Berkshire Money Management welcomes Sarah Curtiss and Jacqueline Ferry
Dalton— Berkshire Money Management is pleased to announce two new additions to their operations team, Sarah Curtiss and Jacqueline Ferry.
As Front Office Coordinator at Berkshire Money Management’s Great Barrington office, Sarah Curtiss strives to create a friendly, welcoming, and helpful atmosphere for visitors and callers alike. She brings to the team 22 years of experience in multitasking, customer service, and office administration developed while onboarding Snowsports instructors and managing the reservations department at Ski Butternut. Curtiss earned her B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology at the University of Vermont.
As Operations Support Partner, Jacqueline Ferry supports day-to-day operations and compliance efforts while providing key support to BMM’s Chief Operating Officer. Before joining Berkshire Money Management, Jackie honed her affinity for data analysis and sharp attention to detail during a seven-year tenure in program support and case management at Berkshire Health Systems. Ferry earned her master’s degrees in criminal justice and forensic psychology from Arizona State University.
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Pittsfield Cooperative Bank announces appointment of LouAnn A. Harvey as a VP, Mortgage Originator
Pittsfield— Pittsfield Cooperative Bank (Co-op Bank) is pleased to announce the appointment of LouAnn A. Harvey as a VP, Mortgage Originator for South County within its Retail Mortgage Department.
With more than three decades of experience in the mortgage industry, Ms. Harvey brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of excellence to the role. Prior to joining Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, Ms. Harvey served as Assistant Vice President and Mortgage Officer at Berkshire Bank, where she was recognized as one of the most successful mortgage loan originators in Berkshire County. Harvey was a founding member of the Railroad Street Youth Project, a past president of the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and one of the first women to join the Great Barrington Rotary Club.
“We are thrilled to welcome LouAnn to our retail lending team,” said Michael P. Daly, CEO of Co-op Bank. “Through her extensive experience and commitment to her customers, she has been instrumental in helping hundreds of families achieve their homeownership dreams.”
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Berkshire South Regional Community Center announces election of five new board members
Great Barrington— Berkshire South Regional Community Center is pleased to announce that it has elected five new members to its Board of Trustees, Margaret Apkin, Linda Hensel, Jessica Long, David Mickenberg, and Scott Schuster.
Margaret Apkin has been a Realtor since 2016 and works with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Real Estate in Berkshire County. She has a Graduate Realtors Institute designation and is a Certified Negotiations Expert, Pricing Strategy Specialist and an Accredited Buyers Representative. Prior to her work in realty, Margaret was a Development Director for both the Red Cross and the Pittsfield Community Music School (Berkshire Music School) and has experience in sales and marketing at various profit and not for profit organizations. Margaret is a graduate of Umass in Amherst, where she completed her BA in Communications.
After graduating from college, Linda Hensel had an early career working in politics under Jimmy Carter, then governor of GA. Upon leaving politics, she embarked on a long career in public relations, consulting for various nonprofits including Costume Colloquium in Florence, Italy; Pan Mass Challenge at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Boston Children’s Museum, Boston Museum of Science, National Sports Marketing Network, and the NOVA PBS Science Series at WGBH-TV in Boston, amongst others.
Jessica Long is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW.) She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Lasell University and her Master of Social Work degree from Boston College and currently works as a Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor.
David Mickenberg began his career as a scholar of French medieval architectural history and served as a research assistant on an archeological site in southern France for six summers. His scholarly interests have grown to include modern and contemporary printmaking and the role of the arts in education and economic and community development. He has been a museum director for more than thirty-five years and has lectured nationally and abroad on aspects of the history of art and museum leadership. A student at the Getty Leadership Institute in 2005, he became faculty at the Institute from 2006 – 2011. He taught museum history, architecture, ethics, and management at the Ecole du Louvre, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University, Muhlenberg College, Wellesley College, and at the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory of Music. He has been the President and CEO of the Allentown Art Museum, President and CEO of the Taubman Museum of Art, and previously was director of university art museums at Wellesley College and Northwestern University. He raised the funds for, and oversaw the construction of, the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University and worked with the architect John Vinci in the design and opening of the sculpture garden on campus. He has spent a career engaging the work of artists to ensure the social, political, economic, and educational impact of their work in the community.
