from Northeast- ern University. Additionally, he continues his edu- cation on the latest policies and practices by active involvement in the American Society of Safety Pro- fessionals, the American Industrial Hygiene Assoc., and the National Safety Council. Smith has been an active participant and change leader on corporate boards and worked with global industry groups to develop integrated safety and health-management frameworks. He has published multiple peer- reviewed articles addressing safety integration, adult education, and hazards assessment, and continues to perform original research.
•••••
The office of Institutional Advancement at Holyoke Community College (HCC) recently welcomed John Sier- acki as its first leadership gift officer and manager of cam- paign initiatives. Sieracki joins HCC after nearly 19 years
at Mass Humanities, where he started in 2003 as direc-
tor of Development. In that role, he built a multi- faceted Development office from scratch that now has a thriving major donor program, a robust and engaged volunteer group, a prestigious awards din- ner, and multi-platform annual appeals. He also managed a portfolio of major gift prospects resulting in five- and six-figure donations and oversaw capital campaign planning. Prior to that, he served as direc- tor of Development for the Northern Forest Center and Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust. His 30-year career also includes stints in development at Landmark College, New York Law School, New York Academy of Sciences, and Children of Alcoholics Foundation. He has also been active in the Western Mass. community as a volunteer, serving as a board member and president of the Amherst Committee for a Better Chance program, and treasurer of Blues to Green, producer of the annual Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival. In his new role, Sieracki will manage
a portfolio of donors and prospects and seek new major gifts and deeper philanthropic relationships. He will also manage and support the efforts of HCC’s capital-campaign steering committee, work closely with the college’s board of trustees and HCC Founda- tion’s board of directors on fundraising involvement, and organize and lead other campaign-related initia- tives. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in fine arts in creative writing and poetry from UMass Amherst, where he received the Best New Poets Award from the Department of English.
•••••
Bacon Wilson, P.C. announced that eight of its attor- neys have been named to Best Lawyers in America for
2023. They are: Kenneth Albano, recognized in the category of business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships); Gary Breton, banking and finance law; Gina Barry, elder law; Hyman Darling, elder law; Mark Tanner, litigation – real estate; Michael Katz, bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insol- vency and reorganization law; Peter MacConnell, real-estate law; and Stephen Krevalin, family law. Daniel McKellick was also recognized in Best Law- yers’ Ones to Watch in America for his work in real- estate law. The firm was also recognized in Best Law- yers’ Best Law Firms in U.S. News & World Report. The firm is regionally ranked in tier 1 in banking and finance law, tier 2 in business organizations (includ- ing LLCs and partnerships), tier 2 in elder law, and tier 2 in family law.
•••••
Bulkley Richardson partners Mark Cress and John
Pucci were named 2023 Lawyer of the Year in their respective practice areas by Best Lawyers, in partner- ship with U.S. News Media Group. Cress was named the 2023 Lawyer of the Year for bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganiza- tion law and was also recognized in 2022 as Lawyer of the Year for his work in the area of corporate law. He leads the firm’s banking, finance, and bankruptcy practice group and has significant experience rep- resenting banks and other financial institutions, for-profit and not-for-profit entities, and individual clients in connection with all forms of financing
and business transactions. He also represents par- ties in creditor-debtor relationships and appears on behalf of creditor parties in proceedings before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Pucci was named the 2023 Lawyer of the Year for white-collar criminal defense and has held that title for 10 of the past 13 years for his success as a litigator. He co-chairs the firm’s inde- pendent investigations practice and represents indi- viduals and companies in complex civil and criminal litigation of all kinds in both state and federal court, as well as in responding to government investiga- tions and in conducting corporate internal investi- gations. He has particular experience in the areas of white-collar criminal defense and state and federal regulatory agency matters. Lawyer of the Year rank- ings are awarded to one lawyer per practice area and region. Honorees receive this award based on their high overall peer feedback within specific practice areas and metropolitan regions.
