NEAL CAPONE has been selected as the new superintendent of schools at the DeRuyter Central School District. For the past 12 years, Capone, 50, has served as the superintendent and head of school at Faith Heritage, a private K-12 school in Syracuse that was also his middle and high-school alma mater. He will succeed David M. Brown, who led DeRuyter schools for the past five years before taking a new position as director of graduate studies at Le Moyne College. After growing up in the Syracuse area, graduating from Faith Heritage in 1990, and earning his bachelor’s degree in education from SUNY Oswego, Capone launched his career in 1996 by working eight years as a grade 7-12 math teacher in the Westhill Central School District. He later became a teacher-trainer at OCM BOCES, a position that included planning and leading regional instructional work in areas such as literacy, math, classroom management and parent-school partnerships. In 2007, Capone became a district-data coordinator for OCM BOCES at its Central New York Regional Information Center, a position that shifted his focus to helping districts make the best use of instructional data to support student achievement. In September 2011, Capone took the helm at Faith Heritage. 

ASHLYNN GUARNERI has joined the medical staff of Geneva General Hospital, in its hospitalist department. She received her master’s degree in nursing in the acute care adult geriatric nurse practitioner program from St. John Fisher College, Wegmans School of Nursing in Rochester. Guarneri earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from SUNY Brockport College. She is a graduate of Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing & Health Sciences, located on the campus of Geneva General Hospital. Guarneri began her career at Finger Lakes Health as a housekeeper and transitioned to patient care by becoming an aide. She also worked on the medical/surgical unit at Geneva General Hospital as a registered nurse. In addition, Guarneri was a clinical adjunct professor at the Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing & Health Sciences. Most recently, she worked in the intensive-care unit at Geneva General Hospital. She was honored with “The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.” This award recognizes nurses who have had a profound impact in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (SOS) recently added JESSICA R. ALBANESE, M.D., to the SOS Neck & Back Team. A fellowship-trained spine surgeon, she joins a team that diagnoses and cares for spinal conditions and injuries. She will be seeing patients at the SOS Camillus, North Syracuse, and DeWitt office locations. Prior to joining SOS, Dr. Albanese completed a fellowship in adult spine surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV and received her medical degree from the University of Nevada–Reno School of Medicine. Albanese received her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. 

KRISTEN BEELES has joined Liberty Resources as a divisional director in its behavioral health division. In her new role, she will oversees residential services for substance use, homeless and supportive housing, and HIV services. Beeles has more than a decade of behavioral-health experience and is certified as a licensed mental-health counselor. She previously worked at the agency in 2017 as a therapist.

SHEVANIE CLARK has joined Liberty Resources as program supervisor in its behavioral health division. She will provide oversight to Liberty Resources’ residential programs under the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Clark has seven years of experience in the human-services field.

EMILY McELLIGOTT has joined BellCornerstone Commercial Real Estate as a business-development executive. She is a licensed real-estate salesperson and has experience as a real-estate agent with eXp Realty. She also has experience in sales and customer service. McElligott holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Buffalo State University. 

KATIE KOWALSKI has been promoted to store manager of the Tops Friendly Markets store in Canastota. She began her career in the grocery business 14 years ago as a cashier for P&C Markets, where she worked for three years until moving to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2012. While there, Kowalski worked at Bi-Lo Markets as a cashier and then customer-service manager. Upon her return to New York in 2017, she has held several positions with Tops Markets, including customer-service manager, operations manager, and assistant store manager — most recently at the Tops store in Manlius.

ULRIKA ERIKSSON was recently hired by the Syracuse Crunch as a mindfulness coach. Born and raised in Sweden, Eriksson has practiced meditation, yoga, and mindfulness for the past 20 years. She is a certified yoga instructor, mindfulness coach, transformational life coach, and meditation teacher. Most recently, Eriksson worked as the VP of wellness at PKA Worldwide. As a mindfulness coach, Eriksson works primarily with private clients and high-school athletes. In her role with the Crunch, Eriksson is available to work with members of the front office to help reduce stress while improving clarity and focus. She is also available to counsel the hockey operations staff.