Christ the King Retreat and Conference Center has named CHRISTOPHER J. SPILKA as the new Retreat House director. He is the first lay Retreat House director. Spilka replaces Rev. John Rose in this position. Spilka previously worked as youth ministry director at Holy Family Parish in Fairmount. He also has experience in the hospitality industry, working as an events manager at Turning Stone Resort Casino. Spilka has a bachelor’s degree in public relations from SUNY Oswego. 

STEVIE WATSON has been appointed dean of the School of Agriculture, Business & Technology at SUNY Morrisville. He is the first dean of Morrisville’s School of Agriculture, Business & Technology, one of two new schools within the college formed after reorganizing and restructuring programs previously spread across four schools. Watson most recently was dean of the School of Business at Edgewood College, in Madison, Wisconsin, and chair of the Department of Management, Marketing & Public Administration at Bowie State University in Maryland. Prior to Bowie State University, Watson served as a full-time marketing faculty member at Rutgers Business School (New Jersey) and the University of Dayton (Ohio). He also served on the faculty at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, and Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. Watson has additional work experience as a financial analyst, business information specialist and marketing analyst at Bryan Foods, a Sara Lee company. In 2010, he was named as one of five national recipients of the prestigious Ernst & Young Inclusive Excellence Award for accounting and business school faculty. Watson earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing, an MBA degree, and a doctoral degree in business administration (marketing) — all from Mississippi State University.

ANÍBAL TORRES BERNAL has been named the new dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Sciences & Society at SUNY Morrisville. He is the first dean of Morrisville’s School of Liberal Arts, Sciences & Society, one of two new schools within the college formed after reorganizing and restructuring programs previously distributed across four schools. Most recently, Torres served as associate dean of the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy at Regis University in Colorado. Prior to that, he was mental health program director at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus. Throughout his career, Torres has held academic, administrative, and clinical appointments at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Syracuse University, Fairfield University, Indiana University, and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Torres earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, and a master’s degree and doctor of philosophy in marriage and family therapy, both from Syracuse University.

Del Lago Resort & Casino has promoted LANCE YOUNG, VP of gaming operations, to executive VP and general manager. He will be assuming the role formerly held by Mark Juliano, who left to become chief gaming officer at Baha Mar, a luxury casino and resort in Nassau, Bahamas. Young has been a part of the del Lago Resort & Casino leadership team since August 2016, before the casino resort opened. He began his del Lago career as VP of table games where he designed the layout of the gaming floor and table-games equipment and developed internal controls, policies, and procedures. He was also responsible for helping to develop the company culture and core values as well as staff training. As VP of gaming operations, Young managed capital projects including the upcoming sportsbook, totaling over $6 million. In 2018, he managed the property during the general-manager transition, overseeing all operations and marketing of del Lago Resort & Casino. Young has more than 25 years of experience in the gaming industry and held executive roles at Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Pennsylvania and Cannery Casino Resorts in Las Vegas.

SHEILA DION has joined Northwestern Mutual- Dean Ripley of Phoenix, as marketing coordinator. Dion comes to Northwestern Mutual from Dale Carnegie of CNY. She received a liberal arts & science degree from Holyoke Community College.

Bousquet Holstein PLLC has named ERIKA H. HOOKER as an attorney in the Trusts and Estates and Agriculture Practice Groups of the law firm. Her background growing up has provided her with the experience to address a diversity of legal matters associated with family farms. Hooker is a 2019 graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law. As a law student, she represented clients in the Elder and Health Law Clinic for elder financial-abuse cases and also served as a research assistant to Professor David Driesen, working mainly in the area of constitutional law. Hooker earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and international agriculture and rural development from Cornell University. She gained experience interning with the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County, Inc. and also interned with a law firm in Syracuse, working in the areas of corporate law and estate planning with family farms across New York state. Prior to law school, Hooker served as an agriculture extension agent with the Peace Corps in Senegal for two years.

CHRISTOPHER PETERSON has joined Hillside Family of Agencies as the organization’s chief financial officer. Peterson is assuming the duties that Paul Perrotto had previously handled for Hillside. Perrotto retired on June 30, after 21 years with the organization. As CFO, Peterson will provide fiscal analysis and oversight for Hillside, a multi-affiliate organization with budgeted operations of $138 million as of fiscal-year 2020. He will also be a member of Hillside’s chief executive team. A resident of Webster in Monroe County, Peterson brings to Hillside nearly 25 years of experience in financial leadership, Hillside said. His experience includes 12 years as a member of the finance team of Rochester Regional Health (RRH) and the former Unity Health System. As VP of finance, he managed RRH’s general accounting, reporting, payroll, grants, foundation, audit and treasury functions. Prior to joining Unity Health in 2007, he worked for MVP Health Care and for a medical system in his home state of Indiana.