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Access Capital announced the promotions of five team members; John Belling, Laura Devine, Maureen McGann and Donna Reichert have each been promoted to senior vice president and Nadja Pietro Bitencourt has been promoted to assistant controller.  

Miles Stuchin, founder and CEO of Access Capital, said, "The announcement of these promotions is well deserved recognition of the meaningful contributions that each of these individuals regularly makes to Access Capital.  Their commitment, dedication to excellence and delivery of consistently superior service are, individually and collectively, an integral part of how we perform at the level we do.  We congratulate these people, thank them for the great work that enabled them to achieve these promotions, and look forward to their -and our- continued success in the future." 

Donna Reichert, senior vice president - operations; treasurer

Donna is a co-founder of Access Capital and has worked with founder Miles Stuchin for more than 35 years. They first met working together at a law firm and have worked together ever since. Donna's responsibilities at Access Capital include all corporate treasury functions and the supervision of  human resources, and facilities.

Laura Devine, senior vice president - collateral management

Laura is responsible for Access Capital's Collateral Management Department.  She has worked in the commercial finance industry for more than 40 years, 28 of them with Access Capital.   She was previously with Bank Leumi and prior to that with Lazere Financial Corp., a subsidiary of Connecticut Bank and Trust Company and initially with the asset based subsidiary of Hartford National Bank.

Maureen McGann, senior vice president - client services

Maureen has been with Access Capital since 1987 in charge of the Company's Client Services Group. Prior to joining Access Capital, she worked for The Metropolitan Museum of Art for 10 years in the Human Resources department, rising to the position of Assistant Manager. She holds an undergraduate degree from Boston College and an MBA from Adelphi University.

John Belling, senior vice president - account management

John is the Team Leader of the Account Management Department.  He previously worked for CIT Group, then Fremont Financial and subsequently as an independent collateral field examiner.  He joined Access Capital 11 years ago, as Account Manager, and was subsequently promoted to Team Leader and now to his current position.  He holds a degree in Accounting from Hofstra University. 

Nadja Pietro Bitencourt, assistant controller

Nadja joined Access Capital as a Senior Accountant four years ago.  She previously worked as an auditor at Price Waterhouse Coopers and graduated from Queens College.   Nadja was born in Brazil and has lived in the United States for the past 14 years.  

Credit Value Partners, LP, based in Greenwich, CT, has announced that Michael Keller, a seasoned investment professional with significant experience in middle market loan origination, underwriting and portfolio management, recently joined the firm as a partner to focus on specialized loan origination and other direct lending opportunities. These will include asset based, cash flow and structured transactions. The addition of Keller coincides with CVP's recent first round capital raise for middle market lending opportunities. CVP is seeking to make loans of $5 million to $25 million to US middle market companies.
Keller joins CVP as a partner and portfolio manager for direct lending and origination. Prior to joining CVP, Keller was the President of Shannon Capital Management and held senior positions at CapitalSource, Inc. and Finova Group.
"We are very excited to have Mike join us as Partner of CVP" said Don Pollard, managing partner. "We've known and worked with Mike for many years. His deep experience and market presence will be essential to our strategy of building out a Middle Market lending platform at a very opportune time." 

Santander Bank, N.A. announced that Albert Spada has been named managing director and head of asset-based lending (ABL). The ABL business at Santander provides commercial banking services to a range of customers across industries and has the capability to support diverse and global capital requirements.

Santander's ABL business is a full service provider with a highly diversified portfolio and particular expertise in seafood, wholesale trade and financial services. ABL is a key growth business for Santander's corporate banking division.

"Al comes to Santander with a tremendous amount of experience in helping clients meet their capital goals," said Michael A. Lee, managing director, commercial banking and real estate at Santander. "We're very happy he'll be applying that knowledge to our ABL division, which serves businesses across so many industries and countries."

Prior to joining Santander, Spada was with RBS Citizens Business Capital, working as a senior vice president and a national sales leader. Spada also held many executive-level positions at CIT Commercial, GE Commercial Finance, The Bank of New York, and Goldman Sachs. 

"We are pleased to bring Al on board to spearhead ABL," said Juan Davila, head of specialty banking at Santander. "His industry experience will be a great asset as we continue to grow this important business that provides capital, industry expertise and excellent service to our customers in a multitude of industries."

Spada graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in finance. He holds an M.B.A. from the New York University Stern School of Business.

Spada is a native of Kingston, NY and a resident of Westport, CT.

Eastern Bank honored Katherine Quigley with the bank's 2014 Community Advocacy Award, which recognizes people who have given their time and talent to address a vital need in their community.

Quigley, executive director of the South Shore YMCA's Germantown Neighborhood Center, was recognized for her commitment to helping children and families in need, in particular, the programs that she's launched to improve education for children of all ages.

"For many years, Kathy has been an incredible asset to the community because she deeply cares about the wellbeing of her neighbors," said Robert F. Rivers, president and chief operating officer of Eastern Bank. "From helping women transition into the workforce to providing meals for those less fortunate during the holidays, Kathy has spearheaded programs that have made a tangible impact on the South Shore.

"It's for those reasons - and many more - that it's an honor to present Kathy Quigley with our 2014 Community Advocacy Award," added Rivers.  

One of the biggest accomplishments that Quigley and her team have recently achieved is the introduction of a new Family Life Long Learning Center.  The center includes a GED program and "Career Connections," a program this is focused on helping those with educational or job training skill needs. Currently, the center is focused on helping teens transition to college or the workforce.

"Every year I look back and reflect on all the amazing work and outpouring of pure kindness caring respect from all the staff, board members and volunteers that contribute to giving hope and encouragement to the thousands of families that enter our doors," said Quigley.

"We constantly hear testimonials from teens and families that have shared their stories with us over the years and I know I can speak for everyone when I say it is truly an honor to work with all these wonderful children and their families. Their courage, generosity and spirit is remarkable," she added.  

Quigley's team has also consistently provided children with a safe place to play and learn at the Y's camps. Since 2007, camp attendance has grown by 43 percent. More than 250 kids attend the camp programs, and the camp staff is largely populated by young adults who came through the Y's programs as children.

The 2014 Community Advocacy Award is decided by a select group of Eastern Bank executives.