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The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals has elected Pamela Nabors to its board of directors. Nabors is the director of One-Stop Services at Capital Workforce Partners, the North Central Connecticut Workforce Investment Board in Hartford. In addition to being a an advocate for improving the skills of workforce professionals, Nabors also has been nationally recognized for her efforts leading Capital Workforce Partners’ LIFE – Low Income Families Employment – Program. Prior to Capital Workforce Partners, she was planning director for the WIB in Brevard County, Fla., and also training director at Brevard Community College.
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NewAlliance Bank, a subsidiary of NewAlliance Bancshares Inc. announced that Mary Ellen Nichols has joined Trust Company of Connecticut’s Hartford office as first vice president and business development officer. Nichols, a certified financial planner, will execute the division’s strategic growth plan with a focus on acquiring and cultivating new affluent clients for the Trust Company’s wealth management solutions. Prior to joining Trust Company of Connecticut, Nichols was a vice president and business development officer for Webster Bank.
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Brian Henry, a fire and explosions attorney at Robinson & Cole, is the 2010-2011 president of the Rotary Club of Hartford. Henry’s involvement in Rotary International spans 15 years. A native of Arkansas, he first got involved in high school as a student Rotarian. Henry previously held positions as membership chair, vice president, and president-elect. As president, Henry is responsible for overseeing and directing all activities of the club. One of his priorities is to continue to develop the Rotary’s involvement with the new North End’s Wilson-Gray YMCA.
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Robert Davidson joined Rockville Bank as vice president/commercial banking officer and tea leader. Davidson will manage a team of commercial banking officers who will participate in the creation and implementation of strategies for new business development, as well as portfolio management projects. Davidson was formerly a vice president/business banking relationship manager at Sovereign Bank in Avon where he was responsible for directing and developing new business efforts. Davidson is a member of the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce, the Colchester Business Association, and the Richmond Memorial Library Association in Marlborough.
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Two recent UConn graduates – Keith Bessette and Nick Jaensch, both of whom received their MBAs this spring – have created a new online social planning tool, Shizzlr, that won the 2010 Connecticut State Collegiate Business Plan Competition sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Foundation Inc. The project took first place in the venture enterprise category. Bessette has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and an MBA in venture consulting from UConn. In 2000, he co-founded Estorrs.com, a university-based social network at UConn. He also co-founded Mobile Link Solutions in 2004, a mobile workforce application for field technicians. Jaensch earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2008 and an MBA in venture consulting in 2010, both from UConn. Before beginning the MBA program, he worked for two entrepreneurial growth companies during a three-year span. His most recent stint of employment was at Semprae Laboratories, where he worked with the firm’s funding team on development and product portfolio strategy.
