HADLEY — UMassFive College Federal Credit Union (UMassFive) has announced the promotion of Athol resident Gina Maroni to senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer (CFO).
In her new role, Maroni will maintain her current responsibilities, including financial oversight, strategizing and budgeting for UMass Five, according to a press release. Maroni previously served as the credit union’s vice president of finance and CFO for the past nine months, and as associate vice president of finance and controller for 18 months.
Prior to joining UMassFive, she was the senior vice president of finance and CFO at Athol Credit Union in Athol, the release states. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Nick, and son, Luca, particularly camping in the summer and attending ice hockey games in the winter.
LEVERETT — Starting this month, John Calhoun will be the new general manager of the Leverett Village Co-op on Rattlesnake Gutter Road.
According to a press release from the Leverett Village Co-op, Calhoun is a longtime co-op advocate, talk show host and comedian from New Orleans. He was a founding member of the New Orleans Food Buying Club and helped the cooperative grow to a $2.5 million business that employed 20 people with a focus on supporting sustainable agriculture, local farmers and proper land stewardship. When the New Orleans Food Buying Club went into debt in 2018, Calhoun stepped in as general manager to lead the store back toward sustainability.
Similarly, the Leverett Village Co-op began 2020 in debt and on the verge of closing, but rebounded thanks to volunteers, shoppers and pandemic stimulus grants, according to the release. While the cafe had to close for health safety reasons, the co-op adapted with other offerings including baked bread on Mondays and Thursdays, pizza on Wednesdays and Fridays, and sandwiches and prepared foods all made-to-go.
Volunteers at the register saved money for the store and sales have increased to the point where large debts have been paid, the release states.
With Calhoun’s hiring, longtime manager Paul Rosenberg, who returned on a volunteer basis, will retire. Calhoun said he looks forward to meeting community members in the store and at the annual meeting on Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.