Earl T. Bonett, a representative from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, visited the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield to recognize President and CEO Gene Cassidy and Johnny Ramirez, captain of public safety, with the Patriot Award.
Patriot Awards commend employers for supporting and accommodating employees by providing flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment and caring for their families. Employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve, or their spouse, may nominate employers for a Patriot Award.
Christopher Thompson serves as ESE’s sergeant of safety and security. Outside of ESE, he has been a part of the military for more than 28 years, both through the Navy and now the Airforce at Westover Air Reserve Base. Thompson that nominated Cassidy and Ramirez for their honors. Bonett, a volunteer with the ESGR and representative from the Department of Defense, presented the two men with certificates.
Cassidy signed a statement of support and pledged continued commitment to supporting those that actively serve as well as veterans. This statement will be displayed on the ESE grounds in the Brooks Building.
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Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Cathy Buono announced the appointment of Melanie Nacewicz, a Springfield resident, to the Board of Assessors. Nacewicz replaces Margaret “Pedge” Lynch who is retiring, and had been serving as the third member of the Board.
Nacewicz has served in the city of Springfield’s Assessor’s Office as a senior assessor analyst since 2020, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
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The Foundation for TJO Animals has named Janna Brown as executive director. Brown served as the interim executive director for the past year. Prior to assuming the interim role, Brown served for five years as a member of the Foundation for TJO Animals Board of Directors. In addition, she volunteered weekly at the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center on Cottage Street.
Brown previously spent 20 years as a meteorologist with the past nine years at Western Mass News. During her tenure the foundation was selected as the station charity of choice.
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The Springfield Regional Chamber held its newly named Springfield Regional Chamber Spotlight and Annual Meeting: Recognizing the People Behind the Progress at MGM Springfield.
The chamber honored Richard Tettemer, longtime WWLP 22News anchor, as the 2025 Richard J. Moriarty Citizen of the Year. A graduate of the University of South Florida, he holds a degree in mass communications and broadcasting. He began his career in 1984 as a videotape editor at WFLA-TV in Tampa, later becoming a weekend sports anchor at KODE-TV in Missouri. He joined 22News in 1988 as sports director and transitioned to morning news anchor in 2006. Tettemer has earned 13 Associated Press Awards.
The event also included the election of the Chamber’s Board of Directors and a variety of additional recognitions. These include the Lifetime Achievement Award for Jeffrey Fialky,of Bacon Wilson, P.C., the Outstanding Board Member award for Sharianne Walker of Western New England University, the Outstanding Legislative Steering Committee Member award for Allison Ebner of Employers Association of the NorthEast, the Outstanding Ambassador award for Candace Pereira of Windsor Federal Bank, and the Outstanding New Member award for Wash Works. Additionally, the chamber highlighted the names of all organizations that have been members for over 50 years.
