The board of directors of Big Y Foods, Inc. has announced the appointment of Christian P. D’Amour as district director for 16 markets throughout Connecticut. His responsibilities include staffing, training and development, operational execution, sales strategies and results.
D’Amour began his career at Big Y at the age of 14 as a part-time service clerk. After college, he was a sales and marketing representative for an insurance company based in Providence, R.I. He rejoined Big Y as a store director trainee in 2014. One year later, he was appointed assistant store director in Wilbraham. In 2016, he was promoted to store director in Southampton. He next went on to manage the Wilbraham market before being tapped as store manager at Table & Vine’s flagship location in West Springfield. In 2019, he was appointed a district sales and merchandising mentor for Big Y’s 15-store district throughout Western Massachusetts. He also continued to oversee the operations of the company’s Table & Vine flagship. He most recently directed the company’s e-commerce platform.
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Springfield Technical Community College appointed Karen-Louise (Rucks) Walker as assistant vice president of advancement and executive director to the STCC Foundation.
A native of Springfield and a product of Springfield Public Schools, Walker began her appointment at STCC on Dec. 4. She will be responsible for managing all aspects of STCC’s fundraising, philanthropy, alumni relations and Foundation-supported work, including overseeing communications and branding functions.
Walker most recently served as vice president for advancement at Alliance University in New York City. She previously served as Vice President of Development at Ascentria Care Alliance — a nonprofit agency serving Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut.
Walker previously served as executive director of advancement at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester.
Her professional experience also includes serving as vice president of programs for the MLK Jr. Family Services, a nonprofit social service agency supporting families and children throughout Western Massachusetts, the executive director of the Council of Churches of Greater Springfield and assistant EEO administrator for the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services. She serves on various boards in Western and Central Massachusetts.
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Western New England University announces the appointment of Raymond J. Ostendorf, associate professor of education, to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s MCAS Bias and Sensitivity Committee.
The MCAS Assessment Development Committees and MCAS Bias and Sensitivity Committee are integral to the development and evaluation of MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) test questions and materials, consists of more than 250 educators from Massachusetts public schools organized into 20 committees. The BSC focuses on identifying and addressing potential biases and sensitivity issues within test questions and passages.
The committee, comprised of about 25 educators including Ostendorf, ensures that questions are free from biases related to age, culture, ethnicity, gender, geography, languages spoken, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
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Baystate Health announces that Dr. Seth Gemme has been named the new chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. Upon approval by the provost and dean, he will also serve as the chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate. Gemme has most recently served as the vice chair of clinical operations for the Baystate Health Department of Emergency Medicine.
Gemme earned his M.D. degree from the University of Buffalo prior to completing his residency training in emergency medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, R.I. Gemme joined the Department of Emergency Medicine at Baystate Health in 2017. Positions he has held since then include associate chief and education director, Emergency Department at Baystate Noble Hospital; chief, Emergency Department at Baystate Wing Hospital; system vice chair of clinical operations for emergency medicine at Baystate Health; and as a member of the Board of Baystate Medical Practices.
Gemme has earned several awards, including the President’s Excellence Award in 2022 at Baystate Health. He has continued to serve for more than a decade as a member of the Clinical Policy Committee of the American College of Emergency Physicians contributing to the development of national consensus guidelines in emergency medicine.
Gemme will start in this new role in early January. Dr. Niels Rathlev, who has held the position of chair, department of emergency medicine, Baystate Health, for the past 15 years, will be staying on as a faculty member in the department.
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Conval, a global manufacturer of severe service valves, recently announced the appointment of Andrea Bedard as human resources manager.
A resident of Springfield, Bedard grew up in Moodus, Connecticut, graduating from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. Her human resources career has included stints at TTM Technologies, Health New England, E Ink Corporation, KBE Building Corp. and Paychex.
Founded in 1967, Conval moved to its new 72,000-square-foot, advanced manufacturing center in Enfield in 2018.
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Robert Gilbert Jr. has retired from the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees.
After serving as a trustee for 12 years, including the last eight as chair, the West Springfield resident and retired chairman of Dowd Insurance Agencies of Holyoke retired after presiding over his last board meeting on Nov. 28.
Gilbert was appointed to the board in April 2011 by Gov. Deval Patrick, serving in various capacities, including chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Finance Committee. In October 2015, Gov. Charlie Baker named him as board chair, succeeding Helen Caulton-Harris, commissioner of the Springfield Department of Health and Human Services.
In his eight years as chair, Gilbert served alongside three HCC presidents: William Messner, who retired in 2016, Christina Royal, who retired in July, and George Timmons, HCC’s fifth and current president.
Making a surprise appearance at Gilbert’s last meeting was Royal, who praised him for his stewardship of the college.
Timmons presented Gilbert with a chair emblazoned with the Holyoke Community College seal.
Until Gov. Maura T. Healey names a successor, trustee Vanessa Smith will serve as interim chair.
