Berkshire Bank joins the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index
Boston— Berkshire Bank, a leading socially responsible community bank with financial centers throughout New England and New York, today announced that it joins 483 other companies across the globe as a member of the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), a modified market capitalization-weighted index developed to gauge the performance of public companies dedicated to reporting gender-related data. This reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and external brand.
Jacqueline Courtwright, EVP Chief Human Resources & Culture Officer of Berkshire Bank, said “This recognition illustrates our continued strong commitment to transparency and creating an equitable workplace for all our employees as we strive to be the leading socially responsible community bank in New England and beyond. I want to give a special thanks to our Power of Women Employee Resource Group and all our Berkshire bankers for their efforts to build a culture where everyone can reach their full potential.”
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Greylock Federal Credit Union names Rachel Melendez Mabee new Vice President of DEI, culture and brand
Pittsfield— After a nationwide search, Greylock has selected local candidate Rachel Melendez Mabee as their first vice president of DEI, culture and brand. In this new role, Rachel will play a critical role in leading the overall strategy as the credit union deepens its DEI journey. She will be the driving force behind their IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) principles, ensuring that every Greylock employee values the power of diversity, community, and the importance of fostering belonging, support, and trust.
Locally, Rachel serves on the board of trustees for the Berkshire Museum and the board of the Berkshire United Way, where she leads the DEI committees for both organizations. She also serves on the board of the Elizabeth Freeman Center and the national board for the Women in Golf Foundation. She and her husband Eric reside in Pittsfield.
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Apply to the Business Improvement Grant Program
Pittsfield— Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) and the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation (PERC) are co-facilitating The Pittsfield Glow Up! Business Improvement Grant Program made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The program’s purpose is to provide grants of up to $10,000 to eligible businesses affected by COVID-19 within ARPA’s disproportionately impacted district of Pittsfield. The grant funds are to be used for physical improvements that will enhance the experience of foot traffic and create a visual vibrancy in the district.
To apply, you must be a for-profit business in operation since January 2021, be in good standing with the state and city, and be within ARPA’s disproportionately impacted district. A map of the district is located here.
The first-round application of intent for The Pittsfield Glow Up! Business Improvement Grant is due by Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 11:59 p.m.. To view the full criteria and access the online application, visit here.
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Keith Michel joins Bennington College leadership
Bennington, Vt. — Keith Michel has been named Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Bennington College. As part of the College’s leadership team, Keith will take responsibility for a comprehensive and integrated fundraising and alumni engagement program. He will report to President Laura Walker. Keith will join Bennington in his role on March 27, 2023.
Michel joins Bennington from Mount Holyoke College, where he has served as Associate Vice President for Development since 2017. During that time, Mount Holyoke completed a record-setting endowed scholarship challenge and the strongest 24-month fundraising period in the college’s history.
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Join new group Queer Men of the Berkshires
Great Barrington— At a recent community gathering a diverse group of 32 queer men from all over the Berkshires and surrounding regions came together to establish a new not-for-profit organization, Q-MoB (Queer Men of the Berkshires). Participants created six initial activity groups that scheduled their kickoff events, which can be found on the Q-MoB website.
Q-MoB’s mission is to empower queer men in the greater Berkshire region to create, find, and participate in activity/support groups, classes, and resources that foster community, wellness, and fun. Through recreational and learning activities, Q-MoB creates strong social bonds for a diverse intergenerational group of men.
Q-MoB invites queer men in the Berkshires and surrounding regions to check out these six kickoff events, and to subscribe to be notified when we add new groups & activities. Upcoming events iclude:
- Kickoff of Q-Mob Potluck Group: Sunday Brunch Potluck
Sunday, 2/12/23, 1-3 p.m. - Kickoff of Q-MoB Dining Club
Saturday, 2/18/23, 6-8 p.m.
Q-Mob’s new Dining Club will be sampling the best restaurants in the region. - Kickoff Q-MoB Arts & Culture Outings Group: Clark Art Institute
Sunday, 2/26/23, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Tour & exploration of the Clark Art Institute, followed by lunch in their cafe. - Quarterly Q-Mob Community Visioning & Potluck
Saturday, 4/8/23, 3-6 p.m.
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Hot Plate Brewing Co. opens with 10 days of events
Pittsfield— Hot Plate Brewing Co., a Latina-owned brewery in Downtown Pittsfield, by the middle of the month, they will be kicking off an ambitious 10-day lineup of events in conjunction with the 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival presented by Downtown Pittsfield Inc. in partnership with Cultural Pittsfield and Berkshire Mountain Distillers, sponsored by the Milltown Foundation.
Over the course of Hot Plate’s 10-day celebration, they will be teaming up with both local musicians, artists, and business owners as well as prominent members of the New England craft beer community. In fact, for the last day of the event, Hot Plate’s Women in Beer panel will feature Katie Stinchon, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild as well as Andrea Stanley, owner of Valley Malt in Hadley, MA, and Christine Bump, Co-Owner of Big Elm Brewing in Sheffield, MA, among others.
Hot Plate will be kicking off “The First Ten” event with a special performance by local musicians Chris Merenda, Dave Brown, and Daniel Broad on February 16th at 7 p.m. The full list of events, descriptions, and collaborators can be found here: https://www.hotplatebeer.com/thefirstten
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Apply to the Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program grants
Westborough— The Center for Advanced Manufacturing at MassTech Collaborative has launched the third round of its Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program (MMAP), which aims to co-invest in small- to medium-sized manufacturers across the state. MMAP aims to help manufacturers that are looking to increase their competitiveness, upskill their workforce and meet the demands of ‘Industry 4.0’ by incorporating innovation-driven technologies such as automation, robotics, and connected devices into their production lines.
Massachusetts companies interested in applying to the program can find full details, including registration for the informational webinar (February 8, 2023, 11 a.m.), on the MMAP webpage at https://cam.masstech.org/mmap.
