Faces&Places

April 2000

Karri Benoit was hired as office manager of SoVerNet's Burlington office. Benoit is a graduate of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. Paul Ruderman joined the engineering team. Ruderman graduated from the University of Vermont. Aaron Sprigg was promoted to assistant support team leader. Sprigg graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1999 and has worked for the company throughout his college years, moving to full-time following graduation. Josh Cantrell, a UVM graduate, joined the sales department. Matthew Clark, a graduate of Middlebury College, joined the customer support call center staff. SoVerNet is based in Bellows Falls.

Denise L. Collins, CPCU, was hired as commercial lines underwriting supervisor for the Vermont Mutual Group, Vermont Mutual Insurance Co., Northern Security Insurance Co. Inc., and Granite Mutual Insurance Co. Collins has more than 11 years of insurance experience. John Collins joined Vermont Mutual Group as property claims supervisor. He was the New England regional account executive at GAB Robbins. Gale M. Shepard joined as an auto claims supervisor. Shepard was a liability unit manager at The Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Co. Jim L. Feltham was promoted to claims supervisor after four years as a staff field adjuster in the group's Natick, Mass., office.

Tina Lauffer joined Jager Di Paola Kemp Design in Burlington. She is responsible for all accounts with broadcast, Web and motion graphics elements. Lauffer was senior designer/ design director at The Attik Design's New York studio. Cody Hudson returns to the company after a two-year hiatus. Hudson has more than eight years of design experience. Dana Sacks has become a digital production specialist. Sacks was production manager at The Garlic Press in Williston. Amelia Hoisington has become a digital production assistant. Hoisington was a designer at South & Hickory Concept & Design in Rochester, N.Y. Jesse Loomis joins the company as a photography/Web coordinator. Loomis was associate photo editor at Transworld Snowboarding magazine. Nita Costa was hired as an administrative assistant. Costa owned a bookkeeping firm in Stowe.

J. Michael Wilmott became account manager at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont in Montpelier. Wilmott has more than eight years' experience in the health insurance industry.

Mike Armstrong joined the Colchester office of RE/MAX North Professionals. Armstrong has been licensed for 30 years.

Lisa Hughes was hired as staff accountant at Grippin, Donlan & Roche, PLC in Shelburne. Hughes is continuing her education at Champlain College.

New England Air Systems Inc. in Williston promoted Heather Smith to supervisor of the operations support area. Smith worked in the shipping and receiving department. Ray Keller has become building automation manager. Keller worked as a senior facilities engineer at UNUM in Maine. Robert Whalen was hired as project manager for the company's new insulation division. Whalen was a field service representative for Velan Valve.

Mary Hopkins was appointed director of health services at Wake Robin Corp. in Shelburne. Hopkins served as an administrator at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio.

Sally O'Reilly Kieny became account executive at Marketing Partners Inc. in Burlington. She was marketing manager for the Burlington Electric Department for more than a decade.

Jager Di Paola Kemp Design in Burlington named Samantha Stapleton human resources director. Stapleton was human resources director at a hotel resort in Aspen, Colo. Garin Frost was hired as operations manager. Frost owned prepress company Frost & Company in Foster City, Calif. Yvonne Zietlow joined as an account manager. Zietlow was an account executive with Scott Design Communications in Philadelphia, Pa. Gregory Stranz joined as an assistant account manager. Stranz graduated from the University of Vermont.

Candace Pettinelli joined the Hampton Inn & Conference Center in Colchester as director of sales. Pettinelli has experience in hotel sales, marketing and management.

Milia Bell became assistant director for donor relations at Saint Michael's College in Colchester. Bell was with Paul Kaza Associates in South Burlington.

Kathryn Lorraine was named director of alumni affairs at Trinity College of Vermont in Burlington. Lorraine was a commercial account representative at Burlington Electric Department for several years.

Brenda L. Fodor joined Purple Elephant Promotions in Essex Junction as accounting coordinator. Fodor's experience includes 19 years with Pizzagalli Construction Co. Lisa McGuire has become administrative assistant, sales and marketing. McGuire was insurance manager and clinical assistant to Dr. Bradley J. Weiss, DC. Mary Jo Kaszubowski was hired as a customer service representative and graphic artist. Kaszubowski was a tape and film editor at WUTV-TV in Grand Island, N.Y. Susan Gordon became a sales representative. Gordon has several years of trophy shop experience.