•••••
Flying Cloud Institute (FCI) has hired Angela Parker
as a science and art educator. In this role, she will lead the summer program, vacation camps, class- room residencies, and family STEAM challenge events, and work with the FCI team to inspire the next generation of artists and engineers. She brings multifaceted K-12 educational experiences to the organization as it continues to partner with local school districts to bring meaningful experiences to students. Parker’s past experience includes initiat- ing a multi-site STEAM museum program for the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in collabora- tion with the Connecticut Science Center. She also launched a tour titled “STEAM: Sketch Like a Scien- tist!” that drew connections between the skills used by artists and scientists. While at the Visual Arts Cen- ter of Richmond, Va., she worked with teaching art- ists to plan school tours that incorporated studio art activities, ranging from bookmaking to ceramics. As a classroom teacher at St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, she created interdisciplinary learning experiences for K-12 students, and at Capital and Asnuntuck com- munity colleges, she trained and supported adult students.
•••••
Berkshire Bank announced the promotion of Nicole Skelly to first vice president, regional financial center manager for the Pioneer Valley in Massa- chusetts. She will manage the daily operations of financial centers in the Pioneer Valley, which includes Springfield and surrounding towns. Skelly
brings more than 25 years of banking experience to her new role at Berkshire Bank. Most recently, she was vice president and senior branch officer of the Springfield offices, which include multiple sites at Berkshire Bank. Before joining Berkshire, she was a personal banker for United Bank. Outside of work, Skelly is a 2014 Graduate of Leadership Pioneer Val- ley, where she learned how to address the challenges
and opportunities of this region. She also volunteers at events such as the Springfield Pride Parade, the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, and the Irish Cultur- al Center of New England.
•••••
Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Coopera- tive Bank and its Northampton Cooperative Bank division, announced that Jeremy Payson has joined the bank as the new senior vice president – control- ler, based out of its King Street, Northampton location. Payson comes to Greenfield Coopera-
tive Bank with many years of financial-planning and analysis experience, most recently with Northern Bank and Berkshire Bank, and was previously the treasurer for Big Y Foods Inc. He holds an MBA from Western New England University.
•••••
The Peace Development Fund announced the
addition of two new foundation associates, Sophia Trifone and Sonya Epstein, in its Amherst office. Trifone will oversee the organization’s communica- tion work, including social media, newsletters, press outreach, and annual publications. Epstein will be focused on donor data management, ensuring accu- rate accounting of donations, grant requests, and support for fiscally sponsored organizations. After earning her associate degree from Holyoke Commu- nity College, Trifone began her career with a promi- nent local nonprofit focusing on arts and culture in Holyoke’s Puerto Rican cultural district. In her time there, she notably fundraised for signature events and projects, hosted walking tours of the city’s art- work, collaborated with other community organiza- tions, and aided in weekly food distribution. Epstein is a community organizer who has been deeply involved with student activism around restorative justice, free public higher education, and LGBTQ lib- eration for many years. They are an immigrant from Belarus and studied social thought & political econo- my and sociology at UMass Amherst.
•••••
Eggtooth Productions
announced that board member and frequent collaborator John Bechtold has been appointed to the role of creative direc-
tor for the company. Working closely with founder and Artis- tic Director Linda McInerney, Bechtold’s role will be to help guide the creative vision for
Eggtooth’s original works. Following award-winning experiences at Eggtooth’s Double Take Fringe Festi- vals in 2011-2013, Bechtold’s first full-length produc- tion with Eggtooth came in 2016 with an immersive version of William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, taking over the entirety of the then-vacant Arts
Block (now Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center) in downtown Greenfield. With an emphasis on site- inspired design, he has been dubbed the “Valley’s genius of immersive theater” by the Valley Advocate, with a list of immersive works including Sam’s Place (Shea Theater), Stagehand (Shea Theater and Acad- emy of Music), Before You Became Improbable (Emily Dickinson Museum), and Gem of the Valley (Chester Theatre).
JEREMY PAYSON
JOHN SIERACKI
JOHN BECHTOLD
NICOLE SKELLY
BusinessWest
DEPARTMENTS
SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 81