Berkshire Museum Welcomes New Executive Director
PITTSFIELD – President Ethan Klepetar, on behalf of the Berkshire Museum Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Kimberley Bush Tomio as the Museum’s next Executive Director. Bush Tomio was selected by the Berkshire Museum’s Board of Trustees after a rigorous process facilitated by m/Oppenheim, a national search firm dedicated to placing nonprofit leaders.
Until this month, Bush Tomio served for ten years as Director of Museum Services at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Prior to her tenure at the Asian Art Museum, Bush Tomio spent 12 years as Director of the Tyler Museum of Art in Tyler, Texas, where she was responsible for all aspects of administration, programming, and operations.
Bush Tomio will join the Berkshire Museum team at the end of August, as the Museum prepares for the coming exhibition season and the transformative years ahead. Having managed hundreds of national, regional, and international exhibitions, led community outreach initiatives, participated in the planning and execution of museum expansion and renovation projects, and developed long-term strategic planning, Bush Tomio comes to Downtown Pittsfield to lead the 119-year-old institution into its next chapter.
“I am honored to have been selected to lead one of the most remarkable museums of its kind in the country. I look forward to working in collaboration with the staff and board to meet the expectations of the community in building upon its legacy of transformational educational and cultural experiences and anticipate with excitement what the future may bring,” said Bush Tomio.
– A.J.
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CATA Names Kelly Galvin as Program Director
GREAT BARRINGTON— Community Access to the Arts (CATA) is proud to announce the appointment of Kelly Galvin as a Program Director. Kelly Galvin joins current CATA staff members Jeff Gagnon and Kara Smith, who have both been promoted to the Program Director position, to create a new three-person arts leadership team at the nonprofit, reporting to the organization’s Executive Director, Margaret Keller.
Kelly Galvin joins CATA as an accomplished director, producer, and teaching artist. Kelly has been a company member with Shakespeare & Company since 2008 and served as the Artistic Associate at WAM Theatre. As a director and producer, she has led acclaimed productions at Shakespeare & Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, The Theater at Woodshill, and Gloucester Stage, and assisted at regional theatres including the Guthrie and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Kelly is the founder of the rig, an organization in Western Massachusetts working to create connections through the arts and to redistribute cultural resources to a larger portion of the community.
CATA’s new trio of Program Directors will work collaboratively to expand opportunities for local artists with disabilities and to nurture and build partnerships with community-based organizations, with each director leading specific projects and initiatives.
“This new shared leadership model will allow CATA to build on dramatic recent growth and provide more programs for artists with disabilities,” says Margaret Keller, CATA Executive Director. “With this trio leadership model, we see exciting potential for new program levels and art forms, new performances of all scopes and sizes, and cross-disciplinary explorations in workshops and public events.”
In recent years, CATA has dramatically expanded its programs, scope, and impact, cultivating robust partnerships with 50 community-based organizations, including disability agencies, residences, and schools to serve over 800 people with disabilities through 1,500 annual arts workshops. Programs focus especially on people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, autism, and brain injuries–historically among the most underserved groups in the arts–and are taught by a professional faculty of talented teaching artists, all experts in their artistic fields. Learn more at CATAarts.org.
– A.J.
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Greylock Promotes Five to Executive Roles in Branch Network
PITTSFIELD – Greylock Federal Credit Union has promoted five managers to Vice President in its branch services network. “Greylock is committed to continuous improvement of the outstanding retail services our Members expect and deserve,” said Greylock Senior Vice President, Retail Services Robert Sims. “Each of these key positions is being filled by faces our Members have known and trusted for years. I am empowering this team to raise the bar even higher and I have no doubt they will succeed.”
Terry Ziemba has been promoted to Vice President, Retail Services/Cash Management and will continue to oversee teller line operations, security, safety and compliance throughout the branch network. She has been with Greylock since 1995 marking a 27-year tenure with the Credit Union.
Stephanie Carlson has accepted the newly created role of Vice President, Retail Member Services supporting Sims and branch member service teams and functions. Stephanie joined Greylock as a teller in 2003 and most recently served as Vice President, Market Manager.
Gloria Beraldi, Joe Maffuccio II and Jean Noel have each been promoted to Vice President, Market Manager. In this role, they will continue to oversee a portfolio of branches in their territory.
Gloria joined Greylock in 1994 as a Quality Time Club Representative providing financial and member services exclusively to our older Membership. She has risen through branch services to attain her new role overseeing the Pittsfield branches in BMC and General Dynamics, Elm Street and West Street, where she also serves as branch manager. She also served on the Board of Directors of Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.
