Bank promotes Cleary to South Hadley branch manager

SOUTH HADLEY — Greenfield Cooperative Bank has promoted Northampton resident Erin Cleary to the position of branch manager of its South Hadley location.

Cleary attended Greenfield Community College. She joined Greenfield Cooperative Bank in August 2022 as a teller and earned a promotion to head teller just four months later. In July 2023, she was named assistant manager.

“We are very pleased with Erin’s impressive growth within our organization,” Tony Worden, president and CEO of Greenfield Cooperative Bank, said in a statement. “Her ability to connect with customers makes her the ideal candidate to lead our South Hadley branch. We are confident that she will continue to be a valuable asset to our team.”

Clarke Hearing Center welcomes audiologist

NORTHAMPTON — Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech has welcomed audiologist Bianca Berkenwald to the Clarke Hearing Center team. Her specialties include diagnostics and amplification.

Berkenwald, a Northampton resident, earned both her bachelor’s degree in health sciences and her doctorate in audiology from Northeastern University. Prior to joining the Clarke Hearing Center, Berkenwald practiced at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and UMass Medical Center. During her clinical rotations she spent time at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates.

“From the moment I met Bianca, her enthusiasm for her work and wealth of knowledge were evident,” Susan Pepin-Phillips, practice manager of the Clarke Hearing Center, said in a statement. “Her approach is marked by thoughtfulness and compassion, guiding her patients to discover personalized strategies and customized treatments that precisely address their unique audiological needs.”

The Clarke Hearing Center has served the Pioneer Valley since 1974, offering everything from hearing tests to hearing aids. As a nonprofit, proceeds from the Clarke Hearing Center support children who are deaf or hard of hearing and who are learning to listen and talk at Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.

“I’m committed to addressing the hearing needs of my community and working with my patients to improve their quality of life,” Berkenwald said in a statement. “I’m excited to collaborate with an exceptional team and an organization renowned for helping children with hearing loss reach their full potential.”

To learn more about the Clarke Hearing Center, visit clarkehearingcenter.org.

Richardson promoted to COO, senior VP

GREENFIELD — Greenfield Savings Bank has promoted Shandra B. Richardson to chief operating officer and senior vice president.

Richardson directs all aspects of the bank’s operations, including compliance, retail banking, marketing, deposits, loan operations, and developing and implementing new policies and procedures for the organizational systems.

“In the two years since Shandra joined Greenfield Savings Bank as senior operations officer, she has been a leader in improving the efficiency and functionality of the many departments under her control,” Thomas J. Meshako, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank, said in a statement. “One of Shandra’s first successes was the complete transformation of the Customer Contact Center to dramatically shorten hold times, expand the team’s skill set and implement technology to route calls to respective agents based on expertise and customer need. Shandra is helping our bank build the infrastructure it needs to improve the overall customer experience.”

Richardson has worked in the banking industry for more than 17 years. A University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate, Richardson received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and then went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration.

Since joining Greenfield Savings Bank and moving to western Massachusetts from Boston, Richardson has volunteered in numerous local causes and in October joined Safe Passage’s board of directors. She also serves as a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, an opt-in research community of business professionals.

Plethora of events available at Garden Cinemas on Dec. 23

GREENFIELD — Saturday, Dec. 23, at the Garden Cinemas will feature a free 10 a.m. screening of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” sponsored by Liberty Tax Service; a free screening of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at 11 a.m.; and mallard ducks from Duckworld, the duck rescue at Montague’s Ripley Farm, in the lobby from noon to 7 p.m. in honor of the new Illumination film, “Migration.”

The Liberty Torch character will be at the theater along with an Oompa Loompa from the film “Wonka.” Additionally, the Greenfield Salvation Army Brass Band will greet moviegoers as they arrive.

“Migration” opens two days earlier on Dec. 21 in 2-D and 3-D. The Garden also has free rubber ducks for the first 50 people who buy a Migration KidsPack, which includes popcorn, a fountain beverage and a box of candy for $9.

The Garden is also running a promotion where those who tag the theater on social media with a video about why going to the movies during the holidays is a family tradition can enter to win a Universal Prize Pack that includes a “Migration” backpack, stationary set, rubber duck, ornament and water bottle. One winner from the Garden Cinemas will have the prize pack mailed from Universal Studios.