MAX VENUTI has joined Welliver as the company’s VP of business development and construction services. He returns to the Southern Tier with more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry. Venuti joins Welliver after 15 years with Edifice, Inc. — a regional general contractor servicing the Southeast with corporate offices located in Charlotte, North Carolina — where he served as VP of preconstruction. Venuti previously was director of preconstruction for Welliver McGuire Inc. in its Harrisburg, North Carolina office. During that time, he transferred to Welliver’s corporate office in Montour Falls, N.Y. as VP of construction management.

MANSOOR SHAHID has been named senior VP/COO at Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS). He will have system-wide responsibility for all clinical and support departments in addition to the MVHS cancer program, dialysis, and IT services. Most recently, Shahid was COO at SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles, Missouri, where he worked closely with the nursing and finance departments. He previously served as COO at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee. Shahid received his master’s degree in health administration from University of Memphis and his bachelor’s degree in international studies from Hanover College in Indiana. He is also lean certified. Shahid’s primary office is located at the St. Elizabeth Campus and he is also available at the St. Luke’s Campus. 

JODI HEAVNER-ORTIZ has been named nurse manager of Unit 1 at Geneva Living Center South in the transitional care program. She previously worked as a licensed practical nurse for the transitional care program at Finger Lakes Health for six years. During her most recent experience, Heavner-Ortiz was a clinical leader at Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic, where she provided leadership on the medical/surgical and telemetry floors. She began her medical education at the Marion S. Whelan School of Practical Nursing, where she graduated in 2005 as class president. Heavner-Ortiz then earned her associate degree in nursing from Finger Lakes Community College before graduating from St. John Fisher College with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

NATHAN M. JERAULD has joined Bousquet Holstein PLLC’s litigation practice group, with a focus on estate litigation. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served worldwide, including in Afghanistan and South Korea. Following six years of military service, Jerauld graduated from the Syracuse University College of Law in 2019, while also earning a master’s degree of public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. As a student, Jerauld assisted veterans with benefits claims at the Wohl Family Veterans Legal Clinic, researched for the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, and interned with the City of Syracuse in its Department of Business and Neighborhood Development.

MARIA C. ZUMPANO has joined Bousquet Holstein. She represents both businesses and individuals. After graduating with both her MBA and bachelor’s degree in professional accountancy from Le Moyne College, Zumpano became a licensed CPA. She began her professional career as an auditor at Ernst and Young, LLP and subsequently combined her accounting experience and her MBA in becoming the controller and director of process improvement for a management-services organization. She graduated from the Syracuse University College of Law in 2019. While in law school, Zumpano interned at AIG Europe, Ltd. in London, England in the legal, compliance, and regulatory department, externed at Baker & Hostetler LLP in Washington, D.C. in the tax group – private wealth, served as a research assistant and legal communication and writing assistant, and completed the summer associate program at Bousquet Holstein. 

THOMAS BEZIGIAN, JR. has been elected member (partner) at Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC. He concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning and taxation, corporate and business succession, probate, trust and estate administration, and elder law. Bezigian has experience as a trust officer administering trust and investment accounts for high net worth individuals at a private bank. He has lectured as an adjunct professor at the Yerevan State Linguistic University in Yerevan, Armenia.

SCOTT R. LEUENBERGER has also been elected member at Bond. He is a business law attorney and member of the firm’s exempt organizations and tax law practices. Leuenberger also assists for-profit clients and individuals on transactional and tax-related matters.

ADAM P. MASTROLEO, another new Bond partner, is an attorney in the firm’s labor and employment practice with extensive experience representing employers in a variety of labor litigation matters. He has obtained favorable outcomes for his employer clients in federal and state courts, as well as before the New York State Division of Human Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

KATE I. REID has also been elected member at the law firm. She concentrates her practice in school law. She began her career at Bond in 2011, where she practiced in the areas of litigation and school-district representation. In 2017, Reid served as general counsel to the Ithaca City School District. Now in her role as outside counsel, Reid continues to provide day-to-day counseling to Bond’s school-district clients and acts as an advocate for them in adversarial proceedings before administrative agencies, and state and federal courts.

BRENDAN M. SHEEHAN, the fifth new Bond partner in its Syracuse office, is a litigation attorney who has experience representing individual and corporate clients in an array of complex business litigation matters in both state and federal courts. He previously clerked for Gary L. Sharpe, Senior U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of New York and worked as a litigation associate for an international law firm.

Barclay Damon has elected LIZ COMINOLLI to the law firm’s partnership. She is based in the Syracuse office and is a member of the firm’s branding, trademarks and copyrights; intellectual-property litigation; and corporate-practice areas as well as the outdoor and wildlife team.

ZACH FORWARD has also been elected as a new Barclay Damon partner. He is a member of the firm’s corporate and tax practice areas as well as the cannabis team. Forward is based in its Syracuse office.