Joe Maffuccio started with Greylock in 2007 as a teller and now oversees three branches; Lanesboro, and Pittsfield’s Allendale Center and Kellogg Street, where he also serves as branch manager.
Jean Noel joined Greylock in 2001 and oversees North County branches in Williamstown, Adams and North Adams, where she also serves as branch manager
Greylock Federal is wholly owned by its more than 96,900 Members and offers full-service branches in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, Lee, Adams, North Adams, Williamstown, Lanesborough, and Lenox, Massachusetts and Greenport/Hudson, New York. More information is available at www.greylock.org.
– A.J.
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EforAll Berkshire County awards nearly $3k to local start-ups at Pitch Contest in Adams
ADAMS – Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) Berkshire County held their semi-annual All-Ideas Pitch Contest at St. Mark’s Church in Adams, Mass.
First prize of $1,000 went to Dana Grieb of Pittsfield for Bumblebee Pet Care, providing specialized care to cats and dogs, while offering equal pay and profit sharing to employees.
Second place prize of $750 went to Gwen Miller of Lanesboro for her concept for Berkshire Nature Daycare, a nature-based early education and daycare program to support families and address the “daycare desert” in the region.
Third place of $500 went to Pittsfield’s Sabrina Powell for her efforts to launch 413 Westside Rollers, a roller rink and entertainment center for Berkshire families. She was also the winner of the audience-voted “Fan Favorite” award, an additional $500 grant.
Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) is a nonprofit organization that partners with communities nationwide to help under-represented individuals successfully start and grow a business. To date, EforAll alumni have launched over 1,100 businesses.
EforAll Berkshire County runs Pitch Contests 2-3 times per year. The next one is slated for late Fall in Dalton.
– A.J.
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Berkshire Community College Welcomes New Staff Members
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Community College (BCC) has announced the addition of five new staff members.
Meghan Callaghan joins BCC as Dean of Teaching and Learning. She will lead the Division of Teaching and Learning Innovation. Callaghan arrives from Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC), where she worked in several roles over the past 13 years. She received a master of arts degree in Critical and Creative Thinking from UMASS Boston and a bachelor of arts degree in English Literature from Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington.
Jennifer Filippi joins BCC as Accountant III in the Business Office. Filippi was most recently an assistant accountant for the Town of Dalton. She has more than ten years of accounting-related experience. Currently a student at BCC, she anticipates graduating in December 2022 with a major in business management and plans to continue on to MCLA to obtain her accounting degree.
Dr. Erin Lynn joins BCC as Director of Academic Operations. With nearly 18 years of experience in student affairs, she most recently served as an academic learning specialist at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM). Dr. Lynn earned a bachelor of arts degree and a master of arts degree in sociology, an education specialist degree in community college administration and, in 2021, was awarded a doctor of education in educational leadership.
Matthew Palardy joins BCC as Tutorial Assistant after 11 years as a community tutor at BCC specializing in humanities and social sciences. During that time, he developed innovative ways to impart academic, organizational and research skills to BCC students and was named BCC’s Tutor of the Year in 2014. Palardy is currently completing a master of arts degree in philosophy through St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry while regularizing a bachelor’s degree by testing equivalency through Excelsior College.
Seth T. Tuper joins BCC as Institutional Security Officer. A lifelong resident of Berkshire County, Tuper graduated from St. Joseph Central High School in Pittsfield in 2003 and attended Castleton State College from 2003–2007; he continues to work on completing his bachelor of arts degree in psychology. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, with 14 years in the Massachusetts Army National Guard and four state activations for emergencies. Tuper has more than 20 years of experience in emergency services, with the last 10 years specifically dedicated to the security field.
– A.J.
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Berkshire Community College Cannabis Program Takes Root
PITTSFIELD — The Cannabis Industry Certificate program at Berkshire Community College (BCC) has graduated 23 students in two cohorts, with a third cohort nearing completion and the fourth slated to begin this fall. The program partners with Berkshire Roots, a local cannabis cultivator and dispensary. Prepared by foundational courses in business, communication, biopsychology and horticulture, students receive specific training through cannabis-related labs and lectures and an accompanying practicum at Berkshire Roots. “Students are constantly amazed at the depth of experience they gain at the facility during their practicum,” said George Ambriz, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. “They are fully immersed in the process, from pruning the product to creating edibles and culminating with the sale of the product to the customer.” Because Berkshire Roots is a seed-to-sale facility, Ambriz explained, students gain hands-on experience with the product during its entire cycle while learning in the classroom at BCC. “Our students are along for the full ride,” he said.
