West Hartford CT Community Notes

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Dr. Suess Birthday Celebrated at SummerWood

West Hartford, CT - Children from the Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center, Lollipop Tree Nursery School, Solomon Schechter Day School and Noah's Ark Preschool attended a Dr. Seuss 109th Birthday Celebration at Hoffman SummerWood Community on March 3rd. The children donned red and white "Cat in the Hat" hats as they enjoyed some Dr. Seuss stories read by SummerWood residents Silvia Pasternak and Kayleen Goldstein. Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet and cartoonist who wrote many children's books under the pen name "Dr. Seuss." The children enjoyed time socializing, coloring, and singing. After cupcakes and popcorn, the children and their families viewed the movie "The Lorax." A large number of new and gently used books were collected to be donated to The Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

Hoffman SummerWood Community is a national award-winning senior living community located on Simsbury Road in West Hartford and is an affiliate of Hebrew Health Care. For more information about SummerWood, please call 860-523-3808 or visit the website at www.hoffmansummerwood.org.

Yom Hashoah Commemoration will honor Jewish martyres

The Mandell JCC and the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut will honor the memories of the Martyred Six Million at the annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust Commemoration on Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at The Emanuel Synagogue, 160 Mohegan Dr. West Hartford, CT. The commemoration, which is free and open to the public, will feature guest speaker Anita Ron Schorr who endured Auschwitz and persevered the Holocaust.

Anita Ron Schorr is a native of Czechoslovakia and a long-time resident of Westport, CT. In 1934, at the age of 8, she was arrested along with her family. Anita and her family were brought to the Terezin concentration camp. Of the over 140,000 Jews sent to Terezin, 33,000 died and 88,000 were deported and killed, Anita was one of 19,000 who survived.

Anita and her family were then deported to Auschwitz, where her family was murdered. Anita then served in a slave-labor unit in Hamburg before ending up in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. She was eventually liberated, went to Palestine, joined the Haganah, and she fought in the Israeli War of Independence. Later, Anita married a fellow Czech and lived on a Kibbutz until 1959, when the couple came to the U.S.

The Yom Hashoah commemoriation will open early at 6:30 p.m. for an hour-long continuous Reading of the Names of Holocaust Victims and Deceased Survivors. To submit names to be included, please contact Sheri Gaudet at the Mandell JCC, sgaudet@mandelljcc.org, 860-231-6351. Survivors and their families will march in a candlelight procession at the beginning of the service.

For more information about the Yom Hashoah Holocaust Commemoration, call 860-236-4571 or visit www.mandelljcc.org. The Mandell Jewish Community Center, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT, is open to everyone and supported by funds raised by the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, a recipient of funding from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford, and a member of the JCC Association of North America.

Temple luncheon to feature famous historian

Archaeologist and historian, Dr. Richard Freund is exploring and researching the most ancient Jewish settlements in China.

After a Chinese scholar alerted Dr. Freund, the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Jewish History at the University of Hartford, to the movement of Jews in the 5th century to China, Professor Freund visited the sites of those ancient Jewish communities and is poised to rediscover what might be left of abandoned Jewish areas and the famous synagogue of Kaifeng.

The synagogue had been destroyed many times by flooding from the Yellow River and was rebuilt many times until the 19th century, when it was abandoned for the last time.

Please join Beth El Temple's Chai Society for a luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3 when Dr. Freund will share the latest details about his new project.

In addition to being the Director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies and Greenberg

Dr. Freund is the author of six books on archaeology, two books on Jewish ethics, over one hundred scholarly articles and has appeared in sixteen television documentaries, most recently National Geographic's Special: "Finding Atlantis" based upon his work in southern Spain.

The cost for the event $10 for Beth El Temple members and $12 for others. RSVP by Friday, March 29, by calling 860-233-9696

Northwest Catholic names new president

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West Hartford - Northwest Catholic recently announced that Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell has named David C. Eustis Jr. as the new president of Northwest Catholic High School. Margaret Williamson will remain the school's principal.

