Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. announced that Scott E. Armando has joined the bank as a residential mortgage originator.
Armando will guide clients through the mortgage application process. He serves the same role for Glens Falls National Bank, part of the Arrow family of companies.
Armando has worked in banking for more than 20 years with experience in business development and mortgage services.
Originally from Schodack, he currently lives in East Greenbush with his wife and two children. He serves as a house committee member for the BPOE/Elks and as a coach for East Greenbush Softball and East Greenbush Little League.
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Lisa M. Licata with Sterling Homes Inc, was awarded the Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) designation, the premier seller agency designation in the country.
The SRS is conferred by the Real Estate Business Institute (REBI) and is an official credential of the National Association of Realtors. She was required to successfully complete comprehensive coursework in seller representation, demonstrate significant seller representation experience and expertise, and subscribe to the Realtor Code of Ethics.
Licata was hired as the director of sales and marketing for Sterling Homes in February. She adds the SRS designation to her title, in addition to her certified buyer representative.
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Upstate Agency in South Glens Falls announced that Valerie Childs has been promoted to commercial risk advisor in the agency’s Commercial Property and Casualty Division.
The group also announced two promotions in the Employee Benefits Division. Shelly Marcantonio is now employee benefits practice leader and Holly Lewis has been named manager of TPA and COBRA Administrator.
Childs will manage risk advisement and business development for large commercial insurance accounts and help educate clients on their coverage options. She joined Upstate in 2017 as a senior commercial account manager, bringing with her more than 40 years of insurance industry experience.
She volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House, the National Canine Cancer Foundation and various local animal shelters. She was recently appointed to the ARCC Leadership Adirondack program.
Marcantonio will lead the strategic growth of the employee benefits division and drive the ongoing expansion of services to ensure clients receive the most comprehensive options. She joined Upstate in 2016 as manager of operations with more than 15 years of experience in employee benefits and the health insurance industry.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Siena College and is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Tech Valley.
Lewis will oversee day-to-day management and administration of TPA and COBRA services, ensuring quality and efficient service with an oversight on compliance.
Lewis joined Upstate in 2017 with more than 13 years of experience as an office manager and insurance representative.
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Saratoga Hospital’s Dr. Michael Holland has been named to the international pool of experts that advises the European Commission on chemical threats.
He is one of 68 experts worldwide selected by the commission’s Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks to provide ad hoc, rapid risk assessment of chemical threats to public health, consumer safety and the environment.
The medical director of occupational medicine and employee health at Saratoga Hospital, Holland was chosen for his significant expertise in medical toxicology and environmental health.
He serves on the faculty of the Medical Toxicology Fellowship Training Program and as a consulting medical toxicologist at the Upstate New York Poison Center, both at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.
In addition, Holland is a principal medical toxicologist at the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health in Little Rock, Arkansas, and serves on the American Industrial Hygiene Association Emergency Response Planning Committee. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, American College of Medical Toxicology and European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists.
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Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP has hired Hildy R. Marinello as a new associate.
Marinello joins Whiteman Osterman & Hanna’s Litigation and Appeals Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, she was an associate with O’Connor, O’Connor, Bresee & First PC.
Marinello serves as co-chair to the Young Lawyer Committee, Albany County Bar Association and is a member of The Junior League of Albany.
She received her J.D., cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her B.A., in English, from Siena College.
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Financial Advisor Sherry Finkel Murphy, CFP®, ChFC®, RICP® has joined the Atrium Financial Group of Northwestern Mutual.
Finkel Murphy, who led her own practice at Northwestern Mutual, has prior experience as business unit executive in a Fortune 100 company, and was a sales leader and coach. She will provide financial planning to corporate executives and business owners, as well as solutions within her specialty of retirement income and distribution planning.
As a Saratoga resident, she also provides representation of the firm in the North Country region. She initiated and currently spearheads a women’s study group that provides support and creative dialog for all of the women professionals at Tronco Financial Group. She is also the current chair of the Women’s Business Council of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Finkel Murphy has also been recognized as one of Northwestern Mutual’s 2019 Most Exceptional Community Service Award winners for her volunteer efforts with Wellspring, which provides support to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The organization received a $25,000 grant on her behalf because of this award. It is presented to only four Northwestern Mutual advisors nationwide each year.
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Desiree Drindak was named the permanent director of the Office of Veteran and Military Education (OVME) at SUNY Empire State College after serving as interim director.
Drindak has been at SUNY Empire since 2007. Prior to being interim director, she held positions as military academic development coordinator, military academic advisor, and military programs coordinator.
Drindak is an appointee to the SUNY Veteran Advisory Board, received the Patriot Award from the U.S. Department of Defense for support and flexibility on behalf of military reserve employees, and is a past president of the New York State Advisory Council on Military Education.
She also held roles at Thomas Edison State University as a military programs coordinator and regional military base counselor.
She has a Master of Education, with a concentration in psychology and student personnel administration, from Springfield College, and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology, with a concentration in management from Western New England University.
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Dr. Yoram Amsalem has joined the interventional cardiology team at Saratoga Hospital.
He has extensive experience in treating cardiac and peripheral vascular conditions, especially in high-risk and complex patients.
Amsalem comes to Saratoga Hospital from New York City’s Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai Saint Luke’s Hospital. He was a senior interventional cardiologist on staff at both facilities and has performed more than 1,000 percutaneous coronary interventions, a procedure formerly known as balloon angioplasty with stenting to open clogged arteries in the heart.
Amsalem earned his medical degree from Ben Gurion University of the Negev School of Medicine in Israel. He completed an internship, residency and cardiology fellowship at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, followed by a fellowship in interventional cardiology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Amsalem is board certified in internal medicine, with subspecialty certification in cardiovascular disease.