The law firm of Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan and Blakesley in Springfield announces the appointment of Amara Barbiero as an associate attorney.
Barbiero graduated from Quinnipiac University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting prior to obtaining her Juris Doctor degree from Western New England University School of Law. As a law student, she was awarded the CALI Award in Workers’ Compensation, given to the highest scoring student in each law school class. She also worked as a clinician for the WNEU Small Business Clinic in Springfield.
She spent four years working as a legal assistant in Connecticut before joining the firm as a law clerk in 2021.
Barbiero is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and awaits her admission to the bars of Connecticut and New Jersey.
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Bacon Wilson in Springfield announces that one of the firm’s attorneys has been promoted.
David A. Lavenburg has been named a shareholder as of Jan. 1. Since joining the firm in November 2020, he has focused on loan recovery, loan workouts, collection matters, restructuring, debt repayments, and bankruptcy.
Lavenburg received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, and his J.D. from the Capital University of Law School in Columbus, Ohio.
He has over 32 years of litigation experience and chairs the Creditor’s Rights, Collections and Bankruptcy Practice Group at Bacon Wilson. Lavenburg is admitted to practice in both the Massachusetts and Connecticut state courts and in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts and Connecticut.
In the firm’s probate department, he supports the litigation needs in cases involving contests, breaches of fiduciary duty, lack of capacity, and undue influence claims. In the commercial and corporate department, he represents the firm’s clients in partnership disputes, commercial litigation, general business litigation and commercial lease disputes. Lavenburg has also been the chairman of the Longmeadow Zoning Board of Appeals since 2006.
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The Loomis Communities, provider of senior living in the Pioneer Valley, has announced a new resident member of its Board of Directors, Sanford Belden. Belden has resided at Loomis Village in South Hadley with this wife since 2018.
Belden retired in 2006 as the CEO of Community Bank System, headquartered in Syracuse, New York, with 225 bank branches and a variety of other financial service businesses in four states. He has previously served as a senior executive in New York City at a large international bank; at a major national bank headquartered in Minneapolis; and with the Farm Credit Banks, a government-sponsored entity.
Belden has served on more than 30 governance boards for for-profit and not-for-profit entities throughout the U.S., including on the Board of Governors of the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. Locally, Belden has served as a board member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra; Smith College; Kestrel Land Trust; and Center for Eco-Technology. Additionally, Belden has served as Chair of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity.
Belden held a faculty position at Cornell University and earned a mid-career certification from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He has bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University in economics.
Belden was born and raised on a farm in Hatfield, which has remained in his family since 1690. He and his wife, Betsy, moved to Loomis Village in South Hadley in 2018. They have three children and nine grandchildren.
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The Association for Developmental Disabilities Providers, a statewide association representing community-based human services providers, announced that Cheryl Fasano, president and CEO of the Mental Health Association in Springfield, and Maryann Hyatt, president and CEO of Berkshire County Arc in Pittsfield, have been elected to its Board of Directors.
Fasano joined MHA in 2013 as chief financial officer and chief operating officer before becoming president and CEO. Prior to MHA, she held several leadership positions, including president and CEO, at New Hope Manor in Connecticut for 17 years. She also served as director of finance and executive director at Womanshelter/Compañeras Inc. (now Alianza) in Holyoke. Fasano earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in business administration at Western New England University.
Hyatt, who has been with Berkshire County Arc for 35 years, was named president in 2022 and became CEO in 2023. She has served in nearly every area of the organization, starting in direct support roles and working her way up into management and executive leadership positions. Hyatt earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from North Adams State College (now Mass. College of Liberal Arts), and also earned a master’s degree in business administration from Bay Path University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in business administration from Franklin University.
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Caring Health Center in Springfield has welcomed Dr. Ryan S. Lee as its new chief dental officer. Lee holds a doctorate of dental surgery with honors from New York University’s College of Dentistry, as well as a postgraduate certificate, fellowship in dental oncology and maxillofacial prosthetics, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Serving as a major and dental officer in the Massachusetts Army National Guard’s Medical Command at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Lee gathered numerous civilian and military awards for his exceptional service. His research work has been published in journals such as Supportive Care in Cancer, Oral Oncology and the Journal of Dental Research.
Caring Health Center has locations at 1049 Main St. and 532 Sumner Ave. locations. Currently overseeing 6,000 dental visits annually, the center offers a range of services including examinations, cleanings, restorations, extractions, crowns, partial and complete dentures, as well as some root canals.
