ALEX J. NITKA, a CPA, was promoted to tax partner at Dannible & McKee, LLP. He started with the firm in 2008 and has experience in all areas of income taxation. Nitka works with a variety of clients and specializes in the architecture and engineering industries, where he provides business valuation and ownership-transition consulting services. In addition to his advancement into partnership, he has also been named to principal at Dannible/McKee and Associates, Ltd., an affiliated entity based in Syracuse that provides valuation, ownership transition, and financial consulting services to architecture and engineering firms. Nitka earned his master’s degree in accounting and finance from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Union College.

Mower recently promoted several employees in its Syracuse office.

BRUCE WODKA was promoted to director of IT. He has been with Mower for more than 16 years.

MATTHEW PARRY was elevated to management supervisor, public relations. He joined the agency in 2003, serving as a public relations account executive, and has led a variety of business-to-business and business-to-consumer client relationships. Parry earned his master’s degree in public relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Brigham Young University.

STEVEN WHEELER was promoted to creative supervisor. He joined Mower in 2014 and is known for several skills. Wheeler is a graduate of SUNY Oswego.

KELLY GLATH was promoted to project manager. A Le Moyne College alumna, she joined Mower in 2018 after serving as a marketing specialist with Meridian IT Inc. 

MITCHELL A. GROHAL has joined Beardsley Architects + Engineers as mechanical engineer. He has four years of experience in mechanical engineering for advanced technology facilities. Grohal previously worked as a mechanical engineer at M+W Group and Exyte, according to his LinkedIn profile. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. At Beardsley, Grohal will be working on projects for industrial, commercial, and municipal clients.

THOMAS BREED has joined Community Bank N.A. as VP and senior commercial banking officer in DeWitt. He has more than 30 years of experience in the financial industry. Throughout his career, Breed has worked with several banks in the Central New York area, including Citizen’s Bank and JPMorgan Chase Bank. He most recently served as senior VP and business banking sales leader at KeyBank, where he worked for 12 years. In his new role, Breed manages existing commercial-banking clients, as well as develop and grow new commercial client relationships in the region. He will be responsible for training, guiding, and assisting branch lenders in the commercial-lending field. Breed earned his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University.

AmeriCU has promoted JIN GWAK to chief information officer and hired F. MICHAEL SISK as chief lending officer.

Gwak has been with Rome–based AmeriCU for six years and most recently served as the assistant VP for member technology solutions. As chief information officer, he will manage “all aspects” of the credit union’s technology initiatives.

Sisk comes to AmeriCU with 30 years of credit-union leadership and lending experience. As chief lending officer, he will carry out growth strategies and development for all of the credit union’s lending operations, including residential mortgages, secondary marketing, and commercial and consumer-loan portfolios. 

JESSICA HARGARTHER has joined Cayuga Strategic Solutions as its new office manager. Cayuga Strategic Solutions is the joint venture of the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce and the Cayuga Economic Development Agency. Hargarther has an associate degree in business administration from Finger Lakes Community College and is nearing completion of a bachelor’s degree in human resources management. She has worked in a number of executive administrative roles and brings vast experience and expertise in administrative and financial activities to the position. Hargarther will be responsible for bookkeeping and financial management, board coordination, scheduling, communications, record keeping, and payroll, among other administrative and management duties.

DR. ALFRED MORETZ, III, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, has joined Rome Medical Practice Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. A member of Rome Memorial Hospital’s medical staff, Dr. Moretz joins Dr. R. Mitchell Rubinovich at the Chestnut Commons practice, which has been open in Rome since 2005. Moretz has more than 40 years of experience in private practice orthopedic medicine with a focus on sports medicine, knee, and shoulder problems, as well as arthroscopic procedures of the knee and shoulder. He has served as the official team doctor for high school and college sports teams including Utica College, where he provided care for more than 13 years. In addition to repairing common sports injuries like torn rotator cuffs and anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs), Dr. Moretz is experienced in general orthopedic as well as arthroscopic procedures. He earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Duke University and graduated from medical school at the Emory University in Atlanta. He completed his residency in orthopedics at the University of Oklahoma Hospitals.

F. WILLIAM (BILL) SMULLEN was appointed CEO of advancement and strategy at Clear Path for Veterans, a nonprofit veteran service organization that serves as a hub of information, programs, and resources. This new position was developed in response to the rapid growth of the organization and the need for its wrap-around programs and services. Over the past three years, Clear Path for Veterans has expanded its presence in the Northeast to include a satellite location in the Southern Tier, a licensee in Devens, Massachusetts, and one in the Hudson Valley region. All will be trained by the Chittenango headquarters staff on how to provide programs and services that mirror its holistic approach to veterans’ care, the organization said. Smullen will be externally focused on development and supporting the organization’s programs and services in the expansion communities. He most recently served as the director of national security studies at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University for 16 years. Smullen was also Maxwell’s senior fellow in national security and a member of the faculty at Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications as a professor of public relations. A retired Army colonel, Smullen spent 30 years on active duty. Prior to coming to Syracuse, where he has resided for 16 years, he was the chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and of the U.S. Department of State.