Three new extension educators, Owen Placido, Sarah Schechter and Maggie Cozens, have joined Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension this summer.

The new staff, who are based at CT Sea Grant’s main office at the UConn Avery Point campus in Groton, are charged with different facets of outreach and partnership with communities and residents to enhance resilience, stewardship and appreciation of Long Island Sound and its watershed.

Placido is assistant extension educator, nature-based resilience. He fills a position created after the retirement of Juliana Barrett, now extension educator emerita and coastal habitat specialist.

Schechter is assistant extension educator for sustainable and resilient communities. Schechter will serve Eastern Connecticut, while her counterpart Deb Abibou serves Western Connecticut, addressing community resilience priorities of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Island Sound Study in collaboration with their counterparts at New York Sea Grant.

Cozens is Long Island Sound outreach coordinator, spearheading community outreach and engagement activities for the EPA’s Long Island Sound Study.

Training & Workforce Development

SCORE will host a new free seminar, “Assessing Your Company’s Financial Needs,” from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, on Zoom.

Larry Stovall and Amisha Tailor, both vice presidents at TD Bank, will .discuss how to assess a company’s financial status, future financial needs and financing options.

They will cover topics such as what lenders look for, credit, small business resources and how to stay financially strong.

Register at https://www.score.org/easternct.

People & Places

Jewett City Savings Bank has announced Brian Streigle has joined the bank as branch manager of the Main Office in Jewett City.

Streigle previously served as branch manager at Idaho Central Credit Union for two years. A recently retired soldier, he served in four combat deployments during his 20 years with the U.S. Army.

A resident of Norwich, in his free time Streigle fishes and serves as a Boy Scout leader.

Norwich resident David Horst has been appointed minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Norwich. Since 2019, he had served the congregation as a guest worship leader .

Horst served Unitarian Universalist congregations in the Boston area, Nantucket, and New Jersey for 20 years prior to settling in Norwich with his family in 2019. He holds an M.Div. degree from Harvard Divinity School and a Certificate in Spiritual Guidance from the Unitarian Universalist Rowe Center. He enjoyed a previous career in public relations and advertising, arts administration, and events management.

The Norwich Unitarian Universalists meet on Sunday mornings at 10 at its worship and gathering center at 67-69 Main St.

EASTCONN has appointed Edward “Ted” Keleher to the position of principal at its Quinebaug Middle College magnet high school in Danielson.

Before coming to QMC, Keleher spent four years as principal at Robert E. Fitch High School in Groton. He previously served as principal of East Windsor High School and as an assistant principal and math teacher at Bristol Eastern High School.

Keleher’s appointment took effect on July 24. QMC enrolls about 160 students, grades 9-12, from across northeastern Connecticut.

Anna Leigh, Electric Boat’s manager of talent acquisition, has been selected as one of the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 honorees.

As the manager of talent acquisition at Electric Boat. Leigh is responsible for leading 45 employees who support the recruiting, outreach and full-cycle hiring efforts at EB.

She started her career as a summer intern and has been able to build her career in human resources working in talent development, organizational design, succession planning and talent acquisition.

EB hired more than 3,800 people in 2022, with a goal of hiring more than 5,700 in 2023.

Chelsea Groton Bank is hosting a career fair for candidates interested in pursuing a career in banking on Tuesday, Sept. 12, from 4 – 6 p.m. at the bank’s Center Groton Branch, 1319 Gold Star Highway, Groton.

Candidates are encouraged to bring a resume and to dress professionally. Bank team members will meet with candidates and hold interviews on the spot for entry-level Retail and Customer Care positions. Full-time, part-time and parent hours are available.

For additional interview opportunities, Chelsea Groton Bank will be attending The Day’s Regional Job Fair on Sept. 7 from 9-1 at the Hilton Mystic.

Visit www.chelseagroton.com/Careers for information or contact Renee Simao at rsimao@chelseagroton.com.

Loureiro Engineering Associates Inc., a full-service engineering, environmental and construction company, celebrated the relocation of its office from 100 Fort Hill Road to 15 Thames St. at an event Aug. 17. The move supports the Plainville-based firm’s continued expansion along the Connecticut coastline.

Loureiro Chief Executive Officer Brian Cutler, President David Fiereck and staff were joined by state Sen. Heather Somers, City of Groton Mayor Keith Hedrick, and Town of Groton Mayor Juan Melendez, Jr., and local clients from Electric Boat and Pfizer, to commemorate the grand opening of the 100% employee-owned business.

Grants & Nonprofits

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Grant program will provide a $398,896 grant to Connecticut Sea Grant for a two-year project to assess workforce development needs. The grant was one of 10 projects nationwide announced Aug. 15 by National Sea Grant that together will receive a total of $3.3 million for seafood industry workforce support.

A second grant of $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service will fund the purchase and outfitting of a trailer to be used as a mobile lab for solving production-related challenges of the emerging kelp aquaculture industry. The trailer will also be used to provide training to seaweed farmers and other interested sectors.

Mystic Woman’s Club along with 26 other women’s clubs in the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Connecticut, and about 3,000 nationwide, has granted funding to the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, to help with recovery from the massive wildfire that destroyed Lahaina and other parts of the island.

Mystic Woman’s Club, open to anyone in southeastern Connecticut, meets monthly, September through June, on the second Thursday of the month. Most meetings are in the undercroft of St. Mark’s Church in Mystic, but times vary. See www.mysticwomansclub.org for more information.

SCORE will host a free Zoom webinar, “Win Customers with Your Website,” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21.

To register, visit https://www.score.org/easternct.

This webinar features Jessica Baldwin, co-founder of Cardsetter, who will discuss the critical role your website plays in your online marketing strategy, the features and tools you’ll need to execute your plan and how to get everything working together to achieve your goals.

Learn more at https://cardsetter.com/.

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