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Christopher P. Hines has been named a partner in BlumShapiro, the largest regional accounting and business consulting firm in New England with offices in West Hartford and Shelton. Hines, a certified public accountant, has nearly 15 years of experience working with privately held companies, specializing in architectural and engineering firms, construction, manufacturing and distribution (including technology and life sciences), professional service firms, schools/colleges and other non-profit organizations. He also assists clients with strategic planning and financial due diligence services. He was previously a partner with a large accounting and business consulting firm in Boston where he spent more than ten years working with closely held businesses throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
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Eddie Williams has joined S.H. Smith & Co. as executive vice president in the Commercial Property, Casualty & Environmental Department. In this position, he will be in charge of the Brokerage Division, which is responsible for individual risk property, casualty and environmental business. Williams previously was sales leader/branch manager at Swett & Crawford’s New York City location. Hartford-based S.H. Smith & Co. is one of the largest privately owned specialty brokers in the country.
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Hospital for Special Care has appointed Carl R. Ficks Jr., a partner in Halloran & Sage LLP, as chairman of its board of directors. As chairman, Ficks is responsible for the overall governance and management affairs of the hospital. Ficks concentrates his law practice in the construction, municipal and employment law fields at Halloran & Sage. The firm has offices in Hartford, Middletown, New London, Westport and Washington, D.C. and an affiliated lobbying and consulting firm, Halloran & Sage Government Affairs LLC. Ficks is a past member of the Board of Directors of the New Britain Boys & Girls Club and the New Britain-Berlin Rotary Club.
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Jeffrey S. Bravin has been appointed assistant executive director of the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford. His responsibilities will include supervising all aspects of the PACES Program to include educational, clinical and residential, and Core Residential Life Program. These two programs account for one-third of the school’s staff. In addition, he will supervise the student health center, information technology services, security, athletic programs, Camp Isola Bella, alumni relations and special projects. Bravin has been with the school since 2002 serving as assistant director of institutional advancement, director of special projects and most recently senior manager of the PACES Program for deaf and hard of hearing students with emotional and behavioral disorders. He serves on the advisory board for State of Connecticut Commission of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired; is a board member of American Society of Deaf Children; and is a representative for Connecticut Council on Organizations Serving the Deaf.
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Mark Allen of Glastonbury has joined Citizens Bank as a senior mortgage loan officer working out of the Rocky Hill branch. He serves as the mortgage financing business partner to that branch as well as Citizens Bank branches in Manchester and Newington. Allen has been in the mortgage business for eight years. He came to Citizens Bank from PNC Mortgage, where he was a senior loan officer. He was previously a senior loan officer with GMAC Mortgage.
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Sara Morrell has been named director of first impressions at Wealth Management Group of NA LLC in Farmington. Morrell will be responsible for assisting in client relations, scheduling, and coordinating meetings. She recently worked at the Connecticut Department of Safety as an administrative assistant in the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
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Julie D. Blake has joined the law firm of O’Connell, Flaherty & Attmore LLC as a principal. Blake, who concentrates on civil litigation with an emphasis on commercial litigation, will practice from the firm’s Hartford office.
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Mintz & Hoke Communications Group in Avon has hired Tara Nelson as an account coordinator. In this new position, she provides day-to-day support for clients including Aetna, Travelers and the Connecticut Forum. Previously, she held a series of internship positions at United Technologies Corp. in Hartford.
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Linda Pizzella and Linda Wildes have joined Konover Commercial Corp. as property managers. Pizzella will manage the firm’s portfolio of over 250,000 square feet of commercial properties located throughout Greater Hartford. She had worked as a real estate manager for CB Richard Ellis Asset Services, managing a commercial portfolio of over 2.6 million square feet. As former manager for State Market Hartford LLC and Harbor Group Management Co., she had direct oversight of State House Square. She is on the board of BOMA Greater Hartford and has served as treasurer for the past seven years. Wildes will oversee over 350,000 square feet of commercial real estate including Commerce Center One in East Hartford, The Mercantile Exchange in Norwich and Marcus Plaza, also located in Norwich. Wildes worked as a property manager for Winstanley Enterprises, LLC and DaQui Belding Partners, Inc. in Rocky Hill, managing an array of commercial, retail and industrial properties in Central Connecticut. She is a member of CREW CT, The Real Estate Exchange. Konover Commercial Corp. is based in West Hartford and manages more than 3 million square feet of office, retail and industrial properties. It is a division of The Simon Konover Company.
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Ken Tacelli has been named vice president and New England region manager for CA Technologies. Tacelli is responsible for leading sales across six states, from Connecticut to Maine. Most recently, he managed smart business sales across North America for IBM, focusing on infrastructure and virtualization solutions. Prior to IBM, he was vice president of business development and strategic sales at Metatomix and spent nine years at EMC in a variety of management roles. CA Technologies is a publicly traded IT management software and solutions company serving a majority of the Global Fortune 500.
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Melissa Olson has been named director of occupational therapy and assistive technology for Innovative Autism Network LLC in Plainville. She has 12 years of pediatric occupational therapy experience in both educational and clinical settings. In addition to her practice in the field, she serves as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University and Goodwin College.