Eustis, most recently the associate head of school at Cheshire Academy, brings a wealth of experience to Northwest Catholic. He has over 20 years of experience in the field of development and business management, many of those years in an educational setting. Prior to joining Cheshire Academy, Eustis served as the president of Junior Achievement of Eastern Massachusetts from 2007-2011.

"We welcome Mr. Eustis to our community," Principal Williamson said.

Eustis holds a bacherlor's degree in Human Performance from Southern Connecticut State University and as master's in Educational Athletic Administration from Springfield College. He is a past-president of the Simsbury Little League and the president of the Simsbury Youth Hockey Association. Eustis is a resident of Simsbury where he lives with his wife, Eileen Eustis, who is employed as the assistant principal at Simsbury High School.

"A career in education has been my vocation since graduating from college. I have a passion to make a difference," said Eustis.

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$5,000 Grant to Intensive Education Academy

The Wireless Zone Foundation for Giving, Inc. has awarded a $5,000 grant to the Intensive Education Academy, Inc., a West Hartford School founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambery, a private, non-sectarian special education facility for children with special needs, located at 840 North Main Street, West Hartford, CT.

Head of School Jill O'Donnell said that through this grant and technology initiative, the Intensive Education Academy Inc. has been able to replace student computers, upgrading standard and non-standard software. Computers need to run larger software programs quickly and recent software downloads such as 'Kurzweil' and 'Bookshare' are some of the available technology tools for special education students.

Since 2004, the Wireless Zone Foundation for Giving, Inc. has been supporting the Intensive Education Academy and in 2011 a similar grant was awarded for the language program, "Sopris West: Language!" introduced to the school in 2010.

Wireless Zone Foundation for Giving, Inc. is a charitable organization and is a federally registered trademark of Automotive Technologies, Inc.

If you'd like more information about the Intensive Education Academy, please visit the website at www.intensiveeducationacademy.org.

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West Hartford resident publishes Civil War memoir

Long-time West Hartford resident Quincy Abbot inherited a trunkful of letters and journals written by an ancestor who, as a 14-year-old lad, wrote of his aspirations to become a serious writer. Ultimately, he experienced the challenges of growing up in a large, rather complex family in pre-Civil War New England, enlisted in the Union Army, and died in combat at the tender age of 21.

Now, 150 years later, Quincy Abbot has brought Stanley's exceptional writing skills to light with the February 15, 2013 publication of From Schoolboy to Soldier: The Correspondence and Journals of Edward Stanley Abbot, 1853-1863. I like to think that Stanley would be pleased to be recognized as a published author.

From Schoolboy to Soldier is an intensely personal account of the short but meaningful life of a mid-19th century young New England lad—his struggles with himself, his siblings and parents, and the world as he attempts to establish himself as a writer, an adult, and an officer in the Union Army of the Potomac.

The attached release below tells more about the book and about Stanley, whose great granduncle happened to be Nathan Hale.

There's additional information at www.fromschoolboytosoldier.com, including several excerpts from the book that will give you the flavor of the book.

When Quincy Abbot retired from a fulfilling career as an insurance executive, he immersed himself in searching through additional family papers at Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Yale Sterling Library and the Library of Congress, compiling his findings, and editing them into this engrossing narrative of young Stanley's life. From Schoolboy to Soldier is a testimony to family histories and the preservation of family documents.

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Hebrew Health Care residents enjoy cultural recital

The third annual Presidents' Day recital was recently at Hebrew Health Care, offering residents a cultural program of entertainment. Particpants included Hebrew Health Care, the Chinese Culture Center (CCC), the Connecticut Chinese Language Academy (CCLA), and the Kang Hua Singers of Greater Hartford.

The Kang Hua Singers performed instrumental pieces, songs, and dances. The event celebrated Presidents' Day and the Chinese New Year, Year of the Snake.

