SPRINGFIELD — Square One, the region’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization serving children and families, recently welcomed Peter Morales to its leadership team.

Morales will serve as the agency’s vice president of Operations. In this role, he will oversee Square One’s day-to-day operations, ensuring the efficient delivery of its mission and services, while playing a critical role in managing operations, optimizing processes, and ensuring the smooth functioning of internal systems and infrastructure.

“Peter is joining us at a pivotal time in Square One’s history,” said Dawn DiStefano, president and CEO. “We are weeks away from opening the doors to our new early learning center in Springfield, which will allow us to expand our reach to even more children and families in our region. Peter’s past experience will be instrumental in making this transition as seamless as possible, while positioning Square One’s programs and services for continued growth and long-term success.”

Prior to joining the Square One team, Morales served as senior vice president of Innovation and Technology and chief technology officer for Country Bank in Ware. In this role, he was responsible for driving process effectiveness, technology, security, data, and AI strategy.

Morales previously held operational, technology, and strategy leadership roles at the Council on International Educational Exchange, New York University, the New York Stock Exchange, and the American Stock Exchange. He began his career developing diagnostic systems for U.S. Navy avionics, including the F-18 aircraft.

Morales holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in engineering management, and a doctorate in computer science and information systems. He serves on the board of directors for the Institute for Study Abroad and the CyberAI Group. In his spare time, he mentors students through the Columbia University Justice Through Code program and master’s degree students at NYU Engineering.