Scott Schuster is a graduate of The University of Michigan and Brooklyn Law School. After grad school, he advised clients for global advertising agency Grey Group, before moving into financial services in 2017, where he has worked for American Express in various corporate strategy and partnership roles since.
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Berkshire Grown elects new officers and board members
Berkshire— At their Annual Board Meeting, the Berkshire Grown Board of Trustees approved a slate of new board members and elected officers.
Officers are Sarah Gardner, President; Peter Platt, Vice President; Kat Hand, Treasurer; Lee Venolia, Clerk; Nick Martinelli, Member-at-Large; and Dawn Masiero, Member-at-Large. Joining the Board are two food and farming-focused Berkshire residents, Sharon Wyrrick and Kate Bailey.Â
Most recently, Sharon Wyrrick ran Many Forks Farm, a vegetable CSA farm in Clarksburg, from 2011 to 2024. The farm name represented her commitment to providing fresh, healthful produce to all members of the community regardless of their ability to pay. She transitioned the farm to a land trust and a new farmer for the 2024 season. Prior to running Many Forks Farm, Wyrrick participated in efforts related to agriculture and the food system such as Keep Berkshires Farming/Berkshire Regional Planning Commission’s Sustainable Berkshires, Western Massachusetts Food Bank’s Target Hunger Project, and Hoosac Harvest. She also helped to create a film about farming and the food system in the Northern Berkshires, and produced events including “Slow Food on Film Festival” at Images Cinema in Williamstown and “Cultivating Heritage, A Symposium on Agricultural Biodiversity” at Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation.
Kate Bailey graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies. She gained farming experience growing vegetables and caring for ruminants and poultry at Slide Ranch, a teaching farm on the northern California coast. After her teaching residency, she went on to teach at two elementary school gardens. Bailey has worked in various roles with the local farming community, with a focus on creating a healthy, resilient, and sustainable local food system, including Produce Safety Inspector with the MA Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR.) After leaving MDAR, she turned her focus to food access by managing a bi-weekly food distribution for Multicultural BRIDGE and participating in the start-up of their Solidarity Garden. In 2024, Kate joined the Berkshire Grown team again to manage the Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market (BMFM,) purchasing from local farms, managing the staff and operations for the collaborative program. After wrapping up the BMFM season, Kate rejoined the MA Department of Agricultural Resources Food Safety Division as a Senior Food Inspector for the produce, animal feed, and pet food regulatory program areas.
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1Berkshire introduces newly elected board members and officers
Berkshire— 1Berkshire is proud to announce its 2025 slate of newly reelected board members and officers, as well as the addition of new board members, voted in and welcomed at 1Berkshire’s Annual Meeting in December.Â
Elected officers are:
- Chair: Lori Gazzillo Kiely – Sr. VP & Director of Berkshire Bank Foundation
- President: Jonathan Butler – President and CEO of 1Berkshire
- Vice Chair: Colleen Taylor – Partner, Bay State Hospitality Group
- Vice Chair: Peter Stasiowski – Director of Communications, Interprint, Inc.
- Treasurer: Margaret Keller – Executive Director, Community Access to the Arts
- Clerk: Jesse Cook-Dubin – Partner, Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook
New board members are:
- Jesse Cook-Dubin – Partner, Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook
- Ellen Kennedy – President, Berkshire Community College
- Harry Monti – President, Berkshire Life Insurance Company (Guardian)
- Yina Moore – Founder and Artistic Director, Adams Theater LLC
- Gina Puc – Special Assistant to the President, Williams College
“I am delighted to welcome such a strong group of new and returning board members, and I’m also very pleased that Lori Gazzillo Kiely will continue to lead the board as our board chair for 2025,” said Jonathan Butler, President and CEO of 1Berkshire. “The Board’s extensive knowledge and leadership experience will add tremendous value to the organization, and I am excited about the path ahead. I look forward to working with each of them in the coming year.”
