REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY 2019

Berkshire Nursing Families supports young families through playgroups, lactation education and consultations. Multiple BTCF area funds and donor advised funds make grants for this critical work. Photo by John Dolan.

The Berkshire Museum received an Arts Build Community grant and participated in a yearlong learning program for arts and culture nonprofits as part of the initiative. Photo by John Dolan.

From left, Eliza Petrie, Lupe Evans and Evelyn Garzetta of Grace Immigrant Outreach provide aid to individuals and families in northeast Dutchess County. Photo by John Dolan.

Rolling Grocer 19’s brick-and-mortar grocery store in Hudson give residents consistent access to wholesome, local food that is made affordable by tiered pricing based on income. Photo by John Dolan.

Valerie Lenis of Lakeville is the ninth recipient of the $105,000 Margaret Derwin scholarship. Photo by John Dolan.

Columbia County Recovery Kitchen received a grant from our Columbia County COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to provide meals for families experiencing food insecurity. Photo by John Dolan.
 

Valerie Chisom (right) of Lee, Mass., explained her business idea at EforAll Berkshire County's inaugural pitch contest in October 2019 at the Berkshire Museum. Following the contest, she joined EforAll's first yearlong business accelerator training program. “I’m a teacher with 30 years of experience in the classroom," she said. "I founded Berkshire Learning, which is an in-home-based preschool focused on play and nature—perfect for the beautiful Berkshires.” Photo by John Dolan.

Jane Iredale
Jane Iredale founded Iredale Cosmetics in 1994 and served as its chief executive officer for 26 years. The Iredale makeup line is sold nationwide and in more than 50 countries. Jane is credited with introducing the first natural makeup line to professionals and was named the International Spa Association’s Visionary of the Year in 2014. After the company’s purchase in 2019, she became a board member and serves as an active adviser to the new CEO. Previously, she was co-owner of a New York film and theater production company that received an Emmy Award and a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical. Jane currently sits on the board of the Personal Care Products Council. Locally, she is a board member of the Berkshire Botanical Garden and previously served for many years on the boards of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and Berkshire Grown. Jane attended New York University and received a master’s degree at the University of Albany-SUNY.

Peter Frank
For nearly 25 years, Peter Frank has been a freelance set designer and prop stylist with a focus on interior, still life and lifestyle photography in the home furnishings sector. Peter served as a contributing editor to Martha Stewart Living, and has produced and styled features for magazines such as House Beautiful, Real Simple and Elle Decor. His commercial work includes advertising campaigns for Target, Viking, Proctor & Gamble, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, DuPont, Macy’s, Starwood and other national brands. Since relocating to Hudson, N.Y., Peter has been an engaged community leader. He is founding board chair of Friends of Hudson Youth, an organization dedicated to enhancing programming at the Hudson Youth Department. Peter has also been active with the Hudson Pride Festival, Alliance for Positive Health and Historic Hudson. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University. 

Eleanore Velez
Eleanore Velez is an admissions counselor and coordinator of the Multicultural Center at Berkshire Community College. She helps lead efforts to foster a welcoming and engaging campus for students from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds so they can thrive and achieve their full potential. Eleanore is a longtime liaison and advocate with community agencies working to enhance the dialogue that leads to deeper community integration. A diversity and inclusion champion, she has received the Literacy Network of South Berkshire Founders of America Award, the Berkshire Immigrant Center’s Jane Addams Spirit Award and the Multicultural Competence Award from BRIDGE. In October 2019, Eleanore was one of 41 recipients of the 2019 Latinx Excellence on the Hill award from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. She is currently a board member of Barrington Stage Company and a member of the Four Freedoms Coalition. Eleanore, who resides in Lee, Mass., was born in Mexico. She holds an associate’s degree from BCC and a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College.

David Offensend
David Offensend is president and CEO of Education Development Center, a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health and expand economic opportunity. Before that, he was chief operating officer for America Achieves, a nonprofit that helps communities and states build high-quality educational systems and prepare young people for college and careers. He previously served for 10 years as COO of the New York Public Library, the nation’s largest public library system with 90 affiliated branches. Prior to his work in the nonprofit sector, David cofounded Evercore Partners, an independent investment banking advisory firm, and played leadership roles at the investment organization of Robert M. Bass and Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking Partnership. He has served on the boards of Princeton University, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. David holds a B.A. in public and international affairs from Princeton and an M.A. in business administration from the Harvard Business School. Dave and his wife, Janny, live part-time in Wassaic, N.Y.

Joseph R. Baker, MBA
Vice President, Finance and Administration

Joe Baker joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in May 2019 as vice president of finance and administration. In this role, Joe oversees finances, investments, human resources and operations for the foundation. Joe has worked in the community foundation field for 13 years and brings a background in nonprofit finance, development and community initiatives. He previously worked for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and the Community Foundation for Greater New Britain, both in Connecticut. Joe has also led United Ways, nonprofit service organizations and developed Danbury Children First, a parent-led community initiative. Joe earned his MBA from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in economics and Spanish from Colby College. He lives in Sheffield with his family.

