Corporate Officers & Board of Directors

Christopher Viale is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. and serves as a member of our Board of Directors. He is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the organization, including the direction and oversight of all human resource activity, educational initiatives, Financial counseling, and counselor training.

Mr. Viale has been involved in the credit counseling field for more than twenty-seven years and is one of the forerunners for its reform. Mr. Viale currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA). He has dedicated his career to enhancing transparency behind the credit counseling industry and forming best-practice working groups to further develop and foster collaborative efforts between industry professionals. He is currently working towards impactful innovative efforts that will help to propel this industry forward with the help of his dedicated team.

Thomas Hebert joined Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp. in May of 2005. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has a Master of Science degree in Professional Accounting.

Mr. Hebert earned his undergraduate degree at American International College and his Masters Degree at the University of Hartford.

Mr. Hebert has served as a senior financial executive at three 501(c)(3) organizations. He also has 14 years experience as an auditor, serving both as a public accountant and an internal auditor. Mr. Hebert also served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.

Alfred Colonna, Jr. serves as the Chairman of the Cambridge Credit Counseling Board of Directors as well as the Clerk of the Corporation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Central New England as well as Honor Conor, a local non-profit dedicated to stopping youth violence and providing greater opportunity through scholarships.

Mr. Colonna has earned an Associates Degree in Business Administration from Holyoke Community College, a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Westfield State College, and a Masters of Business Administration from Western New England University.

Stephen Buoniconti is a sole practitioner of a law firm in Springfield, Massachusetts and partner in the governmental affairs firm of Buoniconti & McCary in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to his current practice, Mr. Buoniconti served the residents of Hampden County as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005 and then as a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 2005 to 2011. Prior to his service in the General Court, Mr. Buoniconti served as an Assistant District Attorney in Hampden County.

Mr. Buoniconti earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from Fairfield University in 1991 and went on to earn his Doctor of Law Degree in 1995 from the Western New England College School of Law.

Jennifer Connolly is the recently retired former President of Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts. She served in this role since 2006, and during that time was responsible for overseeing educational programs that reach over 10,000 students annually in Western Massachusetts.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Southern Maine in 1979. She attended the Springfield Leadership Institute in 2010 and earned her MBA in Management from Elms College in 2014.

John Connor, Esq. is a partner with the Law Offices of Connor & Morneau, LLP. He is a member of the Massachusetts and Connecticut State Bars, a member of the Massachusetts Federal District and 1st Circuit Court of Appeals Bar, and a member of the Hampden County Bar Association. Mr. Connor’s firm specializes in the area of Labor and employment law.

Mr. Connor earned his B.A. in Communications and Political Science from the University of Massachusetts and his Juris Doctorate from Western New England School of Law.

John Dlugoenski is formerly the Chairman of the Board for Strategic Information Resources, Inc. His previous work experience includes serving as President and Treasurer of Credit Data Services, Inc., a non-profit consumer and business credit information provider.

He also has previous work experience in the banking community working in a management capacity for Connecticut Bank and Trust and Mechanics Savings Bank.

Mr. Dlugoenski earned his B.A. at St. Anselm College and an MBA from the University of Hartford.

Dawn Forbes DiStefano is the President & CEO of Square One, which provides family support services and early education and care to over 1,500 children and families in the greater Springfield and Holyoke areas of the Pioneer Valley. Prior to joining Square One, Dawn spent 25 years working at the YWCA of Western Massachusetts where she focused on fundraising and resource development for programs serving victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault as well as young parents.

She attended Boston College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst earning an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and nonprofit management from Westfield State University.

Dean O’Keefe is the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Athletics at Stonehill College in Easton, MA, overseeing all facets of 23 NCAA Division I sports. He is also a professor of Sport Marketing. His previous work experience includes service as the Vice President of Marketing and Sales for the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, as the Director of Marketing for Six Flags New England, and as Marketing and Events Coordinator for the U.S. Olympic Soccer Organizing Committee in 1995-96.

Mr. O’Keefe earned a B.A. in American Studies from Stonehill College, and holds a Master’s Degree in Sport and Leisure Management from the University of Connecticut.

Salvatore Pizzanelli is the 1986 co-founder and, since 2019, Principal Emeritus of the Certified Public Accounting firm Burkhart, Pizzanelli, P.C. Mr. Pizzanelli’s duties included management of the tax department, which involved the planning and preparation of income, estate, corporate, partnership, excise, and state tax returns.

Mr. Pizzanelli earned his Bachelor of Science degree from American International College and his Jurist Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law. Mr. Pizzanelli is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Julie Quink is the Managing Principal of Burkhart Pizzanelli. She joined the firm in 2011 and has over 26 years of experience in public accounting and 3 years of private, corporate accounting experience. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Elms College. She previously worked 4 years for an international accounting firm and 16 years for a medium-sized local firm.

Julie is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. She is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Liam Reynolds is currently the Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Sales for NAI/Samuel D. Plotkin & Associates, Inc. His previous work experience includes real estate management and development, banking operations and health insurance operations (Travelers Insurance Company).

Mr. Reynolds holds a B.A. in Political Science from Hartwick College, where he received the Clark Scholarship Award from 1979-1982. He is active with a number of business and community groups, including Honor Conor, Inc., National Association of Corporate Directors, Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Cathedral High School Athletic Association, Massachusetts Youth Soccer Administration, United States Tennis Association, and the Forest Park Civic Association.

James Sherbo recently retired as Senior Vice President of Consumer Lending for PeoplesBank after serving 40 years in the banking industry. In this role, Mr. Sherbo was responsible for all aspects of Consumer Lending, including production and operations. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong and successful record promoting financial education and homeownership here in the Pioneer Valley and across the Northeast.

Mr. Sherbo earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Western New England College.