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Olana Partnership awarded $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
Hudson— The Olana Partnership (TOP) is pleased to announce it has been awarded a Grants for Arts Projects award of $20,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This grant will support staffing to expand TOP’s community engagement initiatives.
”The Olana Partnership greatly appreciates the NEA’s support for our work to engage our local communities with Olana and its educational and cultural resources and the national recognition this grant carries,” said Sean Sawyer, Washburn & Susan Oberwager President.
This award supports the hiring of an Education Assistant to sustain and expand community outreach and increase the number of students that can participate in school field trips and in other youth programming. Vanessa Baehr, an educator with a wealth of prior experience with youth programming has filled this role. Baehr has worked extensively with Olana’s regional community at organizations including Flying Deer, Hudson Youth Center, Kite’s Nest, and the Friends of Clermont.
“NEA’s support is essential to growing The Olana Partnership’s educational capacity by supporting the hiring of additional staff and ongoing community engagement efforts,” said Carolyn Keogh, Director of Education and Public Programs. “We are so lucky to welcome a wonderful new team member from Olana’s regional community to help guide this work and to have national support for our efforts.”
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MCLA to host virtual information session for MBA, MEd, and Leadership Academy programs
North Adams— Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host a virtual information session on Thursday, February 13th for individuals interested in advancing their careers through MCLA’s graduate programs. This session will provide prospective students with an opportunity to explore MCLA’s Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Education (MEd) and Leadership Academy programs, learn about the application process, and connect with faculty and admissions staff.
The session schedule is as follows:
- MBA Information Session – 12 p.m. (Virtual)
- Leadership Academy Information Session – 4:30 p.m. (Virtual)
- MEd Information Session – 7 p.m. (Virtual)
MCLA’s MBA program is designed for working professionals looking to expand their business expertise and leadership skills. With a focus on strategic management, finance, marketing, and organizational leadership, the MBA program prepares graduates for roles in a variety of industries, from corporate settings to nonprofit organizations.The flexible structure allows students to balance their studies with their professional and personal commitments.
The MEd program at MCLA supports current and aspiring educators in deepening their knowledge of instructional strategies, curriculum development, and educational leadership. The program provides pathways for teachers seeking professional licensure, leadership roles in education, and expertise in specialized fields such as special education or curriculum design.
The Leadership Academy is ideal for educators and professionals seeking administrative roles in schools or other organizations. This program focuses on leadership theory, policy development, and real-world applications in educational leadership, preparing students for positions such as principals, superintendents, and program directors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, explore financial aid options, and gain insights into how MCLA’s graduate programs can support their career aspirations. To register for the session, visit MCLA’s website or contact the Office of Graduate and Continuing Education at dgce@mcla.edu or 413-662-5575.
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WBCR-lp has temporarily moved upstairs in Mahaiwe building
Great Barrington— Berkshire Radio Community Alliance (BCRA) operating WBCR-lp 97.7FM Great Barrington, has temporarily moved its studio from 320 Main Street to a space upstairs in the same building, the historic Mahaiwe Block building located at the corner of Main and Castle Streets in Great Barrington.
The move was predicated on the significant renovation of the historic three-story building (built in 1905) that has been underway since late 2022, when Ian Rasch of Alander Construction bought it. WBCR-lp’s studio has been operating throughout the renovations, but now its storefront location will get its much-needed renovation.
“We are thrilled with our Main Street location and look forward to our return to that space. The opportunity provided to us by our landlord to move upstairs to a temporary office is greatly appreciated,” said John Prusinski, President of WBCR-lp’s board of directors.“The move itself was physically and technically challenging, since the FCC requires that we broadcast 24/7.”
A group of volunteers from the all-volunteer community radio station provided the muscle and the technical expertise to move the entire studio and disconnect and reconnect the staggering number of wires in record time.
WBCR-lp continues to grow its on-air lineup of local programmers and welcomes new programmers to submit their application at www.berkshireradio.org. And thanks to the dedication and expertise of radio volunteers, broadcasting continues around the clock at 97.7FM and streams at www.berkshireradio.org.
