CHP Berkshires welcomes Rachel Melendez-Mabee to their board
Great Barrington— Rachel Melendez-Mabee has been named to the board of CHP Berkshires.
As vice president of culture and brand and DEI officer at Greylock Federal Credit Union, Melendez-Mabee brings to CHP her skills in corporate workplace diversity issues, training and initiatives. She has previously worked for the PGA of America, as PGA WORKS’ workforce development and lead manager, DEI. She has also worked as social and digital brand manager for Berkshire Bank, and as a senior account executive for Roberts Communications, a public relations firm. Earlier, she worked as a sales and marketing specialist for PGA of America.
Melendez-Mabee earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia. She is also a certified diversity executive (CDE®), which indicates excellence in DEI leadership. In the community, she has been a Berkshires 40 Under 40 award recipient and has served on the boards of the Berkshire Museum, United Way of the Berkshires, Elizabeth Freeman Center, and the Women in Golf Foundation.
“Rachel’s professional expertise in workplace diversity and inclusion issues, along with her community commitment, will make a valuable impact on our board and the CHP organization,” said Brian Drake, president of the CHP board. “We look forward to learning from Rachel’s depth of insight and experience.”
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Shakespeare & Company appoints Ute DeFarlo as Director of Development
Lenox— Ute DeFarlo has been appointed Director of Development by Shakespeare & Company.
In her position, DeFarlo is responsible for supporting Shakespeare & Company’s mission and vision through the development of new and expanded income streams, cultivation of the Company’s donors and Board of Trustees, and various engagements with constituents in the Berkshire County community.
Most recently, she served as Director of Development for The Mount and as Development Officer at the Austen Riggs Center. Her appointment marks her return to the Shakespeare & Company’s Development team, which she first joined in 2004, serving as Director from 2009 to 2015.
DeFarlo holds a Master of Arts in English and Russian language interpretation from the University of Mainz, Germany, and attended Georgetown University on a one-year Fulbright scholarship.
“I am delighted to return to my Shakespeare & Company home,” said DeFarlo. “I have a great passion for theater, including the Fall Festival and Riotous Youth programs that both of my sons participated in, and I’m dedicated to playing my role in ensuring the Company’s continued success.”
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VIM welcomes family nurse practitioner Jannell Hostetler as VIM’s Pittsfield Clinical Care Coordinator
Pittsfield— VIM welcomes family nurse practitioner Jannell Hostetler as VIM’s Pittsfield Clinical Care Coordinator.
Hostetler joined VIM part time in 2023, expanding to full time in 2024 with the opening of the new Pittsfield clinic. She previously practiced primary care with Lee Family Practice for 3.5 years, since her move from Boston in 2020, where she served as a pediatric hospitalist. Prior to her career as an FNP, Janell was a bedside RN in ICU, NICU and PICU.
Hostetler believes that the key to excellent, holistic care is born from trust and connection. Creating relationships and seeking to understand the unique circumstances of each individual allows for the provider to meet patients where they are and to treat the whole person, rather than a disease.
Clinical Care Coordinator Christina deRis, FNP, will continue to manage the Great Barrington Care Center. The two locations will operate in close coordination, with patients scheduled as appropriate according to appointment availability, patient location, and services needed.
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Williamstown Theatre Festival announces new members to the leadership team
Williamstown— Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) announces additional members to the leadership team and the move toward a rotating collective artistic leadership model that will ensure boundary-breaking and diverse programming, create new opportunities for emerging artists, and foster shared ownership of the artistic vision for the Festival.
Raphael Picciarelli has joined WTF as Managing Director, Strategy and Transformation. In this newly created leadership position, Picciarelli will partner with fellow leaders as the Festival enters its next phase of artistic excellence with a focus on evolving the organization into a more sustainable entity.
Picciarelli is a creator, producer, culture-curator, and community-gatherer who is energized by the possibility of personal transformation through art and community. Raphael’s career began in film and theater production where he was a trusted collaborator alongside a slew of prolific producers and creative teams from development to production. He then brought his storytelling expertise to consulting, where he guided leaders and companies in the space between business rigor and courageous creativity. He’s worked with the likes of Deepak Chopra, Howard Schultz, and Sherrilyn Ifill to transform their respective organizations, and with companies such as Expedia, New York Botanical Garden, and Consensys, to shape the experience, identity, and culture of their brands. He also served as the Artistic Director of a nonprofit theater company in New York City where he developed original work by some of the most exciting young talent working in the theater today, while creating multiple projects for both film and television himself with his creative partners. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Eric Gershman, who joined WTF as a management consultant in February 2023, will continue to serve as Interim Managing Director, Operations and Advancement. A national search has commenced for a full-time Managing Director, Operations & Advancement to lead all administrative efforts for the organization including support of the Board, fundraising, marketing, and Festival operations.
