Chamber announces hire, promotion

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has hired Nia Stimage-Norwood as a program assistant and promoted Jack Brown to marketing director.

Stimage-Norwood, who joined the chamber last fall, has frontline responsibility for the Visitor Center and the Northampton Gift Card Program, as well as project management support across key functions including investor relations, marketing and communications, and event planning.

Stimage-Norwood grew up in Springfield and attended college at Westfield State University where she received a bachelor’s in music for classical vocal performance.

Prior to the GNCC, she spent three years at Falcetti School of Music in Springfield, where she worked her way up from part-time administrative assistant to enrollment manager/social media coordinator.

Brown’s promotion recognizes his leadership across multiple projects that have increased brand awareness and overall growth for the GNCC.

Since joining the GNCC in 2021, Brown has played a pivotal role in elevating the organization’s marketing and communications to deliver on an important strategic imperative for a “clear message and broader reach.”

Brown conceived and launched the northamptonist newsletter in 2023, led the redesign of both the Chamber and Gift Card websites and launched THRIVE, a new publication that features stories of the businesses and organizations in Northampton.

On the tourism front, Brown is the driving force behind Hampshire County’s high-performing tourism campaigns and partnerships, which leverages his strong creative design and technology skills.

Taekwondo school to host open house in new Northampton location

NORTHAMPTON — River Valley Taekwondo will open its new dojang (training hall) on the fourth floor at 25 Main St. for an open house from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. All are welcome to attend.

Founded in 1997, River Valley offers instruction for adults (age 14 and up). The Jidokwan style of Taekwondo practiced is a noncompetitive tradition, rigorously technical in nature with a Korean cultural context.

The school also features a comprehensive self-study program for lifelong learners who want to explore martial arts-adjacent themes.

River Valley’s unique membership plan offers discounted or free classes for its most dedicated students.

The school’s new home in the Fitzwilly’s building was originally designed as a ballroom for the Freemasons and has been used by thousands of artists, musicians and dancers in the last half century.

With its 20-foot ceiling and hardwood floors, the space has proven to be the ideal setting to practice this timeless Korean martial art.

New board of trustees chair at Smith College

NORTHAMPTON — The Smith College board of trustees has elected Susan May Molineaux, a member of the class of 1975, as the next chair of the board. She will serve a three-year term beginning July 1.

Molineaux succeeds Alison Overseth, class of 1980. Overseth has been a member of the Smith board of trustees since 2012 and was elected chair in 2020, presiding through the COVID-19 pandemic, the search for a new president, and the appointment and inauguration of President Sarah Willie-LeBreton.

A member and vice chair of the Smith board of trustees since 2017, Molineaux has served on a number of committees and working groups including the Enrollment Working Group that recommended the college’s elimination of loans from financial aid packages, the External Affairs Committee, the Governance Committee, the Executive Committee, chair of the President Search Committee, and the Inauguration Committee.

Molineaux is a leading cancer researcher and a drug discovery and development innovator in the biotechnology field. Co-founder, president and CEO of Para Therapeutics, Molineaux previously co-founded Calithera Biosciences, where she was CEO from 2010 to 2023, and before that, co-founded Proteolix, where she served for two years as that company’s chief scientific officer before becoming president and CEO.

Molineaux earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Smith College, a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Johns Hopkins University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University. She lives in San Francisco.

Housing summit coming up

SPRINGFIELD — The Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley announces that Ed Augustus, Massachusetts secretary of housing, will be a featured speaker at the association’s Second Annual Housing Summit. The event will take place on March 11, at Western New England University, in the Sleith Hall Auditorium, from 9:45 to 10:15 a.m.

Augustus will provide Realtors with an update on his housing plan and briefly touch upon accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations in the Valley.

The summit will also feature Jared James, who will lead a session called “How to Win in the New Era of Real Estate,” from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.