Faces&Places

November 2007

MVP Health Care announced the appointment of Nelson M. Braslow, M.D., as executive vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer. Braslow has been a medical director for nearly 13 years and has experience with all health plan products. He is board-certified in internal medicine and pulmonary disease.

Vermont Pure announced the promotion of Nate Vincent to route salesman. He will cover routes in St. Albans and surroundings. Greg Penny was hired as a territory sales manager, working from the Williston office.

New England Culinary Institute announced that its food and beverage operations are changing to “better serve students, operate more efficiently, prepare for future growth and continue to provide a high-quality experience for guests.” Two of the college’s five teaching restaurants — Chef’s Table and La Brioche — will undergo changes. Chef’s Table will move from a fine dining, a la carte restaurant to a special event and banquet facility; facility upgrades will be made to La Brioche; and off-site catering will be refocused to limited locations.

Greentree Real Estate announced the addition of Katrina E. Roberts as Realtor. Roberts has a background in marketing, public relations, nonprofit events and community outreach. She was with ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain.

St. Michael’s College announced that Kathy L. Howrigan was named director of the St. Michael’s Fund. Howrigan was with the Dartmouth College Fund from 2002 to 2005, most recently as director, marketing and analysis.

Heather Tremblay, general manager of University Mall and president of the Vermont Retail Association board of directors, announced that R. Tasha Wallis was named executive director of the organization. Wallis served in state government from 1995 to 2007 in the administrations of Gov. Howard Dean and Gov. James Douglas. She held posts as Commissioner of Labor and Industry, Deputy Secretary of Administration, and Commissioner of Buildings and General Services.

Alumna Bonnie Fairbanks has returned to her alma mater as director of human resources at Johnson State College. Fairbanks has 15 years’ experience, most recently with the Institute for Sustainable Communities in Montpelier. She was manager of investor relations at Green Mountain Power Corp. in the 1990s.

Albert St. Amand and Bruce Latelle of Associates in Comprehensive Dental Care announced that Nadia Church has joined the practice. Church recently moved to Vermont after completing her residency in West Virginia.

Ron and Ann Lewis, the owners of Computer Care, an 11-year-old consulting, service and data protection company, announced their first hire, Damon Dubuque of Essex Junction, as service technician/support specialist. Dubuque holds an associate’s degree in computer networking and administration.

Kim Norris was named co-director of the food education every day (FEED) program at Shelburne Farms. Norris will partner with Northeast Organic Farmers Association and FoodWorks of Montpelier to work with schools and communities to raise awareness of healthy food, the role of Vermont farms and farmers and good nutrition. She has a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in ecological systems, and was with the Vermont Department of Education as K-12 coordinator for lifelong learning.

The Vermont Forum on Sprawl has adopted a new name: Smart Growth Vermont. The change was made to more accurately reflect the organization’s evolution from raising public awareness of the issue to providing tools and assistance to communities engaging in smart growth initiatives. The change was announced by John T. Ewing, board chairman.

Ellen Shapiro was named publisher of a new, Champlain Valley edition of Green Living: A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment to serve northwestern and central Vermont. The appointment was announced by Stephen Morris, editor and national publisher. Shapiro is a veteran of the sales departments of The Burlington Free Press and Vermont Woman. Green Living is published quarterly by season and will be distributed at more than 500 locations.

Julie Reville, MS NCC, joined the counseling practice Optima in Burlington. A nationally certified counselor, Reville will provide psychotherapy to the practice’s clients. She was crisis clinician at Howard Center and is a clinical assistant professor in the communication sciences department at the University of Vermont.

The Vermont Folklife Center announced the appointment of Brent Bjorkman as executive director. Bjorkman earned his master of folk studies at Western Kentucky University and was the associate director of the American Folklore Society. He joined the organization as it prepares to celebrate its move to new headquarters at 88 Main St. in Middlebury. The new space includes an expanded, climate-controlled archive to house more than 4,000 hours of interviews collected during the last 23 years. A recording and digitization studio will allow staff to transfer the collection to a digital format, making it more accessible to researchers across the globe.