Gershman is an experienced arts, culture, and media strategist and teacher with extensive experience working closely with senior executives, Boards of Trustees, and multi-disciplinary teams. His consulting work has been seen throughout the cultural sector including strategic and business planning exercises for the WTF, the Brown Arts Institute, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Black Theatre, the Preservation Society of Newport County, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Rhode Island School of Design, and ProPublica. Prior to his consulting work, he was Manager of Strategy & Business Development for Disney Theatrical Group, advising the organization on its commercial live entertainment businesses worldwide. He also served as Senior Advisor at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where he provided internal consulting and facilitated special projects. Earlier in his career, Eric held a number of technical production and operations positions with Blue Man Group, the Broadway tour of Annie, and Cirque du Soleil, the latter of which included three new shows in Asia, Europe, and North America. Gershman holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater production from Emerson College, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and an MFA in theater management from the Yale School of Drama, the latter of which awarded him the George C. White Prize in Theater Management. He is adjunct faculty at Brown University, Columbia University Teachers College, and the University of Rhode Island, the author of multiple business case studies in arts management, and is a member of the ROI Community of Global Innovators.
Jenny Gersten, who returned to Williamstown Theatre Festival in November 2021, will conclude her term as Interim Artistic Director at the end of the 2024 Summer Season. As previously announced, in celebration of her 15 combined years of service, Gersten will be honored on Monday, February 12th at WTF’s 2024 Gala in New York City.
Gersten said, “It has been an honor to be at Williamstown Theatre Festival and work with the staff and Board through these past few seasons. Our goal has been to imagine what the future of summer theater looks like. And I think with Margaret, Raphael, and Eric, we have a dynamic team to take this extraordinary premise to its rich fulfillment. Williamstown is home to me, and even after I leave the staff, I cannot wait to see how the place continues to make its mark on theater artists and the cultural landscape.”
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Three new directors elected to the Crandell Theatre board
Chatham— The Crandell Theatre Board of Directors approved three new members to the Crandell board at its January annual meeting, John T. Lillis, a retired tax attorney; Mirissa Neff, a documentary filmmaker; and Carol Sadlon, the former owner of Cinerom cinemas and Millerton’s The Moviehouse.
John T. Lillis retired as partner of White & Case LLP, a New York City law firm, in 2019. During his 39-year tenure at the firm, he focused on the tax planning and documentation in mergers and acquisitions transactions, as well as the tax aspects of investment funds formation (primarily private equity and real estate opportunity funds). His investor representation largely focused on representing non-US sovereign investors investing in the United States. Serving for many years as the firm’s Head of the Global Tax Practice, he spent his final years at the firm as Chair of its Global Tax Committee. This internal committee is responsible for the firm’s business-related tax issues, including tax filings, tax controversies, and tax planning.
Mirissa Neff is a documentary filmmaker, public broadcast producer, and reporter. Her debut feature film “This Is National Wake” premiered in competition at Sheffield DocFest and has garnered awards around the world. Her ethos as a filmmaker and journalist is to explore how culture and music illuminate our lives and can help us surmount our deepest divides. She has worked as a producer and correspondent on PBS’s “SOUND TRACKS: Music Without Borders,” PBS’s “Quick Hits,” public television’s “Music Voyager,” and has contributed music-oriented audio essays to public radio programs, including BBC/PRI’s “The World” and WNYC’s “Studio 360.” In early 2023, Neff founded Crandell Kid Flicks, the theater’s popular activity and film series for young children and families.
Carol Sadlon, a former fashion designer, is a creative entrepreneur with a passion for art, architecture, preservation, history, and cinema. Inspired by a mutual interest in architectural preservation and film, she and her late husband purchased the shuttered and dilapidated 1903 former Grange Hall building on Main Street in Millerton, N.Y. Renovated and rebranded The Moviehouse, the theater reopened in 1978 and became a significant arts and cultural destination, the center of the village’s rebirth and revitalization. In 2010, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1996, the Sadlons expanded the exhibition business by building Cinerom, a nine-screen, 32,000-square-foot digital sound cinema in Winsted, Conn. and acquiring and renovating a six-screen Sony theater in Torrington, Conn. Sadlon served as Vice President and Program Director, elevating the theaters as the cultural anchors of their communities. During the Cinerom years, Carol also served as VP of CATO (Connecticut Association of Theater Owners), a regional division of the National Association of Theater Owners, representing Connecticut theaters in Washington, D.C. The 15 screens were sold in 2010 and 2013. The Moviehouse, sold in 2021, now operates as a nonprofit cinema.
According to Crandell Board President Lydia Kukoff, “This is such an exciting moment for the Crandell. As we get closer to the full renovation of our beloved theater, we are delighted to welcome John, Mirissa, and Carol to our extraordinary board. They bring with them a wealth of talent and expertise that will further enrich our thinking and planning for the future.”
