Lakesha Ruth, an educator and advocate within the disability and human services field, recently joined Pathlight’s leadership team as the vice president of program supports.
Pathlight, established in 1952 and headquartered in Springfield, provides services for children, teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the four counties of Western Massachusetts.
Ruth started her career at Pathlight four years ago in the family-based Living program, working first as a manager and then as a director of the program. In her new role, she will oversee the programs and services that support the people of Pathlight, including training, quality, and clinical and behavior supports.
Ruth attended Lincoln University for her bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education and then continued her education by obtaining a degree in organizational leadership and management from Central Connecticut State University and Springfield College. Her clinical background is in marriage and family therapy.
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Mary Beth Ogulewicz, formerly director of senior, social and homeless services for the town of Amherst, joined the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office as the chief of the Elders and Persons with Disabilities Unit.
In that post, Ogulewicz is in charge of criminal investigations and prosecution of cases involving elderly people and people with disabilities; facilitating multi-disciplinary teams working to protect people with disabilities and elders; providing training and education on issues related to elders and people with disabilities; and leading efforts at crime prevention and safety awareness related to these special populations. Ogulewicz also will be assigned part time to the juvenile justice unit, handling cases involving juveniles in Franklin County.
For the past two years in Amherst, Ogulewicz directed services for senior citizens and those with mental health issues as well as people experiencing homelessness. She also led the still-ongoing effort to launch a community responder program as an alternative to police response.
Previously, Ogulewicz was in a private law practice specializing in mental health and elder law, and for 18 years she worked as assistant district attorney in Hampden County, prosecuting major felonies including homicide, sexual assault and domestic violence cases, among other duties.
She earned a law degree from Western New England University School of Law and was admitted to the state bar in 1989. She later earned a master’s degree in social work from Westfield State University.
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Rehab Resolutions, of West Springfield, recently welcomed Tara Satkowski as director of clinical operations.
Satkowski began her career as a physical therapist assistant with Rehab Resolutions and is rejoining the team.
Her recent experience was at a corporate level as operations manager with oversight of over 20 locations. She brings a skillset in business development and strategic planning to the Rehab Resolutions team.
Satkowski’s goals are to provide structured and consistent support to the team in order to provide the highest quality of patient care, excellent customer service, staff retention, continuity of care and a mentorship program for new physical therapy graduates.
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Elms College announced the retirement of Kathleen B. Scoble as dean of the college’s School of Nursing.
Scoble’s retirement took effect on Sept. 10. The college has been conducting a national search for Scoble’s successor.
“On behalf of the entire Elms community – students, faculty, alumni and staff – I am grateful for everything Kathleen has accomplished in her 18 years at the college and for leading the Elms School of Nursing through nearly two decades of tremendous growth,” said college president Harry E. Dumay.
When she joined Elms College in 2003, the Division of Nursing consisted of one baccalaureate program with 100 students. In the 2020-2021 academic year, there were nearly 500 nursing students enrolled in the 12 programs that now comprise the School of Nursing.
Scoble has been named dean emerita of the School of Nursing, becoming the first Elms College dean to receive the title.
The college has also created the Kathleen B. Scoble Leadership in Nursing Award that will be presented each year to the nursing student who best exemplifies the ideals of servant leadership, as demonstrated by Scoble, through academic excellence and the individual’s impact on the School of Nursing, Elms College and the greater community.
Teresa Kuta Reske will serve as interim dean until a new dean is hired. Reske is currently the associate dean of graduate and doctoral studies for the School of Nursing and director of the doctor of nursing practice program.
Scoble has more than 30 years of experience in academic, administrative and consultant roles. Prior to Elms, she held faculty appointments at Teachers College, Columbia University and the University of Massachusetts Boston, as well as several administrative positions in acute care organizations ranging from manager to chief nurse executive.
She has held leadership positions at several Massachusetts nursing associations, and in 2014, became the first nurse to serve on Baystate Health’s Board of Trustees. Internationally, Scoble has consulted for the INHL and Partners Healthcare International (formerly Partners Harvard Medical International) since 1999. She also has had programmatic experience in multiple countries including Colombia, Mexico, India, China, Dubai and Turkey.
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