Category Archives: Personnel Briefs

Skidmore College has named Martin A. Mbugua vice president for communications and marketing.

In this newly established role, Mbugua will provide strategic leadership and direction for all aspects of the college’s communications and marketing efforts.

Mbugua will be the college’s chief communications officer, serving as a strategic advisor to the president and senior staff in the development and execution of communications and marketing plans to promote the college and its mission.

He brings more than 20 years of experience in journalism and higher education communications to Skidmore, most recently as assistant vice president for content and communications at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he led the university’s online news content, media relations, social media and internal communications teams. Previously, he was director of media relations and university spokesperson at Princeton University.

Mbugua was a reporter with the New York Daily News; U.S. correspondent for the Daily Nation and Standard newspapers in Nairobi, Kenya; and assistant editor at the Queens Chronicle in New York City. He also served as communications and marketing manager at the City University of New York’s Murphy Institute and senior news editor at the University of Delaware.

He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in government, politics and international relations from St. John’s University in New York City, where he also earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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Roohan Realty in Saratoga Springs announce that Meghan McBride has joined the company as an accounting specialist.

The company also announce the promotion of Eli King to digital marketing manager. She has been with the company for three years.

McBride grew up in Mechanicville and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Siena College in 2013.

After school, she began her career in accounting.     

McBride lives in Mechanicville.

The role of digital marketing manager was created to support the growth of the company’s in-house marketing department, which also added a professional graphic designer to the team last month. King will manage the firm’s digital marketing strategies including the website, search engine optimization, original content, Roohan Beat newsletter, social media and interactive technologies.

With over a decade of experience in real estate marketing and technology, King specializes in search engine optimization, content strategy and predictive analytics. She worked for a real estate firm in Lake George for several years before joining Roohan Realty in 2014. Eli, of Saratoga Springs, is a graduate of Manhattanville College.

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The Wesley Community announced that Timothy Pehl was appointed to the board of directors of the Wesley Community in Saratoga Springs.

As a managing member at Luther Forest Wealth Advisors LLC and a senior partner at Kumlander, Donofrio, Hay & Pehl, CPAs, LLP, Pehl brings both comprehensive leadership and financial skills to the Wesley Community.

Pehl currently is a member of the board of directors and past president of Saratoga Springs Lions Club Foundation Inc., as well as a long-time member of the Saratoga Springs Lions Club.

He previously served as chairman of the board of directors of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and president of the board of directors of Transitional Services Association Inc., a Saratoga Springs-based nonprofit organization. He was treasurer and board member of the Saratoga Center for the Family. He is also the former treasurer of both the Gore Mountain Ski Club and Saratoga Springs Alpine Ski Team.

A native and current resident of Saratoga Springs, Pehl is a graduate of Clarkson University.

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NBT Bank announced that Matthew Easterly has been promoted to assistant vice president.

He is a financial consultant at NBT Financial Services, a division of NBT Wealth Management, and is based at NBT Bank’s office located at 295 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

As financial consultant, Easterly assists clients with investments, insurance, retirement plans and the overall financial planning process. He provides customers in Saratoga, Warren, Fulton and Schenectady counties with access to financial and insurance products through LPL Financial.

A resident of Saratoga Springs, Easterly joined NBT in 2007. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business at SUNY Plattsburgh and holds state licenses in life, health and long term care insurance. He is FINRA Series 7 and 63 registered with LPL Financial.

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Elizabeth B. Yoquinto, Esq. of Clifton Park, has joined the flaw firm of Maguire Cardona PC, a civil litigation and general practice firm in Albany.

Before joining Maguire Cardona, Yoquinto completed internships at the office of the state Attorney General, the Internal Revenue Service and with the Hon. Rachel Kretser in Albany City Court, Criminal Part. She also interned for the Third Judicial District Gender Fairness Committee, and she currently serves as counsel to the Gender Fairness Committee.

Throughout law school, Yoquinto worked at the Fordham University Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, where she provided pro bono legal services to low-income individuals and nonprofits. She was also an editor on the Corporate Law Journal and tutored students in civil procedure and federal income taxation.

Yoquinto holds a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College and a juris doctor degree from Fordham Law School. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Connecticut College.

Yoquinto is a member of the New York Bar Association, the Albany County Bar Association, and the Capital District Women’s Bar Association.

Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs PC has hired Caitlin Newton as a senior pension specialist.

A graduate from The College of Saint Rose, Newton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public communication with a concentration in public relations, advertising and marketing. 

