BerkShares welcomes Sooja Whalen to its Board
Berkshire— BerkShares welcomes Sooja (Sue) Whalen to its Board of Directors.
SooJa (Sue) Whalen, Area Manager South County, has over 20 years of experience in the Southern Berkshires. Her banking career began with Legacy Banks and Berkshire Bank, which included roles as teller, supervisor, and financial services representative. Whalen joined Lee Bank in December of 2016.
She has participated in many community efforts including the Out of Darkness Suicide Walk, Relay for Life, as well as serving as a Board Member of Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
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BFAIR welcomes Noelle Crawford as Director of Learning and Employee Development
North Adams— BFAIR is happy to announce the appointment of Noelle Crawford as the new Director of Learning and Employee Development.
Crawford holds a BA in Sociology from MCLA and has built a diverse professional portfolio with roles including customer service representative for 403b plans, marketing specialist, and group benefits coordinator. She is well-versed in training, licensing, onboarding, leadership, HR coordination, and HRIS systems.
In her new role, she will spearhead the development of comprehensive training programs designed to support employee career growth, foster leadership skills, and align with BFAIR’s strategic objectives. Her proven expertise in operational efficiency, cross-functional leadership, and process improvement solutions positions her as an excellent fit for this vital role.
“Please join us in welcoming Noelle to her new role with BFAIR,” said Michelle Baity, SVP of Human Resources. “We are excited to have her join our team to further enhance our Human Resources department to ensure that we are providing support for our employees through training and development to better assist the individuals and families supported by BFAIR.”
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Berkshire Bank promotes Rob Nichols to managing director of business banking
Berkshire— Berkshire Bank is pleased to announce Rob Nichols, a senior leader with more than 30 years in commercial banking experience, has been promoted to lead its Business Banking team as managing director, Business Banking.
In his new role, Nichols will oversee an industry-leading team of Business Banking professionals serving the needs of smaller to mid-sized businesses across Berkshire’s five-state market, including Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
Nichols’ career includes a range of corporate and commercial banking leadership positions including overseeing Business Banking teams at Citizens Financial Group Inc. and First Niagara Bank, as well as as chief credit officer at a community bank in the Capital Region of New York. He joined Berkshire in September 2023 as senior vice president, Business Banking team leader.
A resident of the Capital Region in New York, Nichols is active in the community, serving as treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee for the Capital District YMCA and on the board of the Albany Black Chamber of Commerce, and has taught entrepreneurship finance at Siena College in Loudonville, New York.
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Boyd Biomedical selected as member of ARPA-H investor catalyst hub
Lee— Boyd Biomedical announced today that it was selected as a spoke for the Investor Catalyst Hub, a regional hub of ARPANET-H, a nationwide health innovation network launched by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
Based in the Greater Boston area and managed by VentureWell, the Investor Catalyst Hub seeks to accelerate the commercialization of groundbreaking and accessible biomedical solutions. It utilizes an innovative hub-and-spoke model designed to reach a wide range of nonprofit organizations and Minority-Serving Institutions, with the ultimate aim of delivering scalable healthcare outcomes for all Americans.
“We’re thrilled to be selected as a spoke of the ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub. This is a nationwide network dedicated to accelerating groundbreaking advances in science and medicine which is aligned with our mission to provide the industry-leading growth platform to biomedical companies commercializing breakthrough innovations,” said Stephen Boyd, Boyd Biomedical Chief Executive Officer.
Boyd Biomedical joins a dynamic nationwide network of organizations aligned to ARPA-H’s overarching mission to improve health outcomes through the following research focus areas: health science futures, proactive health, scalable solutions, and resilient systems. Investor Catalyst Hub spokes represent a broad spectrum of expertise, geographic diversity, and community perspectives.
As an Investor Catalyst Hub spoke, Boyd Biomedical gains access to potential funding and flexible contracting for faster award execution compared to traditional government contracts. Spoke membership also offers opportunities to provide input on ARPA-H challenge areas and priorities, along with access to valuable networking opportunities and a robust resource library.
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Fairview Hospital receives awards for stroke care
Great Barrington— Berkshire Health Systems has announced that Fairview Hospital has been twice recognized for its stroke care by the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Fairview was honored for “Achieving Door to CT Less Than or Equal to 25 Minutes From Arrival for at Least 85% of Stroke Patients” and “Dysphagia Screening Greater Than or Equal to 90%.”
The door-to-CT measure demonstrates the percentage of stroke patients receiving a CT scan in less than or equal to 25 minutes from the time of arrival at the emergency department. For the award, the measure includes all eligible stroke patients who arrived at the hospital by EMS and within 4.5 hours of “Last Known Well” (the date and time when a patient was last known to be without signs and symptoms of the current stroke or at their baseline.) Hospitals are encouraged to include EMS agencies in quality improvement activities aimed at improving this measure.