Margaret Carver and Charles Thackara joined RE/MAX Preferred in South Burlington. Both have local real estate experience.

Blake C. Jensen became senior vice president and chief information officer at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington. Jensen was assistant vice president, information systems, at Intermountain Health Care in Salt Lake City, Utah.

JMM & Associates, CPAs in Burlington hired Lisa A. Ellsworth as an audit manager. Ellsworth was with a CPA firm in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Susan Belknap joined Truex Cullins & Partners Architects in Burlington as accounting assistant. Belknap was with Bristol Elementary School. Lincoln Brown and Marc Dowling have joined the firm. Brown worked with the office of Richard Rigolo in Clifton, N.J. Dowling was with B-Five Studio in Philadelphia, Pa. Edward Pais, who was an architectural intern/designer at the Atlantis Group in Newton, Mass., was hired. Rolf Kielman was appointed president. Kielman, Bill Truex and Tom Cullins are partners in the firm.

Douglas J. Wacek was promoted from senior vice president and chief financial officer to executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Union Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and New England Guaranty Insurance Co. Inc. in Montpelier. Ian B. Chisholm was promoted from director of development and assistant vice president to vice president of underwriting. Bradley S. Keysar was promoted to assistant vice president of information systems. Keysar has held various positions in the information systems department since 1990.

John Coleman was promoted to property manager at Coburn & Feeley Property Management Inc. in Burlington. He manages Maples Senior Living Community in Rutland.

Tim McKenzie was hired as director of business development by Technology Park Partners in South Burlington. McKenzie has a background in real estate and economic development.

Lara Broadwell joined Response Marketing Group in Burlington as business analyst. Broadwell ran the Commercial Center for the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia.

Nancy Barnett appointed Gary T. Causer head of studio operations at Fresco Studio in Burlington and Catharine A. Balco development consultant. Causer has been with the company since 1998; Balco has three years' tenure with the business.

Richard Lewis was named regional executive for communications for the northwestern New England region of the American Cancer Society in Montpelier. Lewis has more than 15 years of public, community and government relations experience.

Elizabeth Kapner was promoted to sales administrator at Merchants Bank in South Burlington. Kapner was a customer service representative in the bank's customer call center.

Timothy Clayton joined Delux Design Associates in Burlington as senior designer. Clayton was with Select Design in Burlington.

K. Thomas Hartshorn has become a registered representative for New England Financial working out of Hackett Valine & MacDonald Inc. in South Burlington. Yankee Captive Management Inc. announced Allan G. Drost joined the company as account manager.

Fothergill Segale & Valley Certified Public Accountants in Montpelier announced Teresa Kajenski, CPA, and Jane Burroughs, CPA, have joined in ownership of the firm. Kajenski has been with the company since 1991; Burroughs joined in 1995.

Scott E. Pardee joined the faculty of the economics department at Middlebury College. Pardee was executive director of the Finance Research Center at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management.

Reagan Askersten has become broadcast specialist at Jager Di Paola Kemp Design in Burlington. Askersten was an art director at Signal to Noise magazine. Tevis Houston has become a 3-D/interactive designer. Houston was with Dezignation Design Associates in Montreal. Kyle Nelson was hired as a designer. Nelson graduated from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Christopher J. Gold, CPA, became senior accountant at Grippin, Donlan & Roche, PLC in South Burlington. Gold helped form the northern New England chapter of the ALS Association.

Paul Hansen joined Response Marketing Group in Burlington as webmaster. Hansen was new media director for PostScript Inc. in Burlington.

Ellen Waite was promoted to vice president/CFO at Paul Kaza Associates Inc. in South Burlington. Waite was controller for 10 years. Jennifer Rossetti was named account coordinator. Rossetti worked in a similar position with Wickersham, Hunt and Schwantner in Boston. Lisa Cenci was appointed public relations account executive. She was with Backhill, a division of Burton. Kel Munger was hired as public relations account coordinator.

Owner Joel Bradley has moved Michael's Frame Game from University Mall to 1203 Williston Road, South Burlington. The custom framing company, previously known as Frame Game, has been in business for more than 20 years. It also operates stores in the Burlington Square Mall and Champlain Centres North, Plattsburgh, N.Y. Joe Jacobson is manager. (802) 863-3099.