She has over six years of experience in 401(k) account management and client services administration.

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Phinney Design Group has hired three additional members to its team.

Brennan Drake was hired as the architect/design technology coordinator.  As an architect, he will help the firm in designing and managing projects from inception to completion.

Having a history with BIM (Building Information Modeling), Drake will help develop the office’s digital graphic standards for both presentations and construction documentation. 

Drake received his Master of Architecture degree from Boston Architectural College and Bachelor of Science in architectural technology at Alfred State College.

He is an active member of American Institute of Architects Eastern New York Chapter, and joined the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation as a board member.

Katelyn Mulry was hired as an architectural designer and sustainability coordinator.  She will add to the firm’s experience in the architectural field with a focus on “green” building design strategies and environmentally sensitive construction methodologies.

Mulry received her Master of Environmental Building Design degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Architecture from the New York Institute of Technology.   

She was previously employed as an intermediate architect at the Spector Group Architects in New York City.  She has previously been involved in design renderings for a variety of projects, including Deutsch Inc., Vayner Media, Hudson Yards and a new Uber headquarters.

Ashley Pezze was hired as an interior designer.  Pezze will help with both residential and commercial interior needs.

Pezze received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in interior design from Rochester Institute of Technology and an Associate of Science degree in liberal arts and sciences from Monroe Community College.   She was previously employed at Vargas Associates as an interior designer and a relocation manager.

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Dr. Kyle Osborn has joined Saratoga Hospital Medical Group/Primary Care Milton.

Dr. Osborn has extensive experience as a primary care doctor, including four years as an active duty family physician in the U.S. Air Force. Most recently, he was in practice with Niskayuna Family Medicine.

A graduate of Colgate University, he earned a medical degree from State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. He completed an internship and residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital Center, also in Syracuse. He is board certified in family medicine.

Jack Mewhorter was promoted to assistant vice president, management information systems at Ballston Spa National Bank.

Mewhorter will be responsible for business intelligence and management reporting to support the strategic goals of the bank, in addition to continuing his roles as information security officer and business continuity facilitator.

Mewhorter joined Ballston Spa National Bank in 2005 as an information security officer. He received a bachelor of science in marketing, majoring in personal selling/sales management from Bowling Green State University.

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Roohan Realty has announced two new hires.

Michelle Everts has joined the company as a licensed real estate salesperson. She will work with the Roohan Realty team and real estate clients in all areas of the market, from residential to commercial to investments.

Everts is a graduate of SUNY Empire State College with a degree in human services with a concentration in criminal studies. She is a member of the National Association of Realtors  and the Greater Capital Region Association of Realtors.           

She resides in Wilton.

Neil Corkery has joined the company as a licensed real estate agent. Corkery grew up in Greenwich and now lives in Saratoga Springs.

He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Gordon College in Massachusetts. Corkery is new to real estate sales although he previously worked in the mortgage industry at Wachovia.

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Sarah Robinson, a partner at Teal, Becker & Chiaramonte, CPAs, PC was named to the Albany Business Review’s list of 40 Under Forty.

The award honors 40 professionals in the Capital Region who are under 40 years of age for their outstanding business achievements and community influences.

Robinson is the third TBC employee to receive the accolade since the program’s inception in 2000. As one of the 40 honorees selected by an advisory committee of business leaders, she will be honored on May 12 at the Albany Capital Center.

Robinson joined the firm in 1999, after receiving her Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree from the College of Saint Rose. By 2014, she was named a partner at the firm.

She is the treasurer on the board of directors of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is involved specifically with the AICPA’s employee benefit plan quality control center and internally, she sits on the firm’s employee benefit plan audit niche committee.

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Rebuilding Together Saratoga County announced four new members of its board of directors.

Added to the board are Deanne Devitt,  assistant treasurer/main office branch manager at the Adirondack Trust Co; Alicia Jacobs, director of communications and community engagement at Excelsior College; Catherine French, assistant general manager/corporate sales development at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs; and Bridget Reilly, chief financial officer at Bonacio Construction Inc.

Rebuilding Together Saratoga County provides critical home repairs and accessibility modifications for low-income homeowners who are older adults, individuals living with a disability, veterans or families with children. The services are provided at no cost to the families they serve and focus on ensuring they can live independently in a home that is safe and healthy. Rebuilding Together also rehabilitates properties that house qualifying nonprofit organizations serving our community.

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