NICK ZAPPIA has been promoted from account manager to director of account service at ABC Creative. In this role, he will continue to manage his current accounts, but also oversee the account management team to ensure customers receive great service. A SUNY Cortland graduate, Zappia came to ABC after several years of working on the sales, consulting, and project management side of things. He uses his experience and knowledge of various industries to work with the creative team to implement and meet long-term goals and initiatives for clients.

PAUL J. TORTORA, JR. has joined Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Syracuse office as an associate attorney. He focuses his practice on education and family and matrimonial law. Tortora previously served as a staff attorney at the Hiscock Legal Aid Society in Syracuse, where he provided representation in divorce proceedings and other family-law matters including, custody, domestic violence, child support, spousal support, and paternity in Supreme Court and Family Court. Tortora also worked as a solo attorney, managing his own practice in Virginia, where he represented clients in a variety of legal settings, including transactional immigration issues, divorce and custody proceedings, real-estate closings, estate-planning matters, and professional-licensing hearings. Tortora received his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University. He is admitted to practice law in Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

DIANA G. ROGATCH has joined Bousquet Holstein PLLC in its brownfield practice group. She is returning to the law firm after taking part in the 2021 class of summer associates, where she assisted with tax, business, and litigation matters. Her experience includes working as a litigation paralegal for a mid-size law firm in Boston for two years and with Judge Frederick Scullin in the Northern District of New York. Rogatch successfully passed the Uniform Bar Examination in April 2022, and she is currently admitted to practice law in Colorado. She will be admitted to practice law in New York state in January 2023. Rogatch graduated from Suffolk University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in history and a certificate in paralegal studies. She earned her law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and MBA from the Syracuse Whitman School of Management.

RACHEL B. WADSWORTH has joined Bousquet Holstein’s trusts & estates practice group as an associate. Admitted to practice law in New York state, Wadsworth has worked with a variety of offices including the Federal Public Defenders of Northern New York and Legal Assistance of Western New York’s Pro Se Divorce Clinic during law school. It was at these jobs where she developed her passion for helping clients with their legal issues. Wadsworth also interned with the Judge Stacy Pettit in Albany County Surrogate’s Court during her third year of law school where she received first-hand experience with the Surrogate Court system. Wadsworth graduated from Albany Law School in 2021. She earned her bachelor’s degree in archeology, technology, and historical structures at the University of Rochester in 2017.

Fiber Instrument Sales, Inc. (FIS), a manufacturer and distributor of fiber-optic components and test equipment, recently announced the promotion of SALVATORE BATTAGLIA to director of marketing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical communications from SUNY Polytechnic Institute and dual-associate degrees from Mohawk Valley Community College in both computer information systems and web design & management. He joined FIS in July 2012, starting his career as a graphic designer and prior to his new position, served as the company’s marketing/advertising manager.

JEREMY KALAF has joined FIS as test equipment engineering manager, overseeing the production and operational functions of the company’s test equipment facility. He holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Prior to joining FIS, Kalaf held various engineering positions in the point of sale and engineering industries.

RAQUEL WINTER has also joined FIS as a digital-product designer, where she will be responsible for website content and digital-marketing design. Winter studied specialization in usability and has a degree in design from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. 

Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) recently added  JAMES FLEMING as a health-care transformation specialist. As an integral member of the RMS Healthcare Division, his primary responsibility is to provide targeted health-care consulting by partnering with clients seeking to achieve and maintain Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition, as well as other health-care transformation projects. Fleming works with clients to develop core operational processes to enhance patient-centered, quality-driven care delivery. He also engages in facilitating client meetings and managing all project deliverables to ensure all project goals are achieved. Fleming earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Le Moyne College. He is currently completing his master’s degree at SUNY Upstate Medical University in behavior analysis studies.

RMS also recently added PATRICK FIORENZA as research analytics manager. His interests lie at the intersection of research and strategy. As a skilled facilitator and researcher, he is passionate about helping clients achieve their goals through effective research and evaluation. Fiorenza has extensive experience in survey design, data analysis, program evaluation, qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. As the research analytics manager at RMS, he supports the market and organizational research needs of diverse clients, including those in the health, education, and energy sectors. Fiorenza came to RMS from his previous position as director of performance improvement for  Catholic Charities of Onondaga County, where he helped create a data-driven culture  of quality improvement across the agency’s varied services. He holds a master’s degree in  public administration from Syracuse University, and is pursuing his doctorate in curriculum, instruction, and science of learning from the University at Buffalo. 

DURELL CULL has been appointed track and field head coach/athletic specialist at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC). He has worked at MVCC since 2013 in a variety of part-time positions, including assistant sprint coach, adjunct instructor, technical assistant, head cross country coach, and head track and field coach. Prior to joining the college, Cull served as a supervisor at Upstate Cerebral Palsy and recreational specialist for Job Corps. He holds a bachelor’s degree in human ecology from SUNY Oneonta and an associate degree in recreation and leisure services from MVCC.