Westfield State Alumni and Graduate Student Recognized for Business Ventures
Jun 28, 2023
Western Massachusetts business publication BusinessWest recently profiled several Westfield State alumni and a current graduate student in its annual 40 Under 40 feature, which recognizes outstanding talent in local business and nonprofit ventures.
Dr. Seth Gemme worked at Baystate Noble working in the Emergency Department after graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Westfield State in 2007. He then completed a medical degree and residency from Buffalo Medical School and Brown University, respectively. Currently, he is the vice chair of Clinical Operations in the Emergency Department at Baystate Medical Center. “I like helping people at their most vulnerable time, and hopefully being someone who can change a life,” he said about his professional journey.
Lucas Giusto received a business administration degree from Westfield State in 2016 and subsequently formed Naples Realty Group, a real-estate brokerage firm based in Feeding Hills, MA, which restores and sells properties. “We help our people to hit their goals by teaching them how to flip a house, how to buy a rental property, and even when not to buy a property,” he told BusinessWest.
Ashley LeBlanc graduated Westfield State University with a nursing degree in 2017 before being hired by the Thoracic Surgery unit at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield. During her time there, LeBlanc created a Lung Cancer Screening Program, which has been successful in detecting cancer in hundreds of patients. “It’s so fulfilling to know that others may be spared the heartache of that loss through early detection and a wider variety of treatment options,” she said of her time at Mercy Medical. “It’s what keeps me going.”
After studying accounting and graduating with a Bachelor’s degree from Westfield State in 2016, Chelsea Russell worked her way up to a managerial position in the Audit and Assurance Department at Meyers Brothers Kalicka (MBK) in Holyoke, MA. She is passionate about community service and created MBK's Community Outreach program, in which she organizes events for Square One, Dakin Humane Society, the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity, and other charities. “It’s become a staple of who we are,” she said of the program. “I love what I do, and I love my clients … but there was more that we could do with the resources that we have,” she told BusinessWest.
Israel Rivera is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration at Westfield State. After he graduated from UMass Amherst with a sociology degree, he was recruited by Families First, located in Watertown, MA, as an interim regional manager, where he helped parents network and make strong connections within the community. He was elected to Holyoke’s City Council in 2021, and is chair of public safety. “As a father of three, these programs strengthen my knowledge as a parent and a community organizer,” he said.
