Lee Bank Foundation announces $64,500 in community funding
LEE — Lee Bank Foundation has awarded $64,500 to eight Berkshire area organizations in its second round of 2021 community grant awards. Recipients were awarded grants ranging from $2,000–$12,500 to support their local programming.
The following organizations received funding:
- Berkshire Bounty
- Berkshire County Historical Society
- Berkshire South Regional Community Center
- Elizabeth Freeman Center, Inc.
- Flying Cloud Institute
- Music in Common
- New Stage Performing Arts Center Inc.
- Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires
To be considered for grant awards, applicants must be a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on funding organizations that work to bridge income and opportunity gaps in our region. Funding requests should reflect one or more of Lee Bank Foundation’s primary focus areas:
- Education and literacy
- Food security and nutrition
- Economic growth and development
- Health and human services
- Mentorship, internship, and “school to work” initiatives
- Arts and culture
Applicants may submit only one application in a 12-month period. Online applications and information can be found here. The next deadline to apply is September 1, 2021.
Lee Bank Foundation was established in 2021 to support Lee Bank’s longstanding mission of community reinvestment on behalf of organizations working to improve the lives of Berkshire region organizations and the people they serve. In 2020, Lee Bank awarded $179,000 to area nonprofits and for COVID-19 relief efforts. In 2021, the Foundation projects awarding $250,000 in grants and the Bank expects to award an additional $70,000 in sponsorships.
—A.K.
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CHP names Dr. Kenneth Faber as interim chief medical officer
GREAT BARRINGTON — Kenneth Faber, M.D., has been named interim chief medical officer at Community Health Programs.
Faber was recently vice president of clinical care at Grand Rounds Inc., a San Francisco-based health care company, where he focused on accelerating development of the practice’s remote care services following the COVID-19 shutdown.
From 1997–2019, he worked with Colorado Permanente Medical Group in a series of leadership positions. He served in the roles of clinical care provider, senior physician director, chair of the internal review board, physician director for process improvement, and, most recently, vice president. As a practicing physician, he worked with Colorado Reproductive Endocrinology, and was an assistant professor in the University of Colorado Department of Reproductive Endocrinology.
Faber earned his medical degree at the University of Michigan School of Medicine and his bachelor of science degree in biology at University of Michigan. He was named “top doctor” by Denver’s 5280 magazine in 2011, and he was awarded the Council on Resident Education Teaching Award in 1999, 2000, and 2002.
Faber succeeds Dr. Christopher Sprowl, who departed his 10-month interim role to take a position as president of Sinai Medical Group/Ambulatory Enterprise in Chicago.
—A.K.
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Kowalski joins Berkshire Mountain Distillers as director of sales and hospitality
SHEFFIELD — In response to increased demand for additional services and to expand its team, Berkshire Mountain Distillers (BMD) has hired Michael Kowalski as director of sales and hospitality. BMD currently employs 10 professionals in the community.
Kowalski has experience developing and enhancing beverage programs to focus on craft and specialty cocktails, as well as developing training programs for bartenders and servers to increase profitability and sales. In this director role, he will develop and maintain partnerships with local restaurants and hotels, provide support and training for restaurant beverage programs, develop educational programs about the process of grain-to-glass distillation, and create a craft cocktail program for the BMD tasting room.
Kowalski brings decades of experience in event management to the team, notably with the Newport Mansions and Nantucket Wine & Food Festivals, as well as The Culinary Institute of America. He is a Certified Specialist of Spirits, Certified Specialist of Wine, and has his Certified Sommelier certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers. Kowalski has used his extensive food and beverage knowledge to create award-winning programs at luxury properties such as The Point Resort in Saranac Lake, New York, and Wheatleigh in Lenox.
—A.K.
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Leadership transitions announced at Berkshire United Way
PITTSFIELD – Berkshire United Way’s (BUW) Board Chair Mike Stoddard recently announced that President and CEO Candace Winkler will step down at the end of the summer. She has led the organization since spring 2019.
Under Winkler’s leadership, BUW quickly pivoted and mobilized to respond to emergency needs at the outset of the pandemic. BUW partnered with the philanthropic community to establish the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for Berkshire County, which raised and distributed over $2 million in emergency grants to more than 100 organizations working on the front lines. Winkler also facilitated new partnerships to purchase meals from locally owned restaurants to feed families that were most impacted by school and business closures.
Winkler will stay at the helm through the end of August, at which time board member Laurie Gallagher will step in as interim CEO until a permanent leader is selected. The BUW board has established a CEO search committee to identify a diverse group of candidates for the board to consider.
Winkler will assume a new role at a national nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. in September, but she and her family will continue to live in the Berkshires.
—A.K.
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Hawthorne Valley welcomes local business owner to Board of Trustees
GHENT, N.Y. — Hawthorne Valley has added Kim Bucci, owner and operator of Rivertown Lodge in Hudson, New York, to its board of trustees.
Bucci is a 20-year New York City hospitality veteran who managed a variety of restaurants, nightclubs, and event venues before moving to the Hudson Valley. The bounty of the area inspires Kim’s creative vision and direction, using local artisans, farmers, brewers, and distillers to create a sense of place. In building these multidimensional businesses, Kim works to extend healthy work opportunities and mentorship to the community. As a member of the Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood Leadership Circle, she has spearheaded fundraising initiatives surrounding accessibility to women’s health resources. Kim has been a full-time Columbia County resident for the past eight years with her partner Wes and two daughters.
Bucci joins a board that includes Board President Tom James who served 12 years as provost, dean, and vice president for academic affairs at Columbia University’s Teachers College; Treasurer Matt Stinchcomb, founder of the Good Work Institute; Alfa Demmellash, co-founder of Rising Tide Capital; Danielle Do, who serves as the chief corporate & securities counsel at Synchrony Financial; and Alex Sierck, a civil rights lawyer, public defender, and psychoanalyst.
—A.K.
