Steve Bottari has joined WCAX as a morning TV anchor and reporter. Bottari will join Molly Smith and Gary Sadowsky weekdays from 5 - 7 a.m. “It’s an honor to be part of the community,” said Bottari. “We will keep the region informed with news, sports and weather and have a little fun as viewers start their day.”

Basin Harbor Resort announced the naming of their new Director of Sales and in so doing marked the first of the fifth generation from the Beach family to join the ranks at this historic resort. Sarah Morris, daughter of Pennie Beach and Peter Morris, will now head the resort’s sales team.

Morris is a graduate of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration and brings experience from prior positions with the Hillsboro Club in Florida as well as the Harvard Club and Charles Hotel in Boston.

Housing Vermont’s New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program has added staff capacity with the hiring of Beth Boutin as Senior Investment Officer. Beth will direct Vermont Rural Ventures, Housing Vermont’s NMTC affiliate, developing and managing a project pipeline as well as fostering and maintaining relations with investors.

Nichole L. Fitzgerald has joined Merritt & Merritt & Moulton, lawyers for growth companies, as a paralegal. Nichole was previously employed by Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. as a paralegal/franchise compliance specialist.

Merritt & Merritt & Moulton is a boutique law firm based in Burlington, VT that collaborates with publicly- and privately-held growth companies throughout New England, as well as the angel, venture capital and private equity investors that support them, to build and guide their businesses.

Vermont Mutual Insurance Group in Montpelier, VT is pleased to announce that they have hired Susan Chicoine as the Human Resources director and have promoted Lu Gambero to Project Manager in their Information Technology Department.

Berkshire Bank has welcomed Nicole Scribner, vice president, regional branch manager, Vermont. In her new role, she will oversee the management of the Bank’s eight branches in the Vermont region, which includes one branch in Whitehall, New York. In this capacity, she will work to build and expand customer relationships while providing ongoing support and guidance for sales, service and operations of the branches.

The Vermont & New Hampshire Upper Valley Region of the American Red Cross is pleased to announce that Larry Kupferman and Brent Garrow have joined the staff. Each will assume responsibilities related to the delivery of disaster preparedness and response services provided by the American Red Cross.

The Vermont Health CO-OP has announced the hiring of Christine Oliver as CEO of Vermont’s new member-owned, not-for-profit health insurance plan. Ms. Oliver currently serves as the Deputy Secretary of the Agency of Human Services, and has previously held the positions of Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, and Deputy Commissioner for Health Care Administration in the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISHCA).

Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene (CMC/DHK) recently appointed James Suozzi, DO, a fellowship trained Emergency Care physician, as Associate Medical Director for its Emergency Care Center. Since joining the Emergency Care Center in 2009, Dr. Suozzi has played a pivotal role in improving quality of care. As Associate Medical Director, he will continue to assist the Emergency Care team with quality improvement as well as managing day-to-day operations.

Environmental Compliance Services, Inc. (ECS) has announced Joseph Hayes, CPG, PG and Laura Woodard will be presenting at the 28th Annual International Conference on Contaminated Soils, Sediments, Water and Energy to be held October 15-18, 2012 at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.