STCC announces new faculty and academic staff
New hires at STCC include, top from left, Andrew Durand, Changsub (Jaeoh) Kim and Laurie Cecchi. Bottom from left are Ashley Pease, Marisha Marks and Melissa Pereira. Another new hire, Wesley Crouch, is not pictured.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College announces the hiring of new instructors, professors and academic staff.
Laurie Cecchi of Agawam was appointed assistant professor and academic fieldwork coordinator in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program. She has 30 years’ professional experience in the occupational therapy field. Her teaching experience includes 10 years as adjunct clinical faculty in the Occupational Therapy Department at Springfield College. She holds a bachelor of science in occupational therapy from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. She is both a multi-state and national presenter and chair of the Older Adult Special Interest Group for the Massachusetts Association for Occupational Therapy Association. She is a board certified registered and licensed Occupational Therapist, a Certified Aging in Place Specialist, a Master Clinician-Geriatric Clinical Specialist and a CarFit technician.
Wesley Crouch of Hampden was appointed assistant professor in the Computer Information Technology program. His experience in information systems/technology includes working for Black & Decker as a senior manager. At Newell Rubbermaid, he was director of IT and then senior manager for global application development. At American Saw Co. Inc., he was a network integrator/developer, a manager for Oracle systems administration/systems architect and then director of information systems. At New England Systems Inc., he was the senior network manager/engineer.
Crouch served in the US Navy and the Massachusetts National Guard (USAF). He holds an associate of science in electronic technology from Florida Keys Community College, a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an MBA in finance from Northeastern University. He also holds numerous certifications.
Andrew Durand of Ludlow was appointed instructor for Energy Systems Technology. He has been an HVAC mechanic at STCC since 2014. Previously, he worked for RK Solutions of Western Mass as a sheet metal apprentice. At STCC, he has been responsible for maintenance, repair and upgrade of Campus HVAC and mechanical systems.
Since 2017, Durand has taught Energy Systems and the accompanying lab as an adjunct for STCC. He has developed course material and has been able to provide students with best practices and topical information about the field given his applied knowledge. Durand holds several certifications.
Changsub (Jaeoh) Kim of Middlebury, Conn., was appointed assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering Technology. For 12 years, Kim was a manufacturing instructor at the Public Technical High School in Gyeonggi-do in South Korea. Additionally, he worked in manufacturing for several companies in Connecticut. He has experience with mechanical design, CNC programming, machining and quality control.
Kim holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Sun Moon University in South Korea. Additionally, he holds several certifications.
Marisha Marks of Northampton was appointed instructional designer in the Center for Online and Digital Learning. She has extensive experience as a faculty trainer and instructional designer having worked both in higher education and for multiple non-profits. Marks has worked comprehensively with faculty on best practices in online and blended formats. Her experience at UMass Amherst as an instructional designer working under pressure with multiple faculty and with an increasing number of courses makes her highly suited to assist STCC in elevating its presence in the online arena.
She holds a graduate certificate from UMass Boston in instructional technology and design, a master’s in education from McGill University as well as a bachelor’s in biology and environmental science from McGill University.
Ashley Pease of Plainville, Conn., was appointed assistant professor of psychology. Her higher education teaching experience includes courses in general psychology, human growth and development and research methods at STCC as well as learning methods taught at Springfield College. Additionally, she spent four years as a guest lecturer and consultant at Springfield College School of Social Work working with faculty and students on research writing and APA format. At Springfield College, she was a writing support services tutor specializing in graduate research writing as well as the Tutor Manager. She also spent three years in secondary education at Windsor Locks Public Schools. Most recently, she held the position of the Title III Project and Data Coordinator at STCC.
Pease holds a master’s degree in exercise science and sports studies from Springfield College and a bachelor’s in physical education from Central Connecticut State University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in physical education with a concentration in sport psychology from Springfield College.
Melissa Pereira of East Longmeadow was appointed instructor in Health Information Technology. Since September of 2018, she has been an inpatient coding specialist at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Boston. In this role, she was also responsible for training new coding specialists. Previously, she was an inpatient coding specialist at Baystate Health in Holyoke and worked as a contract administrator for Hoppe Technologies in Chicopee. Her industry knowledge of the skills needed for coding guidelines and conventions derive from her experience as a coding specialist and trainer in two large organizations.
Pereira holds a bachelor of science in Health Information Management from the City University of New York. Additionally, she holds an associate in science in Office Information Technologies from STCC as well as an associate in science in Business Administration from Bay Path University. She also received an accounting certificate from St. John’s School of Business in West Springfield. Consequently, she holds the credentials required by the HIT accrediting body (CAHIIM) and has just completed her Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification. She also holds a CCS (Certified Coding Specialist).
Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.
About Springfield Technical Community College
Founded in 1967 and located on 35 acres of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, STCC is a major resource for the economic vitality of Western Massachusetts. As the only technical community college in Massachusetts, STCC offers a variety of career programs unequalled in the state. STCC’s highly regarded transfer programs in business, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, liberal arts, and STEM fields continue to provide the most affordable options for students pursuing a four-year degree. With an annual enrollment of about 7,000 day, evening, weekend, and online students, STCC is a vibrant campus rich in diversity.
For more information about STCC, visit www.stcc.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@S_T_C_C) and Instagram (@stccpics).
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu