Tech Foundry Announces New Hires, Promotions

SPRINGFIELD — Tech Foundry, the regional leader in IT workforce development and training, announced the hiring of four new staff members as well as promotions of existing staff to support the organization’s growing operations.

Phillip Borras, Tech Foundry’s Career Readiness and Recruitment coordinator, was recently promoted to Coaching manager. A professional speaker, comedian, and life coach, he now leads a team of three coaches who mentor student members throughout the organization’s IT support training program and after graduation. This work complements Tech Foundry’s professional-development training, including résumé writing, interviewing, networking, and other professional-development skills.

Jessica Cogoli has been promoted to instructor. A Tech Foundry alum, she has been working closely with the organization since she graduated, as a volunteer, assistant instructor, and technical lead for the IT support training program. She recently graduated from Holyoke Community College with an associate degree in computer science and is now working toward her bachelor’s degree at Southern New Hampshire University.

Eric Maldonado, a 20-year veteran of the human-services field, joins the Tech Foundry team as a coach. His previous work focused on youth and homeless adults, including experience as a career coach with MassHire in Springfield. He is also an entrepreneur and has been running two successful businesses for the past five years.

William Medina, a former instructor at Tech Foundry, returned to the organization as the new Tech Hub director at the end of February. He is a technology enthusiast who helped build the organization during its early years. In his new role, he is responsible for managing the daily operations of the Tech Hub, a Holyoke-based center which provides digital-literacy classes, technical support, and device distribution throughout Western Mass. As director, he manages daily operations, curriculum development, community relations, the digital fellows program, and professional development.

Hilda Santa, a recent graduate of Tech Foundry, joins the team as the new administrative assistant and coach. She is a retired 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air National Guard and brings more than 15 years of administrative experience to the organization. In her role as a part-time coach, she will mentor the next generation of student-members. She holds a bachelor’s degree in health studies from UMass Amherst.

Pattie Carulli-Hauser brings her passion for coaching and mentoring to the Tech Foundry team as one of the organization’s new coaches. In her role, she will provide ongoing mentoring and support for Tech Foundry’s student members. She has spent most of her career in research and development leadership roles in the consumer-goods industry.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and resourceful team of professionals working at Tech Foundry,” CEO Tricia Canavan said. “We are grateful to our funders, donors, and partners in the community, whose support allows us to grow our programs, which in turn benefit more individuals, families, and businesses in Western Massachusetts and beyond.”