Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art announces three new trustees
Amherst— The board of trustees of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art announces the appointment of three new trustees, Ines Aslan, Tyrone M. Fripp, and Namrata Tripathi.
Ines Aslan is the Chief External Affairs Officer at AILEY (Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation), a strategic position aligning the organization’s marketing, communications, and development. A native of Buenos Aires who has lived and worked in New York City for more than 30 years, Aslan’s experience in the non-profit cultural field includes serving as Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Visitor Experience at the New-York Historical Society; communications and programming roles at Film at Lincoln Center and the Tribeca Film Festival; Communications Officer at El Museo del Barrio; and Executive Director of the American Friends of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba. A former dancer, Aslan trained at the Merce Cunningham Studio and Nikolais Dance Theater in New York.
Tyrone M. Fripp is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience working with organizations to create strategic advantage through coaching individuals at work. He is the Founder and Principal of Talent Ascent, a coaching and Human Resources consulting practice, and a Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Liberty Bank. In his career as a global Human Resources executive, Fripp coached individuals and teams to succeed at companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, Cigna, Citi, Star Media, and Latina Magazine. In 2024, Fripp launched Talent Ascent to help individuals and teams achieve career goals through self-discovery and alignment of purpose and productivity. Fripp serves as a representative of the Eric and Barbara Carle Foundation on the Museum Board, replacing the Foundation’s Vice President Teresa Toro.
Namrata Tripathi is President and Publisher at Kokila, an imprint of Penguin, which brings together an inclusive community of authors and illustrators, publishing professionals, and readers to examine and celebrate stories that reflect the richness of our world. Previously, Tripathi held editorial positions at HarperCollins, Disney-Hyperion, and Simon and Schuster. She is the editor of New York Times bestsellers “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison and “Antiracist Baby” by Ibram X. Kendi and Ashley Lukashevsky, as well as the Newbery Honor-winning middle grade novel “The Night Diary” by Veera Hiranandani, among many other celebrated books. Tripathi grew up in Afghanistan, India, Canada, Pakistan, Germany, and Poland, and has lived in New York City for the last 25 years.
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Great Barrington Public Theater names Katherine (Kate) McCombs as Director of Communications
Great Barrington— Great Barrington Public Theater has named Katherine (Kate) McCombs as Director of Communications.
McCombs has been with the theater since 2021 in varying capacities, and now she will be taking over press responsibilities from Mike Clary. This handoff has been in the works for some time, and Clary will be supporting McCombs from behind the scenes as the transition is finalized.
Katherine (Kate) McCombs is a freelance entertainment professional with a background in events, project management, digital communication, and stage management. She most notably spent five years wintering in Dubai at Global Village Dubai managing performers from all over the world, including their resident circus. Katherine is a double graduate of Syracuse University with both her BFA in Stage Management and her MS in Digital Communications; specializing in PR from the Newhouse School.
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Community Access to the Arts announces new staff
Great Barrington— Community Access to the Arts (CATA) announces the hiring of Nina Boutsikaris as Grants & Communications Coordinator and Jeremy Lovelett as Communications Associate.
Nina Boutsikaris joins CATA following work as the Developmental Writer & Program Coordinator at the Diverse Future Foundation and Archivist & Librarian at The John Ashbery Resource Center. Nina is a published author and former educator with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from University of Arizona, and MSLS in Archives Management from Simmons University. In her role at CATA, Nina will support CATA’s Communications and Development departments, supporting writing projects including grants, newsletters, and strategic plan and campaign materials.
Jeremy Lovelett joins CATA following roles as Managing Editor at The Edge (Ithaca, N.Y.) and as Library Assistant in Tech Services at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Jeremy has a Bachelor of Music with Outside Field in Writing from Ithaca College. In his new role at CATA, Jeremy will support CATA’s Communications department through a variety of projects, including social media, e-blasts, website maintenance, photography, copy editing, and graphic design.
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Pittsfield Co-op welcomes Lisa Trybus as retail lending team leader
Pittsfield— Pittsfield Cooperative Bank (Co-op Bank) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Trybus as Senior Vice President, Retail Lending. In this role, Trybus will oversee the bank’s retail lending operations, driving strategic initiatives and ensuring continued excellence in customer service and loan offerings.
Trybus brings more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, specializing in mortgage lending, consumer loan services, and banking operations. Prior to joining Co-op Bank, Trybus held leadership positions at Adams Community Bank, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and Berkshire Bank, where she successfully led retail lending initiatives and contributed to business growth. Several times during her career, the mortgage teams she led were among the top lenders in the community by both volume and dollar amount. Trybus is a graduate of the American Institute of Banking. She is a board member of Hearthway Inc., an affordable housing services developer and provider, and the Lanesborough Holiday Tree Committee.
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Crandell Theatre elects John T. Lillis as president and Amy Barr as a director
Chatham, N.Y.— The Crandell Theatre is pleased to announce the election of John T. Lillis as President. The board has also elected Ghent resident Amy Barr as a Director of the Crandell Theatre.
Lillis retired as partner of White & Case LLP, a New York City law firm. He joined the Crandell Board of Directors in January 2024. During his 39-year tenure at White & Case, he focused on the tax planning and documentation in mergers and acquisitions transactions, as well as the tax aspects of investment funds formation. He served as Chair of the Firm’s Global Tax Committee. He also served for 9 years on the Board of Trustees and on the Executive Committee of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York. He serves on the Board of Directors of a private U.S. based investment company. He lives in Old Chatham.
A Ghent resident for more than 30 years, Amy Barr is an editor and writer with extensive experience creating content for print magazines and digital properties. She’s excited to introduce the third generation of Barrs — her grandchildren — to the delights of the Crandell.
Reflecting on the past work of former president Lydia Kukoff, Lillis added, “I am grateful for the many years of strong Crandell leadership by my predecessor, Lydia Kukoff. Her guiding hand has positioned the Crandell to move forward to the next 100 years of service to our community. We on the Board cannot thank Lydia enough for her many years of insightful, steady leadership.”
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Pittsfield Parade Committee elects new president and announces 2025 theme
Pittsfield— The Pittsfield Parade Committee, during its Annual Meeting, oversaw a change in leadership for its first time in some 20 years. While holding its annual elections for the Board of Directors, the committee elected Pittsfield Downtown Inc. Director Rebecca Brien President, officially replacing longtime Director Pete Marchetti who is entering his second full year as Mayor of Pittsfield following two decades as Director and coordinator of the Fourth of July Parade. Brien has spent the past year as interim co-coordinator of the parade with Kristine Rose. Elections also saw the re-election of the following members to the board: City Council President Pete White, Esther Anderson, and Chuck Gianatasio.
“Young at Heart” is the theme of this year’s parade. According to Brien, “the parade brings people of all ages together for a celebration of country and patriotism,” adding that, “this year’s focus or theme, as with previous years, is on a segment of the whole or on the younger members of our community or those who simply feel young at heart.”
The committee invites members of our community to join and participate in the decision making and on the day of the parade as the individual units are delivered into the parade’s line of march on time and in order from the various holding streets just south of Pittsfield’s Park Square intersection. The Committee meets each month except August and December on the third Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield. Volunteers are welcome to attend. Donations may be made on the website at pittsfieldparade.com.