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Rockville opens West Hartford Banking Center

SOUTH WINDSOR – Rockville Bank officially cut the ribbon to its West Hartford Banking Center recently at 102 LaSalle Road.

The center occupies the same building as the United States Post Office with separate access.

"Rockville Bank may be new to the West Hartford market, but our West Hartford team are familiar faces and names who have decades of professional banking experience and personal ties to the community," said Crawford.

At the event, the Rockville Bank Foundation presented $1,000 checks to five local non-profit organizations to show its commitment to the West Hartford community. The organizations include: The Town That Cares, West Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Foundation for the West Hartford Public Schools, Playhouse on Park and West Hartford Community Television – Channel 5.

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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Resident earns honors at Skidmore College

Sarah Rose Slate, a member of the class of 2016 at Skidmore College, earned term honors for the fall semester. She is the daughter of Robert Slate and Debora Schnitzer of West Hartford.

Term honors are awarded for a quality point ratio of 3.650 from a possible 4.0, for students who have completed 14 credit hours.

West Hartford runners for Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team

BOSTON – On April 15, 2013, Bryan Jaroch, Kelly Horan and Thomas Golembeski from West Hartford will be running in the 117th Boston Marathon® to help conquer cancer as members of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team.
These West Hartford residents, along with more than 550 Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge teammates from across the United States and around the world, will run Massachusetts' historic marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston with a goal to raise $4.6 million for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
One-hundred-percent of the funds raised benefit Dana-Farber's Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research, which supports cornerstone science research in its earliest stages, providing researchers with critical resources to test their leading-edge ideas. Findings from Barr program research can provide novel clinical insights as well as the results necessary to seek additional federal funding.
Since its inception in 1990, the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge has raised more than $56 million for the Barr Program. Dana-Farber Trustees J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver founded the Barr Program in 1987 to honor Mrs. Weaver's mother, Claudia Adams Barr, who lost her battle with cancer in 1957.
Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team members must meet one of the following fundraising commitments:
· Invitational runners, runners who receive an entry from Dana-Farber have a fundraising commitment of $4,000.
· Own entry runners, runners who have joined the DFMC after obtaining their own race entry have a fundraising commitment of $3,500.
To contribute to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, go online to www.RunDFMC.org or contact the Dana-Farber Running Programs office at (617) 632-1970 or dfmc@dfci.harvard.edu. Follow the DFMC on Facebook: www.facebook/marathonchallenge.

KO students make food drive challenge to benefit food pantry

West Hartford–Following a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly about economic injustice, students at Kingswood Oxford School decided to do something about the prevalence of hunger among children just blocks away in Hartford.
The students in Nancy Solomon's advisee group started a food drive in response to the MLK Day Assembly, and challenged another advisee group, led by history teacher David Baker '04, to see who could bring in more contributions.
By the end, no one seemed to notice who won, because the real winner was the West Hartford Food Pantry, which received 160 food items.
"David and I feel that it's important to keep the KO mission and core values in the forefront with our advisees, and we try every day to live up to those tenets," said Nancy Solomon, the KO librarian. "Our food drive challenge demonstrated our commitment to 'care beyond self,' one of KO's core values, and we're both very proud of these 18 students."

CAPTION: Two Kingswood Oxford advisee groups collected 160 items for the West Hartford Food Pantry in response to a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day assembly about economic injustice.

West Hartford students perform in Watkinson School musical

The Sound of Music, by Rodgers & Hammerstein II, a favorite among generations was performed recent by Watkinson students.

The ensemble of 35 actors in grades 6-12 played multiple roles with demanding vocals. The Family Von Trapp sings in up to six part harmonies, while the Nonnberg Abbey nuns top these demands by adding Latin language to their performance.

Watkinson's production was directed by Angela Boratko and under the musical direction of Luke Nelson. Members of the Creative Arts Program, Cyrus Duff '14, and Katherine Adomeit '14, both of West Hartford provided the musical score along with Nelson.

