LESTER BURT recently joined Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC as a senior manager in the firm’s audit and accounting department. He has more than 11 years of experience in public accounting. Burt’s areas of practice include commercial, manufacturing, not-for-profit, and retirement plans. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego and is a CPA. 

JENNIFER BRILLANTE has been named partner at C & D Advertising. She has been with the firm for 10 years as VP of business development. Brillante has been instrumental in generating significant growth for the 25-year-old firm, which is based in Utica and has a new office location expected to open shortly in Rome. She received several awards including CNYBJ’s 40 under Forty award, Genesis Group Striving for Success, plus four National Telly Awards for excellence in video creativity. Brillante also graduated from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders Program.

BLAKE PENN recently joined Colgate University as its first chief information security officer (CISO) and director of information security. He previously served as information security policy and compliance manager for cybersecurity at the Georgia Institute of Technology. As CISO, Penn will provide operational oversight on issues of data privacy and information security, including data compliance, business continuity, user awareness, incident response, operational security, and more. He will also provide leadership in developing information-security policies and best practices. Penn’s career in cybersecurity spans nearly two decades, with duties ranging from engineering to executive management. Prior to joining the Georgia Institute of Technology, he served as director of information security at the CPA firm KirkpatrickPrice. Penn spent eight years as a principal consultant at cybersecurity company Trustwave and has also served as CISO at University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Currently completing his doctorate in public administration at Valdosta State University, Penn holds a bachelor’s degree in applied biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in computer science from Columbus State University.

Tioga Downs has appointed DALE JAGER as its new senior regional director of food & beverage for the resort’s culinary team. A certified executive chef, he joins the Tioga Downs Casino Resort team after nearly 40 years of experience in the culinary industry. A founding member of the Chefs de Cuisine organization in Montana, Jager began his career with an apprenticeship set up through the American Culinary Federation. He later worked at a few Las Vegas casinos, including the Mirage and Excalibur. He also was an adjunct professor in the food and beverage department at UNLV, made weekly television appearances on his own cooking show, and chaired the Nevada VICA Skills USA Culinary Competition. In 2002, Jager accepted a position in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Cherokee Nation Enterprises as corporate executive chef, where he was responsible for overseeing the entire culinary operation, including 140 cooks. During his tenure at the Cherokee Casino Resort, Jager was responsible for the development of new restaurants and the addition of more than 20 new food and beverage outlets across several corporate properties. In 2011, he brought his skills to the Ford McDowell Casino Resort in Arizona, where he served as director of food & beverage and executive chef, opening additional food outlets and bars at the property while improving profitability and inter-department efficiencies. From there, Jager served as director of food & beverage at the Seven Feathers Casino in Oregon, and then ultimately the Silver Sevens Casino in Las Vegas. Jager earned his associate degree in business management and, in 2020, graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. 

Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York has hired JOSEPH BARCLAY COLE as senior VP, chief actuary. He will be responsible for providing senior leadership for the company’s actuarial and reinsurance functions. Cole has extensive leadership, actuarial, and life-insurance product-development experience. Prior to joining Security Mutual, he worked at Mass Mutual as a member of the product senior leadership team and as head of development for life and protection products designed for people in the workplace. His experience also includes serving as chief actuary for Texas Life Insurance Company. Cole holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics and is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

TDO has hired MARC BICKNELL as a senior project manager. He brings more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing, including operations and quality leadership at Bitzer Scroll, Marquardt Switches, and Pelco Component Technologies. Bicknell has a strong technical and management background with extensive practical experience applying lean manufacturing and plant optimization. He has an associate degree in the study of computer repair technology from Genesee Community College, a degree in industrial engineering and telecommunications from SUNY Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in technology and management from SUNY Empire State College. Additionally, Bicknell has a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and is a certified interconnect designer.

Spectrum has promoted NOEL DEMPSEY to regional VP of field operations for the company’s Northeast Region. He succeeds Terence Rafferty, who recently retired from Charter after a decades-long career with Charter and its predecessor companies. Dempsey previously served as area VP of field operations for Central New York, which stretches from Watertown to Binghamton and includes the Syracuse, Utica, and Corning markets. As regional VP, Dempsey will lead the field operations workforce. He also will oversee the completion of two multiyear broadband initiatives. Dempsey joined Charter because of the merger with TWC in 2016, after holding a series of progressively senior engineering leadership roles at TWC. Dempsey most recently served as group VP of network expansion and outside plant design. He began his career in the cable and broadband industry as a field technician with TWC in 1996, and through his field operations and engineering roles has been involved in numerous major product and network deployments. Dempsey holds three U.S. patents.