Florence Bank promotes Nicolle Marceau

FLORENCE— Florence Bank has promoted Nicolle Marceau to branch manager of the Granby branch.

With 10 years of retail banking experience, Marceau was hired in October 2022 and has worked in the bank’s Belchertown, Amherst and Florence branches.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Westfield State College and is certified in business banking.

In the community, Marceau coaches youth sports for the South Hadley Recreation Department and will soon be a member of the Parent Teacher Association for Mosier Elementary School and the Plains Elementary School Council, both also in South Hadley.

Amherst College names finance, administrative officer

AMHERST — Amherst College has named Michael Thomas as its new chief financial and administrative officer.

On the finance side, Thomas will be responsible for all finance functions of the college, including budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, long-range financial planning, and asset, liability and risk management. On the administrative side, Thomas will oversee facilities, health and safety, and business services (dining and auxiliary), among key operating functions.

He joins Amherst from Middlebury, where he was vice president for administration and chief risk officer for the past two years and vice president for finance and assistant treasurer for the previous four and a half years.

Thomas will report to and serve as a strategic partner to President Michael A. Elliott. His appointment is effective March 27, and he succeeds former Amherst CFAO Kevin Weinman, who became the president of Marist College in fall 2021.

Mount Holyoke professor to be recognized

SOUTH HADLEY — Patricia Brennan, associate professor of biological sciences, will be recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

Brennan studies the morphological evolution and genital morphology in female vertebrates, and has described the novel anatomical traits that were largely overlooked in a field dominated by masculine perspectives.

Brennan is among the 508 scientists, engineers and innovators who have been elected 2022 Fellows for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements throughout their careers.

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as a AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all Fellows are expected to maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

Brennan is among the 34 Fellows who have been elected from Mount Holyoke throughout its history.

Holyoke Community College adds 2 to advancement team

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College recently welcomed two new colleagues to its Institutional Advancement team, Laura Freeman, of Holyoke, as manager of stewardship and donor relations, and Kelly Galanis, of Westfield, as manager of advancement services.

Prior to HCC, Freeman worked as the alumni relations program coordinator at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and VIP services representative at MGM Springfield. She brings experience to the development team in event planning, project management, scholarship administration and volunteer management.

Freeman holds a master’s degree in strategic fundraising and philanthropy from Bay Path University and attended Nichols College for her bachelor’s degree in business administration.

In her new role, Galanis will provide leadership and direction for the Advancement division’s fundraising operations, including database management, prospect research and moves management, advancement reporting, gift recording, data integrity, and data security.

She joins HCC with more than 20 years’ experience in higher education, including 14 at Westfield State University. She holds a master’s degree in communication and information management and is currently pursuing her doctorate in education in higher education leadership and organizational studies at Bay Path University.

Moving Mentor in Amherst acquired by Quincy company

QUINCY — Best of Care Inc., a legacy home care and care management provider headquarted in Quincy, has acquired Amherst-based Moving Mentor Inc., a move management, organizing and consulting company serving the Northeast, New York City and vicinity.

Barbara Z. Perman, founder and president of Moving Mentor, created the company in 1997 after experiencing the challenges of moving her mother from her home of 48 years. Since then, Moving Mentor has helped hundreds of families strategize and plan moves, as well as facilitate downsizing, packing, unpacking and helping clients resettle in their new surroundings.

According to Best of Care President Kevin Smith, Best of Care’s acquisition of Moving Mentor adds to the company’s holistic profile. During the past 42 years, the family-owned company has delivered high quality in-home care to more than 1,500 clients per week. Since 2018, they have provided concierge-level care management with their team of respected and professional care managers.

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