Isabel Volpe '13, played Sister Berthe, while Kate Needle '13 played Frau Schmidt and Hayley Madigan '16 was a Nonnberg Abbey nun and Ursula.. The role of a Liesl Von Trapp, was played by Sophia Volpe'16. Sophie Brown '19, performed as Gretel Von Trapp, Strother Cech '17 played Friedrich Von Trapp, along with Jessie Feingold '15 who played Rolf. You can learn more about upcoming events at Watkinson School at www.watkinson.org

In photo: Grace Nelson '14 of Manchester as Maria, Maria's left, Sophie Brown '19 of West Hartford, Maria's right, Idalis Garcia '16 of Windsor

Far left, Isabel Fitzsimmons '18 of Hartford, middle left, Elena Wallace '18 of Bloomfeld, top left Zacary Hodkin '17 of Simsbury

Top right, Strother Cech '17 of West Hartford, bottom far right, Sophia Volpe '16 of West Hartford.

Feminist theory professor speak to local club

Women's humorist, writer, and professor of feminist theory Dr. Gina Barreca spoke to members of the Town & County Club recently. The Town & County Club is a private member-owned club in Hartford's West End.
Photo: Carle Mowell, Dr. Gina Barreca, and Nancy Dean, club president.

First responders treated to luncheon by Atria community

Atria Hamilton Heights hosted a First Responders Luncheon recently as a way to say thank-you for the great public service provided by members of the West Hartford Police, fire and ambulance departments. Honored guests feasted on Italian foods, like pasta, meatballs, sausage and peppers, garlic bread, salad, and desserts. Photos submitted

West Hartford Exchange Club

West Hartford - The West Hartford Exchange Club welcomed West Hartford resident Ashley Washburn as guest speaker at a recent meeting. Washburn is president and founder of Asante Sana for Education, Inc., a non-profit non-government organization founded in 2009 to build primary schools in Tanzanian communities.

Photo: Ashley Washburn and Paul Connery, president of the West Hartford Exchange Club.

The West Hartford Exchange Club's mission is to make its community a better place to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities and its national project, the Prevention of Child Abuse. The club sponsors the West Hartford Police & Firefighters Annual Service Awards and provides annual scholarships to Hall and Conard graduates. The club also donates to a variety of local charities including The Bridge Family Center.

Jewish day schools join efforts for science fair

Students from Solomon Schechter Day School and the Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy came together for the first time to share their knowledge and accomplishments in science. Families, friends, and community members were on hand to celebrate the occasion.

David Chameides, an advocate for collaboration between the two schools and a parent at both schools said that small day schools like Solomon Schechter and the Hebrew Academy should interact on any level they can so that the kids and families can have a wider group of Jews to interact with within the community.

"The science fair seemed like a natural idea not only because there are no religious differences to contend with, but by having the two schools share the fair, students from each school will be introduced to new ideas they may not have thought of. It really is a win-win situation and it's my hope that this is just the beginning of future interaction between the two schools."

Schechter Rogow Middle School students create science fair projects each year. This year, all students in grades 6-8 were expected to submit an individual project based on a testable question of their own devising, including research papers and tri-fold presentations.

Students met with six professional engineers, who reviewed their projects and asked numerous questions. First-, second-, and third-prize winners and honorable mentions were selected for each grade, and three students were selected to represent SSDS at the State of Connecticut Science Fair in March. All of the SSDS Middle School students displayed their tri-folds at Hebrew Academy for Science Night and were available to offer explanations and answer questions. The nine award winners had the opportunity to present their questions and research findings to the audience at Science Night.

The students enjoyed having a chance to find out what their peers were studying and to be able to share their academics in a community setting. The two schools plan to rotate the location of Science Night on a yearly basis. The inaugural evening last week was held at the Sigel Hebrew Academy; next year, Schechter looks forward to hosting the event.

