The EANE board represents a cross-section of professionals throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island who provide certified expertise in the areas of business, human resources, and financial management. “Our board members are leaders in their professions and their experience guides our mission to help employers build engaged, well-managed and low-risk workplaces throughout the Northeast.” EANE President Meredith Wise said.
“Our newest additions to the board have been active members of EANE, and have demonstrated a commitment to the best practices that develop employees and give organizations a competitive advantage.”
The new board members are:
Michelle A. Cunniff APA, CPP, Director of Human Resource Services at AIPSO in Providence, RI. Ms. Cunniff works with senior leadership to ensure compliance with company policies and related federal and state employment laws. She joined AIPSO as an internal auditor in 1998 and was selected for a promotion to join Human Resource Services (HRS) in 2002 as a human resources manager. Cunniff managed a variety of HRS functions prior to her selection to lead the HRS department as HRS director in 2014. Prior to joining AIPSO, she held staff and management positions with Aetna Casualty & Surety and The Beacon Mutual Insurance Company.
Cunniff is a retired military officer from the Rhode Island Air National Guard and had leadership roles in the Personnel career field. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island where she earned a double major in Insurance and Management and completed the URI Honors Program. Cunniff also holds a Master’s degree in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University in Montgomery, Alabama.
Toni Hendrix is the Director of Human Resources and Compliance with the Loomis Communities, out of Springfield, MA. Ms. Hendrix is responsible for partnering with leadership to promote HR management practices to ensure fair, equitable and consistent treatment of employees while minimizing the potential for legal liability. She also provides consultation and developmental support to leaders and team members relative to employee engagement, policy interpretation, change management and performance management.
Prior to joining The Loomis Communities, Hendrix was a Senior Human Resources Consultant at Baystate Health and Vice President of Training and Development for the American Cancer Society, overseeing all six New England states. Previously, she was a Senior Consultant with Simmons Associates, a national Diversity and Training company in Pennsylvania. Early in her career, she was the Director of Organizational Development at MassMutual Financial Group. Hendrix studied education at the University of Maryland while serving in the United States Army and has done graduate work in management at Cambridge College.
Mike Hyland, Chief Executive Officer of Venture Community Services in Sturbridge, MA. Mr. Hyland delivers over twenty-five years of experience and a sound history of nonprofit leadership. At the helm of Venture Community Services, Hyland’s focus is set on ways to improve services and enhance the lives of the people they support, as well as the employees. He strives to improve the agency culture each day, and leads by example to encourage employees to be part of this mission.
Before coming to Venture in 2014, Hyland served as the VP of Programs at Foxboro based Kennedy-Donovan Center. Hyland earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and a Master of Social Work from Boston College.
Gregory Tumolo is Senior Counsel and Head of the Employment Law team at Duffy & Sweeney LTD in Providence, RI. He provides employers with the creative and cost-effective compliance solutions that they need to grow their businesses and effectively manage risk. Tumolo regularly assists clients with issues arising under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and state anti-discrimination and wage and hour laws.
Tumolo has litigated discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and whistleblower claims, successfully defending employers in cases before the before state courts and administrative agencies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights, the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). In addition, he regularly presents on a wide variety of employment law topics, including at the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Legal Clinic and EANE’s monthly Rhode Island HR Roundtable. Mr. Tumolo is Director of Legislative Affairs for RI SHRM.