MELISSA CRESPO has been named associate artistic director at Syracuse Stage, effective Sept. 1. Crespo brings a wealth of experience to Syracuse Stage, having directed plays, musicals, and opera. She is also a playwright and likes to promote and develop new work. Crespo has directed three times at Syracuse Stage in recent seasons. In 2019, she directed the popular, successful comedy “Native Gardens,” which drew recognition from American Theater magazine. The entire creative team was women of color, a rare occurrence in professional regional theater and a first for Syracuse Stage.

KYLE BASS, current associate artistic director at Syracuse Stage, will transition to a new role as the theater’s first resident playwright and will remain a member of the theater’s senior artistic staff. The newly created position of resident playwright is the latest of numerous administrative and artistic positions Bass has held since first joining Syracuse Stage in 1994. Bass was named associate artistic director in 2016. In that capacity he has been at the forefront of Syracuse Stage’s efforts to develop and produce new work. Away from Syracuse Stage, Bass is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre at Colgate University.

KEVIN JENSEN has been named executive director of financial aid at Cornell University. He has 20 years of higher-education experience including 15 years directing financial aid and scholarship units. Jensen will help lead during a period of intentional expanding enrollment with a specific emphasis on increasing the Cornell student body’s socioeconomic diversity. He will work closely with admissions and student services, as well as university leadership, to align with large-scale affordability commitments across Cornell. After starting his career in 2001 as a financial-aid adviser and then director at Treasure Valley Community College, Jensen became a founding director at the College of Western Idaho and served in that role for six years, eventually becoming the dean of enrollment and student services. From 2016-2019, Jensen served as associate VP and chief enrollment management officer at SUNY Oneonta. His most recent experience has included serving as the assistant vice chancellor for student success in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education and as an independent consultant during COVID-19 disruptions, which have had a wide impact in the financial-aid industry. Jensen earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwest Nazarene University and is a graduate of Harvard University’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education.

JOSEPH HERNON has been named associate VP for campus safety, emergency management, and environmental health and safety at Colgate University. In that role, Hernon, a military veteran and firefighter with 10 years of emergency management experience, will lead the university’s emergency management operations. He comes to Colgate from Syracuse University, where he served as director of emergency management and business continuity. Prior to joining Syracuse in 2016, Hernon was deputy director of emergency services for Oneida County, where he supervised 75 full-time staff in the management of the county’s fire coordinator’s office, emergency communications center, and the office of emergency management. He also previously served as the emergency management program coordinator for the 174th Attack Wing of the New York State Air National Guard and as a citizen-preparedness trainer for New York State. In addition to leading Colgate’s emergency operations, including the university’s Emergency Operations Center, Hernon will also lead teams in campus safety and environmental health and safety. As a member of the dean of the college’s leadership team, Hernon will also contribute to the overall student experience with a focus on safety, diversity, and equity in both campus safety and emergency response. Hernon holds an associate degree in applied science in emergency management from Community College of the Air Force, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice studies from Cazenovia College, a certificate of advanced study in security from the Institute of National Security and Counterterrorism at Syracuse University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

KAYLA TREANOR was recently named head coach of the Syracuse University women’s lacrosse program. The four-time All-American starred as a player for Syracuse from 2013-2016. She started her coaching career at Harvard, where she served as an assistant for former Orange head coach Lisa Miller for one year. Treanor joined the coaching staff at Boston College in 2017. In her four seasons with the Eagles, Boston College advanced to the championship game three times and claimed the national championship in 2021. Treanor has returned to Syracuse to become just the third coach in the women’s lacrosse program history. She replaced Gary Gait, who was named head coach of the Syracuse men’s lacrosse program. As a player, Treanor led the Orange to four consecutive appearances at Championship Weekend from 2013-16 and a spot in the 2014 national championship game. In addition to her success at Syracuse, Treanor has excelled on the international stage for Team USA. She helped the U.S. take home gold at the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse (or FIL) Women’s World Cup. Treanor has played professionally since 2017 and currently plays and serves on the Player Executive Committee for Athletes Unlimited.

JIM RANDALL has been named VP of strategic development at BeerBoard, a Syracuse–based provider of technology and automated business intelligence to bars, restaurants, breweries, and other on-premise retailers. Randall, who has almost 15 years of experience, joins BeerBoard from Lagunitas Brewing Company, which is owned by international brewer Heineken. Working at Lagunitas for almost nine years, Randall served in roles with growing responsibility throughout his tenure. Most recently, he was head of national accounts while previously serving as both VP of on-premise and director of on-premise national accounts. Prior to Lagunitas, Randall was a sales specialist for both Windy City Distributing and Louis Glunz Beer Inc., both located in Chicago. In his new role at BeerBoard, Randall will strengthen the company’s capabilities in strategy, market intelligence, and go-to-market planning and execution. He will also be responsible for creating and managing tactical partnerships among the three industry verticals — retailers, suppliers, and distributors.