Talcott students speak with space station astronauts

Avon, Connecticut— Connecticut students were scheduled to link up with the International Space Station on Feb. 28. In a first-of-a kind event for the state, students from Hartford, Bloomfield, New Britain, and Avon will quiz a space station astronaut on a range of scientific and human-interest topics.
At the time of the contact, the International Space Station (ISS) will be orbiting within eyeshot of the state. The Talcott Mountain Science Center in Avon will use its amateur radio station to make the audio connection to the space station. This will be a direct contact, without the aid of any specialized NASA tracking facilities. Students at the Science Center, assisted by local amateur radio operators, will manage the technical feat.

Jonathan Craig, director of the Science Center, calls this a momentous event in Connecticut science education.

"Intellectual excitement is a cornerstone of our approach to teaching science.
Giving students a chance to interact directly with an astronaut passing overhead is something that's hard to beat," he said.
Students have been busy prepping for their space contact. They have studied about the International Space Station and have already formulated questions they want to have answered.
About 10 students got a chance to ask questions as the Space Station passes overhead at 17,500 mph.
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), a cooperative venture between NASA and other international space agencies and amateur radio groups around the world, coordinates scheduled radio contacts between astronauts aboard the ISS and schools.

The Talcott Mountain Science Center was invited to host the ARISS radio contact with the International Space Station as a means of promoting learning about space and space communications.

The ARISS radio contact is one in a series of educational activities in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. NASA's Teaching From Space promotes a variety of learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community using the unique environment of human spaceflight. The Talcott Mountain event will be the first ARISS contact for Connecticut.

American School for the Deaf’s Robotics Team competes in FIRST Tech Challenge

The American School for the Deaf's Robotics team recently competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge Championship "Battle at the Beach" held at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT.
There were 28 teams of up to ten students in the challenge, responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots.
This year's competition had opponents programming their robot to play Tic Tac Toe on a vertical field in a game they called "Ring It Up!"

Governor Dannel Malloy attended the competition and offered ASD his support. The team won the Judge's Award for safety and finished 13th in the competition.

Caption: Richard Golobiewski (Teacher and Coach), Kyle Dombrowski, Governor Malloy, Ymarc Ancheta and Zachary Bessette

Kingswood Oxford musicians earn state, national honors

West Hartford– Three musicians from Kingswood Oxford School have recently earned recognition from state and national music organizations.The students are Grace Gentile '15, daughter of Richard and Joan Gentile of East Hartford; Molly Sullivan '15, daughter of Christine and John Sullivan of Manchester; and Samuel Wiseman '14, son of Roy Wiseman and Lisa Kugelman, MD, of West Hartford.

Wiseman, a violinist, and Gentile, a soprano, were accepted in the All-State Orchestra and All-State Choirs, respectively, for the CT Music Educators Association. They will perform in the All-State Music Festival at the CT Convention Center from Mar. 2-4.

Sullivan was chosen to be part of the Women's Choir that will perform at the four-day national conference of KODÁLY Music Educators in Hartford. Students from 32 different states will perform in the conference's culminating concert on Mar. 23 at 7pm at the First Cathedral in Bloomfield.
Nurturing creativity has been a cornerstone of a Kingswood Oxford education for more than 100 years; for information about enrollment, contact the Admissions Office at admissions@k-o.org.