Gallagher, Flynn & Co. LLP announced the hiring of nine employees. In the audit and accounting practice are staff accountants Katherine L. Andrews, Vanessa L. Bach, Caroline E. Ford, John D. Harris, Ingrid H. Pels and Michael T. Schmalzbach and senior accountant Gregori W. Somoff. In the tax practice are staff accountant Michael R. Weston and paraprofessional Laura L. Buermann.

Miran Gosto joined Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs as a paraprofessional. Miran is working toward an associate’s degree in business at Community College of Vermont. Kathryn C. Baccaglini was hired as firm administrator. She has several years’ experience in business management, including human resources, contract and facilities management, SBA certification and marketing.

Exterus Technology for Business of Shelburne announced that Jay Pilcer was hired as director of sales, VoIP (voice-over Internet protocol). Pilcer has more than 25 years’ experience in sales, business development and customer service, including work in the Internet industry with Fortune 100 companies. Jay Ibaugh was hired as a systems engineer. He is a recent graduate of ITT Technical Institution with a bachelor of information security.

Holiday Inn Rutland/Killington in Rutland announced the appointment of Caryn Casey-Hurka as senior sales manager. Casey-Hurka was with the Killington Grand Hotel for 12 years.

Hampton Direct Inc. announced that Amanda Tatro was promoted to sourcing supervisor. Tatro joined Hampton Direct as an intern through Champlain College and has been with the company since May 2006.

Todd Haas and Ron Kline joined the customer service center at Production Advantage in Williston. Haas has experience as a salesperson, stage technician and house/master electrician, props master, rigger and carpenter. He was with ETC in Wisconsin. Kline has 20 years’ experience, including system engineering and installation, field service and house/master electrician. He owned a rental, service and production company.

Victor Stone was appointed interim director of the online graduate MBA program in the division of business at Champlain College. Stone has 25 years’ experience in various management and senior management roles with International Business Machines. He has been an instructor with the college’s graduate programs since they were instituted.

Judy Tarr, president and CEO of Central Vermont Medical Center, announced that Laura Felsted, D.O., was named program director for the hospitalist physicians at CVMC. Felsted has been an internist with Barre Internal Medicine and had hospitalist experience in Michigan.

Evan Goldsmith, president of Hope for Women, a fair-trade greeting card company in Burlington, announced that Veronica Pinckney Stubbs was named director of sales. The company works with Himalayan artisan women in India, providing livable wages and sustainable employment through the sale of their products.

Paul Frank + Collins announced that Sonya L. Sibold joined the firm’s employment law team. From 2001 to 2007, Sibold practiced law in Clarksburg, W.Va., primarily defending employers in state and federal courts. She also has experience representing the ski industry. Matt Ferrigno joined the insurance practices and litigation teams at the firm. Ferrigno was an associate at a corporate and business law boutique in the Boston area. He is a graduate of Vermont Law School.

Susan McCormack joined the Snelling Center for Government as director of leadership development. She has been on the center’s Vermont Leadership Institute faculty since 1999 and is a graduate of the institute’s class of 2005. She was a program director for the Study Circles Resource Center.

Lang McLaughry Spera announced the addition of Ginger Lambert to its team of sales professionals. Lambert has experience in the real estate market, the hospitality industry and the arts. She works from the firm’s Middlebury office.

Earth Turbines Inc. in Hinesburg announced the addition of Douglas MacDonald to its field technician team. MacDonald has more than 10 years’ experience, having worked for Lucent Technologies and Northern Power Systems.

Shawn Quinn has joined the Champlain Valley Exposition as the full-time assistant director of special events. He will work with Tom Oddy, director of special events, to develop new business and sponsorships. He was director of sales for the Vermont Lake Monsters.

Gerianne Smart of Smart Communications Inc. advertising sales and marketing firm in Vergennes announced the addition of Tom Shampnois to her sales team. Shampnois has more than 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. He was director of sales and marketing for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

The law offices of Fred V. Peet PC in South Burlington announced that Karen E. Eddy has become associated with the firm as a real estate paralegal. •