Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 14, 2024 29 Cristina Méndez has been promoted to the role of chief financial officer at Farmington-based Otis Elevator. Méndez was previously based in Switzerland in her role as senior vice president of finance for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In her new role, she will be based out of Otis' headquarters in Farm- ington. She joined Otis in 2022, after working as a finance executive in the telecommunications industry. Connecticut State Treasurer Erick Russell has been elected as the eastern vice president of the National Association of State Treasurers. He will assume the leadership role on Jan. 1. Russell is currently serving his first four-year term as state treasurer, following his 2022 election victory. Hartford International University for Religion and Peace has hired Beatrice Fevry Stathers as its inaugural vice president of business and finance. Stathers has an extensive back- ground in higher education and over 15 years of experience in financial executive positions. Most recently, she served as vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer at Western Connecticut State University. Stathers, who will be part of the president's executive team, will oversee, monitor and manage HIU's financial health and business operations. She has an MBA in finance from UConn, and accounting degrees from Central Connecticut State University and Tunxis Community College. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns the Mohegan Sun casino and other businesses, has appointed two new tribal government executives. Michael Purcaro has been named chief of government administration, and Chris Chiappa has been hired as executive director of business operations and development. Brian T. Kench, dean of the Pompea College of Business at the Univer- sity of New Haven, has been elected to the Orange Chamber of Commerce's board of directors. An expert in behavioral and experimental economics and the economics of organization, Kench is also a consultant in the areas of unemployment, economic damages and economic impact analysis. New Haven law firm Buckley Wynne & Parese has hired Christo- pher D. Hernandez as an associate. Hernandez joins the firm after working at New York City-based Withers Bergman LLP. In his new role, he will work on a variety of cases, generally repre- senting individuals suffering from some form of negligence and personal injury. He is a graduate of St. John's University School of Law. WHZ Strategic Wealth Advisors has hired Tanner Sargent as a client relationship associate. In this role, Sargent works collaboratively with WHZ's advisors to enhance their ability to serve clients. Before joining WHZ, Sargent worked in the insurance industry. East Hartford general contractor Solidus announced that Joe Bullister has joined the company as director of operations. With over 30 years of experience in the construction and real estate devel- opment industry, Bullister will play a key role in managing and expanding operations across the company's growing project portfolio. Prior to joining Solidus, Bullister held various leadership roles at PW Camp- bell, where he served as senior vice president of preconstruction services. North Haven-based material handling-equipment provider Summit Handling Systems has named Robin Hettrick its new chief financial officer. She will be responsible for over- seeing Summit's financial opera- tions and driving the company's strategic financial initiatives. Hettrick has held senior positions in various industries, including technology and manufacturing, most recently managing finance at Eder Brothers Inc. Hamden-based SimiTree, which provides revenue cycle management and other tech-enabled professional services to post-acute care organi- zations, has promoted Mike Simione to vice president of post-acute data analytics. Simione brings 13 years of experi- ence from company's the post-acute consulting team. Movers & Shakers Locations OFFERING MANUFACTURING Job Placement RATE FOR GRADUATES 11 90% CT State is the Largest Provider of Advanced Manufacturing Training in CT Most Aordable HIGHER EDUCATION OPTION IN CT $ ctstate.edu/mfg To learn more visit: Cristina Méndez Beatrice Fevry Stathers Brian Kench Chris Hernandez Tanner Sargent Robin Hettrick

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