Students inducted into Kingswood Oxford's Honor Society

West Hartford, Feb. 27 – A dozen outstanding seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society at Kingswood Oxford School recently.
The Cum Laude Society is a national honor society for independent schools. To qualify, students must be in the top 20 percent of their class by the end of the first semester of senior year and must have demonstrated good citizenship.
Founded in 1906, the Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring academic achievement in secondary schools by promoting the ideals of excellence, justice, and honor. Modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, the Cum Laude Society comprises 382 chapters in the U.S., Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
"We are so pleased to honor these students who are committed to doing an outstanding job in all their classes, in addition to the many other activities that make their lives so full," said Ann Serow, Ph.D., chair of the History Department and the president of the society. "The cum laude students are very bright and very motivated; they have wonderful futures ahead of them."
The newest members are:
· Shane Carroll, son of Jared and Marianne Carroll of North Windham
· Lauren Goldman, daughter of Julie and Ethan Goldman of West Hartford
· Brooke Goldsmith, daughter of Laurie and Bruce Goldsmith of West Hartford
· Samuel Hammer, son of Joe and Debra Hammer of Wethersfield
· Caley Henderson, daughter of Michael and Ann Walsh Henderson of West Hartford
· Spencer Murray, son of Elizabeth Praven of Burlington and Walter Murray of New Britain
· Joseph Rogus, son of Joe and Mei Rogus of Southington
· Andrew Sikora, son of Sue and Joe Sikora of Southington
· Mark Toubman, son of Susan and Gary Toubman of Newington
· Jacob Waskowitz, son of Meghan and Bob Waskowitz of Avon
· G. Austin Williams, son of Steven and Amy Williams of Wethersfield
· Brenda Winn, daughter of Kevin and Marcia Winn of Newington
Academic excellence has been a cornerstone of a Kingswood Oxford education for more than 100 years; for information about enrollment, contact the Admissions Office at admissions@k-o.org.

Photo: The 12 seniors inducted into KO's Cum Laude Society are (seated, from left) Caley Henderson, Lauren Goldman, Brooke Goldsmith, and Brenda Winn and (standing, from left) Spencer Murray, Mark Toubman, Austin Williams, Joe Rogus, Andrew Sikora, Jacob Waskowitz, Samuel Hammer, and Shane Carroll.

West Hartford resident honored as 'Star of the Quarter'

Dana M. Hrelic was honored as "Star of the Quarter" at the American Bar Association's mid-year meeting in Dallas earlier last month.

Hrelic, a district representative for the Connecticut Bar Association's Young Lawyers Section, she was recognized for her work as a member of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Finance Board, the ABA YLD Credentials Board, the ABA YLD Truth in Law School Education Committee, a district representative for Connecticut and Rhode Island - which included her involvement in implementing and orchestrating FEMA Disaster Legal Services in Connecticut and Rhode Island after Hurricane Sandy - and as a presidentially-appointed member of the ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education.

Presented by ABA YLD Chair Christopher A. Rogers, this award is given at each ABA YLD conference to a small number of young lawyers from across the country for their outstanding contributions to the ABA YLD. Dana was one of five recipients honored.

The Connecticut Bar Association is a professional association committed to the advancement of justice, the protection of liberty, and to safeguarding the dignity of the legal profession. For more information please visit www.ctbar.org.

West Hartford residents receive employment honors

Hartford, CT March- At a recent luncheon, several associates were recognized for outstanding performance in the month of January. Margaret Kovacs, head cafeteria cook, is the Heart of the House winner for January. She was recently promoted to overseeing the associate cafeteria food for both the daytime and the evening meal periods.
"Margaret takes great pride in the food she prepares each day for our staff. Many of the items she makes are homemade recipes, and she ensures that all of the associates have everything they need," said Michael Albarella, guest service supervisor. Kovacs is a resident of West Hartford and has been with the hotel since 2005.

Allyson Capsolas, guest service associate, is the Front of the House winner for January. Capsolas has only been with the hotel since July of 2012, but has quickly mastered her role as guest service agent.

"Allyson came to us from another Marriott property with great knowledge of the hotel systems and excellent customer service skills," said Albarella.

The Associate of the Month Award is given to associates who have demonstrated skills and job knowledge above and beyond the expectations of their managers and/or peers.

About the Marriott Hartford Downtown

Located at the intersection of 200 Columbus Boulevard and Grove Street in downtown Hartford, the Marriott Hartford Downtown is the anchor for the Connecticut Convention Center and a key destination in the state's 33-acre Adriaen's Landing enterprise of retail, entertainment and cultural venues and attractions. The Marriott Hartford Downtown has redefined Hartford as a premier business and travel destination, and plays a significant role in the revitalization of Hartford. To book a reservation, or for more information, please call 860-249-8000 or visit the website at www.hartfordmarriott.com. The Marriott Hartford Downtown is professionally managed by Waterford Hotel Group, a national hotel management company.

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University of Saint Joseph makes new executive appointment

WEST HARTFORD, CONN. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) announces the appointment of Cynthia K. Whitcomb as associate vice president for marketing, media and communications. She is a resident of North Haven, Conn.

In her new role, Whitcomb provides leadership, planning and coordination of marketing and public relations initiatives, serving as the University's liaison and spokesperson to the media. Her responsibilities include promoting the university brand; increasing institutional visibility; and strategically integrating internal and external communications with marketing efforts.

Whitcomb brings to her position at USJ extensive experience in the areas of strategic market planning, brand management, marketing communications, and community/government relations. She most recently worked as vice president of public relations and marketing at Gaylord Specialty Healthcare in Wallingford, Conn.; prior to that, she served as the hospital's director of public relations. During her tenure at Gaylord, Whitcomb was honored with the hospital's "Beyond the Call" award (2003) for demonstrating exemplary service and dedication and was recognized as an Athena International Award nominee in 2007 for her accomplishments in mentoring women in the workplace. Additionally, Whitcomb has held previous positions in higher education which include serving as associate for external relations for the Connecticut State University System and as assistant director of public relations at Franklin Pierce University (Rindge, N.H.).

Whitcomb earned a B.A. in Mass Communication, magna cum laude, from St. Bonaventure University (Olean, N.Y.).

Local marketing agency promotes staff, hires West Hartford resident

GLASTONBURY, CONN. February 25, 2013 – Cronin and Company, LLC., a full-service marketing communications agency, has promoted three employees and hired one new staffer.

Rebecca Waltz of West Hartford, Conn., has been promoted from project manager to manager, interactive project management. Waltz has been with Cronin since 2010 and works with clients such as Liberty Bank, i-Health, Connecticut Department of Health, Women's Health Connecticut, Konica Minolta, Benihana, McDonald's, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and FM Facility Maintenance. She earned her bachelor's degree in communication from New York University. Waltz reports to Kevin Colletti, Vice President, Director of Interactive.

Tracy Klimkoski of Plainville, Conn., has been promoted from media and analytics supervisor to associate director, media and analytics. Klimkoski has been with Cronin since 2003, starting out as an assistant media buyer/planner. She works with Amica Mutual Insurance Co. and reports to Gary Capreol, Senior Vice President, Director of Media and Analytics.

Michelle Szafranski of Rocky Hill, Conn., has been promoted from account coordinator to assistant account executive. Szafranski works with clients such as Au Bon Pain, Amica Mutual Insurance Co., Petit Family Foundation, World Affairs Council, and Humana. She earned her bachelor's degree in marketing from Central Connecticut State University and reports to Betsey Gainey, Vice President, Director of Client Services and Frank Rinaldi, Management Supervisor.

Helen Chung of Manchester, Conn., has joined the agency's interactive department as a project manager and works on clients such as Connecticut Department of Public Health, Liberty Bank, Konica Minolta, and Neopost. Chung previously worked as a project leader at McKinney in Durham, North Carolina. She earned her bachelor's degree in advertising from the University of Georgia and reports to Rebecca Waltz, Manager, Interactive Project Management.

Founded in 1947, Cronin and Company, LLC with offices in Glastonbury, CT and Albany, NY, is a full-service marketing communications agency with $69 million in capitalized billings. The agency's integrated marketing communications capabilities include: advertising, interactive, public relations, social media, strategic planning, media and analytics, print and broadcast production, database/direct marketing and research. Cronin is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Public Relations Society of America, Direct Marketing Association and is a Google Adwords Certified company. Additional information about Cronin is available online at www.cronin-co.com.

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