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Middlesex Community College has made two interim appointments to key jobs on campus. Newly appointed Dean of Students Adrienne Maslin will take on the role of interim dean of academic affairs for this scholastic year. Prior to her April appointment as dean of students, she had been associate dean of learning and student development for the past 11 years. In this capacity, Maslin supervised the offices of admissions, records, financial aid, student activities, the college preschool, and academic advising. She continues to be the college’s liaison to the college’s accrediting agency, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Maslin earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Vermont, her M.Ed. in counseling from Boston University, and her Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Oregon. Also, Lillian Ortiz will serve a one-year term as interim associate dean of academic and student affairs. Before coming to Middlesex, Ortiz was dean of institutional development and community engagement at Manchester Community College, Connecticut’s largest community college, where she served for 12 years. In her new role, she will supervise the grade appeals process; participate in Student Services Team meetings and Student Development and Curriculum and Academic Policy Committees and ensure the planning and management of student activities, Child Development Center, advising, counseling and the Meriden Center. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University, a M.A. from American International College, an Ed.D. from University of Hartford.
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The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has named Grace Figueredo as its vice president of diversity and inclusion. Figueredo joins The Hartford from United Technologies Corporation, where she most recently served as director of workforce diversity. In that role, she set the diversity vision and strategy for the company, leading a significant structural and cultural transformation at UTC. In her new role, Figueredo will be a strategic leader in advancing diversity, inclusion and cultural awareness at The Hartford. She will be accountable for developing strategies that drive employee engagement and extend contemporary work practices to meet the needs of the business and employees. She will report to Eileen Whelley, executive vice president of human resources at The Hartford. Figueredo is a member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Women’s Legal and Education Fund. She earned a master of science in organization behavior from the University of Hartford and a bachelor of science in Spanish and secondary education from Queens College of the City University of New York.
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William Scalzi, president and CEO of Metro Taxi and Metropolitan Livery, has joined the executive board of health care research and consulting firm Qualidigm in Rocky Hill. Metro Taxi in West Haven is one of Connecticut’s largest providers of non-emergency medical transportation. Scalzi is credited with being a driving force behind legislation that permitted wheelchair-accessible taxicabs in the state. MetroAccess, a division of Metro Taxi, is Connecticut’s first wheelchair-accessible taxi service. Next month, Scalzi will be awarded the local Americans with Disabilities Act Coalition of Connecticut’s “Spirited ADA Award” for fostering equality and independence for those with mobility disabilities in Connecticut. Additionally, he will receive the international Taxicab, Limousine, and Paratransit Association’s “2010 Taxicab Operator of the Year Award” for most effectively serving local public transportation needs.
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Attorney Lesley I. B. Schless has joined the Greenwich office of the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin LLP as a partner. Schless’ practice encompasses all areas of estate planning and estate and trust administration, as well as a broad range of probate matters. Prior to joining Shipman & Goodwin, Schless served as senior counsel to the individual clients department at Day Pitney LLP. She also has practiced in Richmond, Va.; served as in-house counsel to the personal trust department of a regional bank and taught estate and trust administration as an adjunct law school professor. She was a judicial law clerk for the late federal District Court Judge James S. Holden in Vermont. She received her J.D. from Washington and Lee University, where she was a Burks Scholar Teaching Fellow.
