JULIA HOBIKA was recently appointed to the program-funded position of coordinator of the Center for Leadership Excellence at programs at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) and will coordinate the development and delivery of leadership programs for personal enrichment and professional development. She also will work collaboratively to identify and prioritize the educational needs of leadership, enrichment, and development offering. Hobika most recently served as a site coordinator on the Family Advocate Connections team at CNY Health Home Network. Before that, she was a care manager III for its Health Home Serving Adults team, a Utica family court victim advocate at the YWCA Mohawk Valley, and an intern at the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. Hobika holds a bachelor’s degree in communication with minors in business and psychology from University at Albany.

ANGELA MARKEN has been named assistant to the Office of Institutional Advancement at MVCC and will provide administrative and office support for the Office of Institutional Advancement to assist with fundraising and community development. She also will be responsible for maintaining various financial and budgetary details for the office and the MVCC Foundation board of directors and research, gather, and maintain confidential donor, prospect, and financial information. Marken previously held the position of registrar for Pratt MWP College of Art and Design and has been an adjunct professor of art at MVCC and American University of Health Sciences in California. She also served as a front office coordinator in the Department of Mathematics at University of California, Irvine. Marken holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Laguna College of Art and Design, bachelor’s degrees in visual art and business administration from SUNY Potsdam, and an associate degree in fine arts from MVCC.

Herkimer County Community College has promoted KAITLYN LAPOLLA, of Utica, to the position of full-time counselor in the Counseling Center. LaPolla will provide counseling services related to the social, emotional, personal, and academic concerns of students. She will also develop and coordinate alcohol and other drug-prevention programs for students. LaPolla is a licensed New York State mental-health counselor and a certified integrative nutritional and mental-health practitioner. Most recently, she worked at Clinton Therapy and Testing Center, providing individual therapy to clients ages 15 and up. LaPolla has also served as a part-time counselor at Herkimer College since 2019. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. John Fisher College and a master’s degree in forensic mental-health counseling from CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice.