Mitchell College has named Ron Samul as director of Thames at Mitchell College. The college transition program serves students who have learning differences or need additional preparation before college.

In addition to overseeing program staff, Samul will lead the creation and assessment of the program’s social and educational programs, grounded in current research related to academic programs for students with learning differences.

“Ron has a vision to expand the program beyond Mitchell’s campus and as a resource for community collaboration. He is also strengthening connections among parents to share experiences and connect with one another,” said Dr. Tracy Y. Espy, president of Mitchell College.

Samul earned an associate degree from Mitchell College, a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University, and Master of Fine Arts in creative and professional writing from Western Connecticut State University. He is currently completing a doctorate in educational leadership.

People & Places

Rhode Island College graduate Abby McGough of Plainfield performed in the cast of “The Stephen Foster Story” and “The Little Mermaid” this summer through the Stephen Foster Drama Association, located in Bardstown, Kentucky.

McGough holds a B.A. in musical theater with a minor in dance from Rhode Island College. She most recently performed in Priscilla Beach Theatre’s production of “Escape to Margaritaville.” For more information, visit www.stephenfoster.com.

The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce featured Judy Mann in the latest installment of its Community Proud series, sponsored by CorePlus Credit Union.

Judy, along with her husband Steven Mann, has been a pillar of the Mystic community for over 50 years. Together, they have owned and operated Pot of Green, a cherished local florist, for an impressive 51 years. Their shop has become more than just a business; it’s a community hub where Judy’s friendly demeanor and their black and white Papillon Pomeranian, Nikki, have made lasting impressions on countless customers.

Over the years, Pot of Green has evolved significantly, expanding from its initial focus on indoor house plants to offering a wide range of outdoor plants, cut flowers, annuals, perennials, and shrubs. The shop has moved locations several times, from downtown Mystic to its current location at 165 S. Broad St. since 2001.

In addition to her work at Pot of Green, Judy has been a dedicated volunteer and board member at the New London Community Meal Center for 35 years, where she coordinates over 400 volunteers.

Mike's Famous Harley-Davidson at 951 Bank St. in New London will host a “Salute to Service” event including a free lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. Regular dealership hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Stonington Garden Club has announced scholarship awards to two Stonington High School seniors who will be pursuing studies in Environmental Sciences in college. The $1,000 scholarships were presented to Henry Sawin and Ethan King at the SHS Senior Awards night in June.

Laura Metzger, SGC co-president, and Terri Brennan, chair of its Scholarship Committee, noted the club’s history with the Environmental Sciences department at Stonington High School that has included providing funds for materials needed for their outdoor gardens, but the club wanted to do more.

Now in its eighth year, SGC offers two scholarship awards, an Environmental Studies Award ($1,000) and an Environmental Awareness Award ($1,000).

For more information or to inquire about membership, visit www.stoningtongardenclub.org.

Katherine Moran Meeks, a former award-winning reporter for The Day, has been named general counsel of FOX News Media.

Most recently, Meeks was a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where she practiced in the firm’s Litigation Department as well as the Appellate and Constitutional Law and Labor and Employment groups. In private practice, she has represented journalists and media companies in libel and other speech-based tort cases, from discovery through dispositive motions, trial, and appeal.

Early in her law career, she clerked for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court and then-Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Meeks began her career as a reporter for The Day, and in 2005 she moved to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Meeks served as editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and was awarded the Oscar Milton Davis Prize for earning the highest marks in the third year. She received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University, where she was editor-in-chief of the Yale Herald.

Bryan J. Jambard Jr., CPA, is being promoted to vice president controller at Essex Savings Bank.

A Tolland resident, Jambard earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from Bryant University and MBA from Quinnipiac University. Most of his professional experience comes from Whittlesey, P.C. in Hartford, where he was employed since 2007 and was a manager from 2017 until 2022. He has been employed with Essex Savings Bank as a senior financial analyst since 2023.

As a volunteer board member and treasurer of Northern Connecticut Land Trust, Jambard applies his financial knowledge to help steward over 2,000 acres of land. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Groton Wireless Zone owners Neil Ryan and Scott Gladstone announced that Wireless Zone Gives awarded Always Home a $10,000 grant towards replacing the roof at one of the nonprofit’s two-family properties.

Tricia Cunningham, Always Home’s executive director, cited Wireless Zone for its “consistent dedication” to the nonprofit, and also recognized the Rotary Club of Groton for a $2,000 grant and David Preka of Advanced Group LLC in Mystic for taking on the job. To learn more about Always Home, visit www.alwayshome.org.

Local Verizon Wireless Zone owners Neil Ryan and Scott Gladstone, along with Sam Stamatiou, director of stores, Salyssa Rodriguez, manager of Groton/New London, and seven other members of their leadership team, were honored at the organization's annual national convention in Orlando. They received the top sales award out of over 700 stores nationwide. The group’s seven stores boast the highest average sales per door in the industry.

The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut awarded over $1.1 million in scholarships to 303 students for the 2024-2025 academic year. Recipients come from 30 of the 42 towns in the foundation’s service area, with an average award size of $3,522.

“Within this year’s class of scholarship recipients, more than one-third are the first in their families to pursue higher education, a 23% increase over last year,” according to Program Director Jennifer O’Brien.

The foundation’s scholarships are made possible through donors who have established 136 scholarship funds at the Community Foundation, awarding over $11.9 million to more than 3,675 students since 1983.

Among the scholarship winners were Josiah Hinojos of Groton, a Grasso Tech graduate who is attending Pennsylvania College of Technology and the recipient of the Skip Thavenet Scholarship and the John Boyle Memorial Scholarship, along with Saeeda Samed of Waterford, a Waterford High School graduate attending Howard University and the recipient of Waterford Scholars.

For more information, visit cfect.org.

Opportunities

SCORE Eastern CT is launching its free five-session business planning webinar fall series on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The series, offered online via Zoom, is for individuals who are considering starting a business.

Registration is at https://www.score.org/easternct.

Sessions are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 1, 3, 8, 10, and 22, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For questions email Anne Driscoll, anne.driscoll@scorevolunteer.org.

SCORE Eastern CT will host a free webinar on “How to Start & Run a Successful Non-Profit Organization” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, on Zoom.

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

In this session, SCORE mentor Bob Potter will guide you through nonprofit management keys, including: Fine-tuning your strategic and business plans, fundraising, managing volunteers and planning events.

Learn more about becoming a SCORE volunteer at https://www.score.org/page/volunteer-score.

A free SCORE webinar panel and Q&A session, “Small Business Loans: Issues and Options," will be offered from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, via Zoom.

A panel of experienced small business lenders from Community Economic Development Fund, Community Investment Corporation Lending, Liberty Bank, and the U.S. Small Business Administration will explain the basics of borrowing money. The panel moderator will be Frank LaMonaca of SCORE Eastern CT, a retired executive with 38 years of experience in banking and financial services.

To register, visit https://www.score.org/easternct. For questions, email Anne Driscoll, anne.driscoll@scorevolunteer.org.

The Buzz is a weekly roundup of business news compiled by Business Editor Lee Howard. To get in The Buzz, email businessbriefs@theday.com. To easily access urls cited in print, go to www.theday.com and type “The Buzz” into the search bar.