The dysphagia award recognizes hospitals that completed dysphagia screening on at least 90% of stroke patients from January 2023 to December 2023. The dysphagia screening measure captures the percentage of stroke patients who undergo screening for dysphagia with an evidence-based bedside testing protocol approved by the hospital before being given any food, fluids, or medication by mouth.
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the Commonwealth and a leading cause of adult disability. Immediate assessment and treatment are critical to help improve outcomes.
Knowing the key signs and symptoms of stroke and calling 9-1-1 immediately can save a life.
The F.A.S.T. acronym is an easy way to remember:
- Face: Does the face look uneven? Ask the person to smile.
- Arm: Does one arm drift down? Ask the person to raise both arms.
- Speech: Does the speech sound strange? Ask the person to repeat a phrase.
- Time: If you observe these symptoms, call 9-1-1.
For more information about the Massachusetts Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program, or about F.A.S.T. and the DPH stroke awareness campaign, please visit: www.mass.gov/dph/heartstroke
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MCLA receives accreditation from New England Commission of Higher Education
North Adams— Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is pleased to announce it has received its decennial accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE.)
NECHE has established rigorous standards for accreditation to ensure quality, innovation, and student success across the evolving higher education landscape. The Commission itself consists of faculty and administrators from affiliated institutions as well as public members who have no institutional affiliation.
MCLA submitted its 10-year accreditation report (self-study) in October of 2023, documenting its work to provide a high-quality, affordable, public liberal arts education. The content responds directly to the nine standards outlined by the Commission for all institutions undergoing reaccreditation. The self-study was the outcome of two years of careful, thoughtful work, with input from more than 70 members of the campus community.
As part of the accreditation process, a NECHE team visited campus in November 2023. The college received a formal accreditation letter in May of 2024, which can be viewed in its entirety at this link: NECHE Accreditation (mcla.edu).
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Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative receives $200,000 cultural facilities grant
Berkshire— Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative (BFMC) has been awarded a $200,000 Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) Capital Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) and Mass Development. BFMC will use this grant to begin build drawings for the new international film education center proposed for the north end of the Elayne Bernstein Theatre complex on the grounds of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.
BFMC Executive Director, Diane Pearlman said “We are thrilled with the continued support we have received from MCC Cultural Facilities Fund for the KSS project – first for the feasibility study, then for architectural drawings and now to finish Phase 2 of the project and to plan and begin the final renderings of the build drawings,” said Pearlman. “Their support has been significant in garnering interest and contributions from other individuals and organizations.”
Kemble Street Studios is a mixed-use studio, lab, and classroom environment dedicated to education in the art and craft of filmmaking and media development. The center will offer hands-on learning for the young people in our region interested in training in this burgeoning industry. It will also be a resource for local nonprofits and companies to become “video literate” and incorporate video in their branding, marketing, social media, and training.
To date, BFMC has raised well over half a million dollars for this exciting initiative. For more information, go to www.berkshirefilm.org.
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MountainOne distributes over $150,000 in community grants during second quarter of 2024
North Adams— MountainOne is excited to announce the completion of its second quarter 2024 Community Dividend funding, distributing over $150,000 to support various not-for-profit organizations.
MountainOne’s $25,000 sponsorship of the North Adams SteepleCats signals the official start of summer. This sponsorship brings baseball to Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams, enriching the greater Berkshire community. MountainOne has been a prominent sponsor of the Steeplecats since their inception in 2002.
MountainOne was the inaugural Pavilion Sponsor of the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC) at its inception in 2020, and proudly continues its commitment of support to the BIC in 2024. In the recent Q2 grants, MountainOne committed $10,000 to the BIC in Pittsfield, supporting programming that focuses on vital areas such as STEM education, entrepreneurship, career preparation, and leadership, driving economic growth, and community empowerment.
The Brien Center, dedicated to providing comprehensive behavioral health services in Berkshire County for over a century, has received $10,000 from MountainOne as part of its second quarter funding round. This funding supports its Youth Substance Use Prevention and Intervention program, which delivers essential services to local schools and ensures the well-being of young people in the community.
MountainOne contributed $5,000 to BFAIR, who celebrates their 30th anniversary this year. The funds will support their ongoing efforts to provide services for individuals with developmental disabilities, autism, and acquired brain injury.
With summer in full swing, MountainOne’s Community Dividend Grant Program proudly supports numerous community events including Farmers’ Markets in North Adams and Williamstown, Pittsfield and Williamstown 4th of July parades, and the North Adams Downtown Celebration on August 14th. MountainOne also proudly supported pride events in Pittsfield, and North Adams, underscoring its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
MountainOne’s summer contributions also include sponsorship of numerous golf tournaments benefiting organizations such as BCARC, Bianchi-Barbarotta Foundation, Fairview Hospital, and UCP of Western Mass. Additionally, MountainOne has supported local baseball and softball teams, as well as charitable walk/run events, including NAMI’s NAMIWalk Berkshire County.
