DA Sullivan receives Leadership in Wellbeing award
NORTHAMPTON — Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan received the Leadership in Wellbeing Excellence Award from Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers on Oct. 8 at the organization’s annual James A. Brink Dinner at the Harvard Club in Boston.
The award recognizes leaders in the Massachusetts legal community who have shown an exceptional commitment to employee well-being, psychological safety and healthy workplace culture in their organizations. Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, a Massachusetts nonprofit that promotes well-being and resilience in the legal community, created its Wellbeing Excellence Awards to recognize people and legal employers working to foster healthy, supportive workplaces.
In accepting the award, Sullivan thanked Cynthia Von Flatern, chief of the district attorney’s office’s appellate unit, and Emily O’Neil, director of its victim witness unit, who co-chair the office’s Health and Wellness Committee.
The committee develops programs to encourage employee well-being, strengthen connections among staff and give employees resources to prioritize their physical and mental health.
Treehouse welcomes three to board of directors
EASTHAMPTON — Three new members have joined the Treehouse Foundation board of directors: Suzanne Remington, from Shrewsbury, and Tonysha Taylor and Lauren Kelley, both from Boston.
Remington has extensive experience in foster care and special education advocacy. She is an education advocate for the Foster Children Evaluation Services Clinic at UMass Chan Medical School and is a lead advocate for a statewide initiative to improve educational outcomes for students in foster care.
Taylor is an advocate for children and families facing racial injustice, economic hardship, and disability bias in educational settings and nonprofit organizations. She is director of program evaluation and culture at the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), the largest funder of civil legal aid in Massachusetts, and serves on the board of directors of the Lawyer’s Clearinghouse.
Kelley, a technology executive, brings a background of leadership and strategic visioning to the organization. She has been an advisor to Treehouse and recently spearheaded the design of a five-year growth strategy to replicate the Treehouse intergenerational community model across four new locations.
Treehouse is an intentional, intergenerational community designed to support children who have experienced foster care through affordable housing and access to services. Its primary goal is to move children into permanent, loving families while surrounding them with a supportive multi-generational network of neighbors.
Makas joins Greenfield Savings Bank
GREENFIELD — Greenfield Savings Bank has announced that Rebecca M. Makas has joined the bank as senior vice president overseeing GSB wealth management and trust services.
Makas brings more than two decades of experience in financial services and has a background spanning trust services, investment management and banking leadership. She previously served in senior roles at Prudential Financial, including vice president positions in national platform distribution, trust and investment products and as treasurer and Community Reinvestment officer for Prudential Bank & Trust, FSB.
Most recently, Makas was founder/principal of RM2WH, a real estate investment company, and a broker associate with Keller Williams Legacy Partners, experience that fine-tuned her entrepreneurial knowledge and commitment to helping individuals build and manage wealth. In the community, Makas serves as a board member and director of programming for All In Recovery Homes LLC. She is also involved in volunteer efforts through the creation of handmade quilts for children in foster care and participants in grief support programs.
Makas holds a chartered financial analyst designation and earned both a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. Originally from Williamstown, she expressed enthusiasm about returning to the region and contributing to the community through her work at Greenfield Savings Bank.
United Way names campaign co-chairs
NORTHAMPTON — Peter Albero, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank, and Trace Whalen of Whalen Insurance Agency have been named co-chairs of United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region’s 2027 community campaign.
Albero and Whalen were formally introduced at the campaign’s kickoff breakfast Oct. 8 at the UMass Amherst Student Union Ballroom.
The campaign brings together local businesses, nonprofits and individuals to raise money that stays in the region and supports programs serving people in need. This year, the organization is focusing on access to healthy food, healthy communities and social connectedness, and early childhood development and youth mental health.
Albero, who has spent his career in finance, said he has seen “the strength, resilience, and generosity of the people of Franklin and Hampshire counties” through his work and volunteering.
He agreed to take on the role because of United Way’s history of bringing people, businesses and nonprofits together to address the community’s most pressing challenges, according to the organization. Albero said he would consider the campaign a success if it increases engagement, strengthens partnerships and generates the resources the organization needs.
Whalen, a sales associate at Whalen Insurance Agency, is also a property manager and has served on the board of the Downtown Northampton Association. He previously served on United Way’s campaign committee.
“Having been on the Campaign Committee already, I was familiar with how it functioned and what it entailed,” Whalen said. “I’m honored to be a campaign co-chair and to step into the role that I have seen other inspirational figures of our community take on.”
Whalen said he hopes to continue the momentum of previous campaigns and help them grow.
To donate, volunteer or learn more, call 413-584-3962 or visit uw-fh.org.