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Top Berkshires commercial real estate agent Richard G. Aldrich joins William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, partners with Steven Weisz
Great Barrington— William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty today announced that Richard G. Aldrich, a top commercial real estate agent with a long and successful career in the Berkshires region, has joined the company. Aldrich will work alongside William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty agent Steven J. Weisz to expand the firm’s current market-leading position in commercial property sales and leasing.
A sales professional since 1971, Aldrich has become a leader in commercial property sales, leasing and business brokerage. His expertise lies in advising and guiding individuals through commercial business projects. Aldrich has been involved with notable commercial sales across the Berkshires region including the Countryside Landscaping building in Williamstown, Camp Half Moon in Monterey, Country Curtains in Lee, and Patricks Pub in Pittsfield. He currently represents the Fuel Coffee Shop in Great Barrington and Tunnel City Coffee in Williamstown.
Weisz, who has represented commercial real estate transactions in addition to residential real estate since 1985, helped to grow William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty’s commercial real estate market share to its number-one status in sales in 2023 and, now in 2024, for listings. Weisz is known for selling the Santarella Inn in Tyringham, the Custom Extrusion Industrial Campus in Sheffield, and the historic Baldwin Building in Great Barrington. He currently represents the former Egremont Country Club, the Hillsdale Supermarket in Hillsdale, N.Y., and Baba Louie’s Pizza in Great Barrington. He is also a longtime residential real estate agent and will continue to work with buyers and sellers, supporting them with his trusted residential sales experience.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rich Aldrich to the firm and excited about his partnership with Steven Weisz as they work together to further strengthen our commercial real estate business,” said Stephanie McNair, Berkshires Brokerage Manager for William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. “These two talented and experienced real estate professionals are already the leaders in their field and will bring a higher level of service to the commercial, development and business community.”
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Roots Rising secures land for innovative youth farm
Pittsfield— After an extensive, multi-year search, Roots Rising is thrilled to announce the successful acquisition of 923 Barker Road, marking a significant milestone in their journey towards launching its much-anticipated youth farm.
The process of finding the right location for the youth farm involved years of searching and the exploration of over twenty parcels. Through meticulous due diligence, Roots Rising ensured that the selected land was not only viable but aligned with their vision. Serious consideration was given to several potential locations, including a thorough exploration of a parcel within Springside Park.
The Youth Farm will be teen-powered and community-centered, seamlessly integrating Roots Rising’s longstanding food justice and youth development work. More than just a farm, the property will serve as Roots Rising’s long-awaited home base, housing both offices and an education center. It will provide space to deepen their work and champion the organization’s values: youth empowerment, food justice, community building, a strong local food system, and connection to the land.
Roots Rising Executive Director, Jessica Vecchia said, “We want to express our profound gratitude to the community for their unwavering support through the extensive years of our land search. This acquisition not only represents a significant step forward for Roots Rising, but really underscores our commitment to the city and community we serve.”
There is much exciting work still ahead. Roots Rising extends heartfelt thanks to the generous funders and donors who have played a crucial role in making the first step of land acquisition possible.
Finding land for the Youth Farm is just the first step. The community has supported Roots Rising from the start, and community support will be needed to continue current programs and create a thriving, community-centered farm. Donations can be made online.
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Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce holds annual event at Berkshire Botanical Garden
Stockbridge— The Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce elected new officers and honored members during the annual meeting held at the Berkshire Botanical Garden on Wednesday, February 7th.
Barbara Zanetti, executive director of the chamber, said officers elected for the 2024-2025 term included President Pamela Boudreau of Lee Bank, Vice-President Amanda Barcenas of Prada de Lana Sheep Farm, Assistant Vice-President Douglas Goudey of Wheeler & Taylor, Inc.; Treasurer Wendy Pearson of Stockbridge Library, Museum and Archives; and Secretary Amy Moorby of Berkshire Theatre Group.
Seven others will be joining the board as members-at-large, Margit Hotchkiss of Norman Rockwell Museum, Doug Bagnasco of Devonfield Inn, Janis Monachina of The Shop Around the Corner, Simon Dewar of The Red Lion Inn, Mike Beck of Berkshire Botanical Garden, Avie Maloney of Once Upon a Table, and Kelly Palmer of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. These members sit on the board as advisory members.
Resigning after four years as Secretary is Mary Flournoy of The National Shrine of Divine Mercy. Resigning after two years as member-at-large is Lauren Smith of Fairview Hospital.
Pamela Boudreau, chamber President, gave thanks to members’ individual and collective efforts this past year. She recognized new businesses, highlighted chamber marketing efforts, and thanked the Town of Stockbridge for their continued support.
Special recognition during the evening was given to The Trustees of Reservations and the Stockbridge Library, Museum and Archives.
