Robert DelMastro, Regional Director

Rob joined the Massachusetts SBDC in January 2021 as a Senior Business Advisor in the Central Region and then transitioned to Regional Director of the Western Region in Springfield this past August. Rob is also Regional Director of the Berkshire Region in Pittsfield.

Throughout much of his career, Rob has focused on starting and running small businesses. His experience has spanned industries including Insurance, Technology, Consulting, and Coworking. Rob brings a strong understanding of the highs and lows of running a business and truly enjoys working with entrepreneurs to help them through the many challenges they will face while running their own business.

“I have been blessed with the experience of starting four companies. In each, I was one of the founding partners - which means at some point I did everything from making coffee to raising $14M in capital. Having this experience has given me the ability to work across all functional units of a business and truly appreciate all levels of an organization.” – Rob

Anita Eliason, Senior Business Advisor

Anita is an entrepreneur who has partnered in a real estate rental business, owned a clothing boutique and directed a jacket-manufacturing label.  She is a past Grinspoon Award recipient and currently serves as the co-chair of the Women Business Owners Alliance (WBOA) Education Committee. In 2017, Anita was awarded the WBOA Special Mentor Award for her extensive work with women-owned businesses. A graduate of Fairfield University, Anita has enjoyed a rich consulting career with companies such as Campbell Soup Corporation, American Hospital Supply, Hewlett Packard and Eli Lilly. She was selected to participate in the nation’s first female consulting group in the food and healthcare industries covering the west coast and New England. 

Anita lives in Easthampton and shares a passion for cooking and exploring new flavors with her daughter Christine, a 2014 UMass graduate.

Allen Kronick, Senior Business Advisor

Allen has an extensive business background. He has held senior financial and management positions at a Fortune 500 company, worked for one of the big eight accounting firms, has experience in business turnarounds, and taught accounting at the State University of New York for several years. He currently is an adjunct faculty member of the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and conducts seminars and workshops in finance, marketing, management, and small business start-ups.

Allen serves on several community boards including the advisory board at the Springfield Enterprise Center and the Western Massachusetts Venture Forum. He is also a past president of the Springfield Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. He holds a bachelor’s degree from American International College and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.