UTICA — Mohawk Valley Community College has announced the following new appointments, employee title changes, and promotions as approved by the Board of Trustees:

• Salina Billins has transitioned to director of opportunity programs and will provide leadership for the overall administration of MVCC’s Educational Opportunity Program and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program grant, including supervision, budget management, grant requirement compliance, and program assessment. Billins has been with MVCC since 2012 in a variety of capacities, beginning as a GEAR UP Academic Specialist, Completion Coach, GEAR UP Coordinator, and most recently as Director of the EOP. She also is a Leadership Co-Facilitator for MVCC’s Center for Leadership Excellence’s Neighborhoods Rising series.

• Molly Cameron was appointed to the librarian—user experience position and will deliver comprehensive library and information services to students, faculty, staff, and community members using current and emerging technologies to provide a quality user experience. They also will take part in teaching information literacy, facilitate access to libraries’ collections, serve as a liaison to the Academic Affairs department, and participate in collection development and management activities, the assessment process, and in professional development activities to keep abreast of current developments and best practices related to areas of responsibility.

• Julianne Cardone was appointed to controller in the Business Office and will be responsible for the oversight and management of the college’s fiscal affairs, including general accounting, bursar operations, student receivables, and management of student financial aid funds, budget preparation and control, grants, investments, and all aspects of internal and external audits and compliance. She also will train, direct, and guide assigned personnel in respect to these objectives.

• Durell Cull has been appointed as track and field head coach/athletic specialist. Cull has worked at MVCC since 2013 in a variety of part-time positions, including assistant sprint coach, adjunct instructor, technical assistant, head cross country coach and head track and field coach.

• Steffani DiPierro has transitioned to the grant-funded position of GEAR UP coordinator and will manage programming and support services for GEAR UP, overseeing the effective delivery of a wide range of instructional support and interventive services to support program retention and completion. DiPierro has been with the College since 2016.

• Frank DuRoss has been named vice president emeritus in recognition of his many years of outstanding service, the college announced.

• Venancio Fuentes was appointed to electrical engineering technology instructor in the School of STEM. Before joining MVCC, Fuentes served as a professor of electronic engineering technology and was chairperson for Engineering Technology and Criminal Justice at County College of Morris in New Jersey.

• Jaime Gallardo was appointed to the grant-funded position of coordinator, workforce development in the Center for Corporate and Community Education and will be responsible for meeting regional workforce development needs by coordinating the development and delivery of educational programs.

• Julia Hobika was appointed to the program-funded position of coordinator of the Center for Leadership Excellence and coordinate the development and delivery of leadership programs for personal enrichment and professional development. She also will work collaboratively to identify and prioritize the educational needs of leadership, enrichment, and development offering.

• Angela Marken has been appointed to assistant to the Office of Institutional Advancement and will provide administrative and office support for the Office of Institutional Advancement to assist with fundraising and community development. She also will be responsible for maintaining various financial and budgetary detail for the office and the MVCC Foundation Board of Directors and research, gather, and maintain confidential donor, prospect, and financial information.

• Kshaw Paw has transitioned to the grant-funded position of Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) Specialist in the TRIO-Upward Bound and GEAR UP department and will provide direct services to STEP students and assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program. Paw has been with MVCC since 2021 as a part-time STEP adviser.

• James Roberts has transitioned to assistant professor in the School of Humanities and will teach courses in English. He has been with the College since 2010, serving as a Professional Writing Tutor, instructor, assistant professor and most recently as dean of the School of Humanities.

• Erin Rooks was appointed to health professions resource specialist in the School of Health Sciences and will supervise the Health Professions Resource Center, reinforcing learned content and skills with individual students. She also will be responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating strategies to improve student retention in the School’s programs.

• Jensen Saere was appointed to the grant-funded position of Job Corps scholars counselor and will provide youth of diverse backgrounds from the high-needs population of Utica with rigorous academic instruction, occupational skills training, and viable pathways to college and careers. He also will act as a program liaison and student advocate, coordinating and referring students to MVCC and community resources as needed.

• Jaime Sangiacomo-Jackson has transitioned to the grant-funded position of coordinator, re-entry and will be responsible for taking a lead role in coordinating support/educational services and activities to assist post-release returning citizens and offenders transitioning back into the community. Sangiacomo-Jackson has been working at MVCC since 2017 as a transfer success advisor and most recently as a part-time Education Outreach Center technical assistant/bookkeeper.

• Andriana Semko has transitioned to the position of instructor in the School of Health Sciences and will teach courses in the Health Information Technology program. Semko has held a term appointment as an instructor at MVCC since 2021. Prior to joining the College, she served as program director and professor for the medical coding and billing program at Bryant and Stratton College, director of Health Information Management at Sitrin Healthcare Center, remote outpatient medical coder for Himagine Solutions in Tampa, revenue integrity specialist/outpatient medical coder for Oneida Healthcare, and release of information coordinator for Mohawk Valley Health Systems.

• Krystal Smith has been appointed to licensed mental health practitioner and will be responsible for providing a full array of counseling, mentoring, and coaching services and personal and educational counseling for individual students. She also will be responsible for the evaluation of mental health and mental health-related cases and may provide short-term intervention and referrals to community agencies when appropriate.

• Devin Sonne was appointed to instructor and will teach chemistry courses in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Sonne previously served the college as a professional tutor and then an adjunct instructor. Since then, she has worked at Kerry Bio-Science in Norwich as health, safety, and environmental manager. She also has served as a teaching assistant at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), a research assistant at University of Rochester, an environmental sustainability intern for Constellation Brands, an undergraduate research assistant at Cornell University, and a daily operations and sales manager at Dick Sonne’s Cycles and Fitness.

• Kenny Stover has transitioned to instructor in the School of STEM and will teach courses in HVAC and refrigeration. Stover has been had a term appointment as an instructor at MVCC since 2020. Since 2000, Stover has been the owner/operator of Stover Heating and Cooling in Vernon. He also has worked as part of the maintenance crew for Holmes County State Park, a bus driver for VVS School District, an engineering lab technician for ECR International, an associate engineer for Philips Broadband Networks, and was a communications supervisor in the U.S. Army at Fort Drum.

• Courtney Taurisano-Sprague has transitioned to the position of director of development in the Office of Institutional Advancement and will collaborate with the executive director on the planning, management, and execution of the college’s major gifts campaigns and all fundraising activities. She also will be responsible for the tracking, identification, cultivation, and stewardship of alumni, donors, and prospects. Taurisano-Sprague has been with MVCC since 2016 as development assistant.

• Christine VanNamee has transitioned to the position of assistant professor in the School of Business and Hospitality and will teach courses in business. She has been with the college since 2014, serving as adjunct instructor, instructor, and most recently as dean of the School of Business and Hospitality.

• Marie Veschusio has been appointed to admissions specialist and will work closely with the director of admissions to develop and implement an admissions recruitment plan that is consistent with the college’s strategic plan and initiatives. She also will be responsible for recruiting students to achieve college enrollment objectives by working with high school counselors, adult learners, community agencies, and local businesses. Veschusio joins MVCC from Cazenovia College, where she served as the assistant director of admissions.