Page 46 - BusinessWest September 4, 2023

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE>>
The African Hall Committee
of the Springfield Museums announced the recipients of
the 2023 Ubora Award and Ahadi Youth Award. Lisa Green, a distinguished professor at UMass Amherst, is this year’s Ubora Award recipient, and Catherine Thompson, a 2023 graduate of Springfield Central High School who is headed to Johns Hopkins University, was chosen for the Ahadi Youth Award. Named for the Swahili word meaning ‘excellence,’ the Ubora Award has been awarded annually since 1992 to an African-American adult who has
demonstrated a commitment to Greater Springfield and has exhibited excellence in the fields of com- munity service, education, science, humanities, or the arts. Green is an expert in syntax and African- American English (AAE). She founded the Center for the Study of African American Language at UMass in 2006 and has directed it ever since. She is also the author of two books and is working on a third. She is an active volunteer and mentor with the Greater Springfield Chapter of Links Inc., the Western Mas- sachusetts Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, and the Xi Xi Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. And since 1996, she has been running a children’s summer reading program that she started at a church in her hometown of Lake Arthur, La.
The Ahadi Youth Award has been given since 2009 to an African-American student (age 19 or younger) who embodies the Swahili word for ‘promise’ and excels both in academics and service to the Greater Springfield community. An outstanding student who graduated sixth in her class, Thompson is passion- ate about community service, especially with regard to social justice. For instance, at the Pioneer Valley Project, she worked on getting teens to pre-register to vote; as a teen-advocacy board member for Girls Inc. of the Valley, she attempted to increase aware- ness of racial justice, mental health, equal rights, and sexual- and domestic-violence issues. She was also actively involved in myriad clubs and organiza- tions throughout high school, including the Key Club, the National Honor Society, student govern- ment, and the varsity tennis and soccer teams.
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Elms College has named Luk- man Arsalan its new vice presi- dent of Enrollment Management and Marketing, effective Aug. 14. In this role, Arsalan will become a member of the president’s cabinet. Arsalan joined Elms College following his most recent appointment as the dean
of Admissions and Financial Aid at King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan. Prior to that, he served as dean of Admission at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania and director of Global Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. He brings a wealth of experience in higher educa- tion to this leadership role at Elms and will lead
the college’s strategic efforts to attract outstand- ing students from Massachusetts, New England, and beyond. At King’s Academy, Arsalan achieved record-breaking application numbers and success- fully launched a national campaign to attract tal- ented students. During his tenure at Trinity College, he built a reputation for his dedication to providing a student-success ecosystem, while significantly
increasing the college’s international applications, net revenue, and global brand recognition.
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Legacy Counsellors, P.C. recently welcomed its
newest associate attorney, Heather Iampietro. She focuses her practice on real-estate transactions and estate planning. Iampietro received her juris doctor- ate from Western New England University School of Law in 2021 as a part-time student, while working full time in commercial and residential real estate as a paralegal at local firms. As a paralegal, she gained experience in all aspects of the real-estate process from inception through closing. She received her bachelor’s degree in legal studies and a certificate of advanced paralegal studies from Bay Path University in 2016.
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Greenfield Community Col- lege’s Information Technology team has new leadership with the addition of Antoine Har- rison as vice president of Infor- mation Technology. Harrison brings more than 25 years of experience in information tech- nology to the campus, including
more than 14 years leading IT efforts within educa- tion. Harrison joins GCC at a time when numerous large projects are either underway or will soon be at the college to improve student and employee experience, including implementation of GCC’s first-ever CRM, upgrading the college’s enterprise systems, strengthening GCC’s cyber network secu- rity, and instituting an identity-management system. Harrison came most recently from Worcester Poly- technic Institute where he served as the institution’s deputy chief information officer. While there, he led critical technology areas and provided key guid- ance to senior leadership on enterprise applications, data-analytics infrastructure, integrations, busi- ness intelligence, web development, and project management. Previously, he has also contributed
to infrastructure and technology projects in a vari- ety of disciplines, including higher education, K-12 education, government, and private industry. He has also been recognized nationally for his innovative work, including being featured in industry magazine Toggle as one of the country’s top innovative CIOs.
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Elms College named Julie Beck its new dean of the School of Nursing (SON). Beck joins Elms from Wilson College in Cham- bersburg, Pa., where she recent- ly served as director of Nursing and Health Sciences. The author of the book The Meaning of Voice to Experienced Nurses in
Magnet Hospitals, Beck has more than 20 years of higher-education experience in nursing and holds
a doctoral degree in adult education from Penn State University. She also holds an MSN in nursing education from Villanova University and a BSN from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. Beck will be a key member of Elms’ leadership, bringing a new strategy and vision that will reinforce the strengths of the School of Nursing.
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Springfield Thunderbirds General Manager Kevin
Maxwell announced that Jeff Jordan has been pro- moted to manager of Hockey Operations. Previous- ly the Thunderbirds’ video coach and Team Services coordinator, Jordan will continue his work with the coaching staff in the video department during the 2023-24 season. Jordan joined the St. Louis Blues’
AHL affiliate in 2019 when he was hired by the San Antonio Rampage as the team’s video coach. Before starting his professional career, he served as an assistant coach with the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
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Bulkley Richardson recently welcomed Jennifer
Santucci to the firm as an associate in the Real Estate department. She will work with clients on drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agree- ments; reviewing and analyzing sales contracts, LLC/corporate documents, trust documentation, and title commitments; and preparing for and conducting closings. Her experience also includes real-estate financing, including representing vari- ous lenders in commercial real-estate transactions, and preparation of loan agreements and other loan documents on behalf of lenders. Santucci earned a juris doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 2014 and a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in criminal studies from Johnson & Wales University in 2009.
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Greenfield Cooperative Bank (GCB) announced that Jane Wolfe, executive vice president of Residential Lending, success- fully completed the inaugural American Bankers Assoc. (ABA) Wharton Leadership Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an ABA Wharton Execu-
tive Leadership Certificate, a prestigious credential that demonstrates her excellence in leadership and strategic planning. Wolfe is a valuable member of GCB’s senior leadership team and a leader in the residential-lending industry, with more than 20 years of experience providing service and solutions to the bank’s customers and partners.
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The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke
announced that its 71st grand marshal is Mary Lynch, a Holyoke native and 34-year member of the St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke. The grand mar- shal of the annual parade is the committee’s highest local honor given to a person who has distinguished themselves as a loyal person to their career, family, and Irish ancestry. Lynch is a graduate of Holyoke Catholic High School, Holyoke Community Col- lege, and Westfield State College, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She retired in 2017 as a long-time professor of Early Childhood Education at Holyoke Community Col- lege. She also served on several boards, including the Greater Holyoke YMCA and the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England. She was honored in 2010 with the Oldershaw Award from the Greater Holyoke YMCA, which is its highest honor given to an individual who has made significant volunteer contributions to the Greater Holyoke community. “Auntie Mary,” as she’s known to many on the com- mittee, has held many important roles, including chair of the JFK and Memorial Mass, Grand Mar- shal’s Reception, Coronation Ball, and Awards Din- ner. She has also served on the program book and tartan committees, parade coordination, and the board of directors. She was honored with the Rohan Award in 1996 and was a member of the Grand Col- leen Court in 1970.
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Florence Bank recently presented its 2023 Com-
munity Support Award to Tim Deshaies, director of Retail Operations at the bank. The award was estab- lished by the bank in 1997 as a means of formally recognizing employees who are active in the com-
LISA GREEN
CATHERINE THOMPSON
ANTOINE HARRISON
JANE WOLFE
JULIE BECK
LUKMAN ARSALAN
46 SEPTEMBER 4, 2023
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