LESTER S. BURT, CPA has been promoted to principal in the Audit & Accounting Department at Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC. He has more than 14 years of experience in public accounting. His areas of practice include family-owned businesses, consulting, construction contracting, manufacturing, and retirement plans. Burt received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego. Dermody, Burke & Brown has offices in Syracuse, Auburn, New Hartford, and Rome.

W. JACK PLANTS II, chief financial officer and treasurer of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent company of Five Star Bank, has been promoted to executive VP. Plants joined the banking company in 2019 as senior VP and corporate treasurer. He was promoted to chief financial officer in February 2021, assuming expanded leadership of the company’s financial planning and analysis, accounting, tax, investor and external relations, and treasury groups. Following his latest promotion, Plants will be tasked with helping Financial Institutions to leverage the strategic investments it completed in 2022 in the areas of talent, geographic expansion, and enhanced digital capabilities and offerings, to improve the company’s profitability and operating leverage in 2023. Prior to joining Financial Institutions and Five Star Bank in 2019, Plants had most recently served as senior VP and treasurer of United Bank, which serves Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Prior to his seven-year tenure at United Bank, he worked in various treasury and credit roles at GE Capital, Patriot National Bank, SL Financial Services, and GE Commercial Finance. Plants started his career at Five Star Bank in 2006. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in finance, with a minor in economics, as well as a master’s degree in business administration in finance and accounting.

MEHMET KARLIYIL, MD has joined the pediatric department of Slocum-Dickson Medical Group. Dr. Karliyil specializes in pediatrics for patients 18 years and younger. He is proficient in treating all pediatric conditions and has extensive experience in acute illnesses and injuries. He performs suturing, abscess drainages, and treats acute dislocations with a special talent for approaching and treating autistic children. Karliyil completed his pediatric residency at Metropolitan Hospital-Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He obtained his medical degree from Ankara University Medical School in Ankara, Turkey. Karliyil also earned his law degree from Touro Law School on Long Island.

Oswego Health has recently promoted long-time employee, JEN BAKER to oversee talent acquisition. An experienced human-resources specialist, Baker started at Oswego Health in 1999 and for the past 23 years has held various positions at the hospital and at The Manor, including CNA, CNA manager, director of activities, nurse recruitment & retention specialist, benefits manager, and most recently HR generalist. In her new role, Baker will be responsible for providing a superior candidate experience throughout the full lifecycle recruiting process. In addition, she will provide proactive support to hiring managers and creatively source and attract qualified candidates for all roles using strategic recruiting methods. 

SHERRIE VASSALLO has joined the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) as VP of operations, where she will focus on operational and strategic planning and efficiency for the health-care system. Vassallo, based at the St. Elizabeth Campus at 2209 Genesee St. in Utica, began her career at Rome Medical Group. She worked in pediatric-cardiac surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia while obtaining her graduate degree. Vassallo also served in a range of director and above-level positions in various areas including clinical, operational, research programming, and administrative/executive leadership roles. With more than 20 years of health-care experience, she has worked at community hospitals, as well as large academic health-care systems. Those include St. Joseph’s Health, Ellis Medicine, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Weill-Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital. Vassallo holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology/business management from Utica University (formerly Utica College) and a master’s degree in biomedical science from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

NICOLE L. MORETT has joined Bousquet Holstein PLLC as the law firm’s marketing coordinator. Prior to joining Bousquet Holstein, she worked at Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo on the nonprofit’s marketing team as a writer and content creator. Originally from the Thousand Islands, Morett graduated from Stony Brook University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, with a concentration in diversity and American Society. She completed several marketing and public-relations internships while at Stony Brook, including a legal-marketing internship at an elder law and estate planning firm in Suffolk County. Morett will work in Bousquet Holstein’s Syracuse office.