Hartford Business Journal

38 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | September 12, 2022 Movers & Shakers Barker Specialty Co. in Cheshire recently hired Bob Steinbach as a new senior account executive and director of strategic sourcing. Barker Specialty is a promotional marketing company. Steinbach was president and owner of The Idea Co., a sales company in Wallingford. He will continue to maintain his customer base, while sharing his knowledge with Barker's sales staff. A Cheshire-based digital marketing agency, Rebel Inter- active Group, recently hired Tom Annulli to serve as its new controller. The company also promoted David Givens to vice president of client delivery and technology, and Colleen Luby to vice president of strategy. Annulli, who has more than two decades of financial and tax experience, will focus on financial processes and procedures. Givens will lead the newly-formed client delivery and technology team. Luby, who joined in 2020 and played a key role in building the company's strategy department, will continue to lead the company's strategy team. West Hartford-based YHB Invest- ment Advisors Inc. has hired Sid Agnihotri as a portfolio analyst. Agnihotri will be supporting portfolio managers with analytical, trading and other investment management-related work. The University of Hartford announced that Dr. Jessica Nicklin has been appointed assistant provost for graduate studies and research. Nicklin is a tenured associate professor of psychology, originally joining the school in 2009. She was the inaugural director of the online master's program in organizational psychology, and previously served as an associate dean for student academic services in UHart's College of Arts and Sciences. Law firm Pullman & Comley LLC has announced the return of retired Judge William J. Wenzel as a member of its alter- native dispute reso- lution, family law and litigation practices. His focus will be on the mediation and arbitration of family law and business disputes. Wenzel was appointed to the Connecticut Superior Court in early 2009, and retired from the bench in June 2022. Berkshire Bank has promoted Aaron Averitt as first vice president, regional branch manager of its capital Connecticut region. Averitt will manage the daily oper- ations of branches in the capital Connecticut region that consists of areas surrounding Hartford and the Connecticut River Valley. Averitt joined Berkshire Bank as a financial center manager in 2014 with a background that includes more than 16 years of management experience and more than eight years of retail banking management experience. Lisa Serra has been promoted to assistant vice president - portfolio manager at Windsor Federal bank. Serra joined Windsor Federal as a credit analyst in 2001 and was promoted to commercial loan portfolio manager in 2021. The UConn Foundation has hired Laura K. Padron as senior vice president for advancement. A member of the foundation's senior leadership team, Padron will be responsible for leading the advancement team, and will play a crucial role as the foundation embarks on the largest campaign in its history. She will be coming from the Florida International University (FIU) Founda- tion, where she serves as associate vice president. Padron led FIU's $750 million Next Horizon Campaign with major gift officers across the academic colleges and schools, athletics, and student affairs. Hartford-based CPA firm Whittlesey has promoted several employees to senior manager. New senior assurance managers include: Lauren Antonucci, Jean Callan, Amanda Jagello and Katrina Olson. New senior tax managers include John Brucato, Antonette Colon, Michael Lemieux and Laurie Platner. Connecticut-based Weiss, Hale & Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advi- sors has hired Brandon Koehler as a client service associate. Koehler, a recent UConn graduate, assists clients with day-to-day opera- tional needs in collaboration with the firm's financial advisors. Sid Agnihotri William Wenzel David Givens Lisa Serra Laura Padron

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