Berkshire Community College announces the addition of 10 new staff members and a promotion
Pittsfield— Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces the addition of 10 new staff members and a promotion.
Sarah Burdick joins BCC as an Academic SUCCESS/Career Coach for the SUCCESS Program. Dana Buxton joins BCC’s SUCCESS team and Disability Resource Center as an Academic SUCCESS Coach. Liza Dister joins BCC as the Student Success Assessment and Research Analyst. Laira Leta joins BCC’s marketing team as Web Designer. Anthony Mazzeo joins BCC’s facilities in the Administration and Finance Division as a Maintainer I. Tiffany Moreno joins BCC as Instructional Program Manager: Healthcare. Aaron Oster joins BCC as Instructor Program Manager: Food, Culture & Local Economy. Noelle Pandell joins BCC as Assistant to the Vice President of Administration and Finance/Divisional Manager. Caterina (Kathie) Penna joins BCC as Director of Alumni Relations and Events. Savannah Stanley joins BCC as a Financial Aid Counselor in the Student Financial Services Office. Nicholas Kline, formerly Maintenance Equipment Operator, has been promoted to Building Maintenance Supervisor I in the Facilities Department, Administration and Finance Division.
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Bioscience Image Library Grows Exponentially
Pittsfield— Bioscience Image Library at Berkshire Community College Sees Tremendous Growth with more than three million hits on the website and worldwide users.
The Bioscience Image Library offers the general public free access to more than 1,200 microscopic images of plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and more. All images are within the public domain, meaning they can be used, reused, adapted or modified for any purpose and without restriction. As open educational resources, they are free of copyright and fees, allowing anyone with access to a computer the ability to download and share them. Reynolds also plans to add macro images of reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals.
The images are particularly useful for students studying biology, botany, zoology, histology and microbiology, as well as faculty or researchers engaged in those areas of study. But the stunningly beautiful pictures also appeal to anyone who enjoys art, photography and design.
To view and contribute to the free BCC Bioscience Image Library, hosted on Flickr, visit http://blogs.berkshirecc.edu/bccoer/.
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CHP Health Insurance Team is Accepting Appointments for Open Enrollment Assistance
Great Barrington— It’s time to renew health insurance coverage for 2023, and the Community Health Programs insurance team is available to help Berkshire region residents with updating their MA Health Connector insurance plan.
The Open Enrollment period runs Nov. 1, 2022-Jan. 23, 2023. Anyone wishing to make an appointment with a CHP Patient Navigator can call 413-854-2816 or email enrollment@chpberkshires.org. Appointments take place online or in person, and there is no cost.
Anyone can enroll or update their plan online with the MA Health Connector, but CHP’s insurance team can often navigate this process more quickly and easily.
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Adams Theater Receives $800K Grant from MA Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
Adams— An $800,000 grant awarded to The Adams Theater by the Baker-Polito administration will fund infrastructure improvements while allowing the theater to develop a programmatic vision for 2023 that expands local cultural offerings while maintaining accessibility, building common ground, and producing creative exchanges between visiting and local artists. This funding bridges a critical gap needed in order for the building to receive its Certificate of Occupancy as a four-season venue.
The theater will welcome guests on Nov. 11 for a benefit concert featuring Two Piano Journey, a mother and son concert pianist team on a tour to raise money for charitable causes.
The $800K grant award was made through Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal that provides a streamlined, collaborative review process of 12 state grant programs that fund economic development projects related to community capacity building, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction and infrastructure.
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The Norman Rockwell Museum Announces Board Changes
Stockbridge— The Norman Rockwell Museum welcomed two new members to its Board of Trustees at the museum’s annual meeting held on September 16, 2022. In addition to the election of George Bain and Robyn Phillips-Pendleton to its 32-person board, the museum also named several new officers.
Three trustees were newly elected as officers, Roberta McCulloch-Dews was elected as 3rd Vice President; Tom Ruffing succeeds John V. Frank as Treasurer; and Jill Hai will serve as Clerk, following John Hyson, joining re-elected officers Dolf Berle, Chair and President, Dr. Mary K. Grant, First Vice-president, and Peter C. Williams, Second Vice-president.
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Berkshire Community College Wins Nearly $1.1M Grant for Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program
Pittsfield— Berkshire Community College (BCC) has been awarded a $1,080,231 grant from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program called Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET). Grant funds, dispersed over four years, will provide stipends, partial reimbursement of tuition and fees, and supplies for up to 15 students per year enrolled in BCC’s Mental Health, Addiction Recovery and Human Services certificate programs. The grant will also support hiring a project coordinator and a mentor/coach for students.
BCC plans to implement a comprehensive program designed to provide Berkshire County with a steady stream of qualified, diverse human service professionals ready to enter the workforce — particularly those who will serve the area’s high-risk and medically underserved communities. Mental Health, Addiction Recovery and Human Services certificates, which may be earned in as little as one year, provide a much-needed supply of trained workers to fill employment opportunities in the Berkshires.
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Changes at the Berkshire Community Diaper Project
West Stockbridge— Dr. Marie Rudden, the Founder of the Berkshire Community Diaper Project, has been President of its Board since the organization’s founding in 2014. Marie’s great accomplishment, with her team of volunteers, is having distributed 1.5 million free diapers to caregivers who need them and through the strong relationships developed with more than twenty food banks and parent-child agencies.
BCDP is pleased to announce that Daltrey Turner, member of the Board since the beginning and who has played a key role in the growth of the organization, will be stepping into the leadership position of President.
In addition, the organization has appointed Amber West as a new member of the Board of Directors and elected Terry Cooper as Board Secretary.
In celebration of the 1.5 million diapers delivered to needy families, the BCDP will soon festoon celebratory banners in Great Barrington, Pittsfield, Lenox, North Adams and Lee.
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Berkshire South Regional Community Center Offering Shining Star Supplemental Holiday Gift Program
Great Barrington— Berkshire South Regional Community Center is offering its annual Shining Star Supplemental Holiday Gift Program at 15 Crissey Road, Great Barrington. The Shining Star program is designed to help community members who are looking for added support during the holiday season. Applicants are anonymously matched with generous community donors who want to help bring joy to families. No names or private information are shared.
Berkshire South currently has over 170 children registered to be paired with shoppers who will help buy items on the applicants’ “wish lists”. An additional 60 children are on a waiting list and will be accommodated if enough people register to be shoppers. Participants are predominantly located in the southern Berkshires. Individuals who are interested in becoming a shopper for someone should contact the community center at 413-528-2810 or sign up online at berkshiresouth.org/shiningstar. The deadline for gift purchases is December 5th.
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Megan Geary Promotion at Balance Rock Investment Group
Pittsfield— Balance Rock Investment Group has promoted Megan Geary to a new position on its financial services team. Geary is part of a team that includes two financial advisors and six support staff dedicated to providing an array of financial products and services that best serve their clients’ needs.