Miriam McKibben
Administrative Manager

Miriam McKibben joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in February 2019 as administrative manager. She welcomes visitors, supports office operations, assists the foundation’s staff and board of directors, and coordinates meeting and events. Prior to joining BTCF, Miriam served as a paralegal specializing in real estate and finance for more than 30 years, most recently at Dechert LLP in Hartford and Related Companies in New York City. She resides in Sheffield with her husband.

Kelly Sweet
Community Engagement Officer

Kelly Sweet joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in January 2019 as community engagement officer for philanthropic services to advance the foundation’s strategic priorities and enhance its donor and community relationships. She has over 20 years of experience in business and service management in the U.S. and abroad, including eight years in development at the American Institute for Economic Research, a national nonprofit focused on economic education. Kelly has volunteered at the Roe Jan Food Pantry and local schools in Massachusetts and New York, assisted with the creation of a financial literacy program for the Elizabeth Freeman Center in Pittsfield, Mass., and held fundraisers for the BackPack program, Harlem Valley Rail Trail, Dollars for Scholars and numerous other nonprofit programs in Columbia and Berkshire counties. She was raised in Hillsdale, N.Y., and graduated from the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass. She obtained degrees in inclusive elementary and special education and sociology from Syracuse University. She lives in Alford, Mass., with her husband Peter and their dog, Lola.

Kara Mikulich
Chief Philanthropy Officer

Kara Mikulich joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in October 2018 as chief philanthropy officer, a new role that provides the strategic vision, staff leadership and operational oversight for all asset development and donor engagement activities. With more than 25 years of leadership in the nonprofit sector, she has worked on both sides of the fundraising relationship. Most recently, she served as vice president, strategy and development, at Public Allies, a national service organization that prepares young people in 25 cities for careers in public service. She has led grant-seeking and development efforts for a wide range of nonprofits, from local direct-service agencies to national and international nongovernmental organizations, and she previously served as a program officer at the Joyce Foundation. A lawyer by training, Kara began her career as a staff attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and the College of the Holy Cross. Kara and her husband live in the Berkshires and are the parents of two young adult children. 

John Gillespie
Interim Chief Financial Officer

John Gillespie brings more than 40 years of finance experience to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in his role as interim chief financial officer. He recently served as vice president of finance and information technology at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Mass., and currently delivers interim CFO and accounting services to nonprofits and social enterprises as part of the team at Charles River CFO. In early 2011, he sold his consulting firm to Veris Consulting, where he launched the financial executive search practice and led both the CFO and executive search practice groups. His community work includes serving as board president of the Stockbridge Library Association. John holds a master’s degree in accounting from Boston College and a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He lives in Stockbridge with his wife, Linda, and their dog, Kibo.

Betsy Maury
Community Engagement Officer for Community Philanthropy

Betsy Maury joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in May 2018 as the community engagement officer for community philanthropy, a new role that focuses on area funds in northeast Dutchess and northwest Litchfield counties, as well as the foundation’s strategic priorities of community engagement and economic opportunity. Betsy has a background in book publishing and has worked as a senior acquisitions editor at Random House. She is actively involved with multiple community organizations in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner, serving on the board of the Scoville Memorial Library in Salisbury, and volunteering for the SOAR after-school enrichment program at Salisbury Central School and St. Mary’s church in Lakeville. Betsy visited Millerton as a child and worked in Europe for 15 years before moving the region. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and Latin from Smith College and lives in Lakeville with her husband and son.

Dr. Tim Wilmot
Director of Strategy, Evaluation and Learning

Dr. Tim Wilmot joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in August 2018 as the director of strategy, evaluation and learning. In this new role, he develops and refines program strategies, evaluates outcomes and impact, and promotes learning and knowledge sharing among staff, board, donors and partners about the foundation’s priorities and issues facing the region. Tim has more than a decade of experience in the fields of strategy, research and evaluation at philanthropic foundations. He previously worked for the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust in Phoenix, Ariz., the San Antonio Area Foundation in San Antonio, Texas, and the Marin Community Foundation, north of San Francisco, Calif. Tim started his career as a knowledge management consultant for Ernst & Young LLP, and he earned his Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Case Western Reserve University and a B.A. in economics from Eckerd College. He lives in Great Barrington, Mass., with his labradoodle, Maggie.

Amy Taylor
Community Engagement Officer for Education

Amy Taylor joined Berkshire Taconic Community in June 2018 as the community engagement officer for education to advance the foundation’s strategic priority of educational attainment. She works with donors, scholarship funds and education enrichment funds to harness optimal impact for children, families and communities. Amy has 25 years of teaching experience from an array of educational settings. Most recently, she led cross-sector initiatives with and for children and families as community liaison at the Berkshire United Way. She holds a Master of Arts in developmental perspectives in education from Mills College, a bachelor’s degree in human services from Lesley University, and multiple Massachusetts teaching credentials. She lives with her family in the Berkshires.

Jessica Keute
Office Manager

Jessica Keute joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in January 2018 as the office manager and executive liaison. In this role, she welcomes visitors and supports staff members in all aspects of their work. Jessica grew up in Hudson, N.Y., where she was previously a receptionist and aide at Excel Physical Therapy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in strategic human resources from Siena College. She lives in Austerlitz, N.Y., with her boyfriend and two dogs.

Jodi Rathbun-Briggs
Jodi Rathbun-Briggs has two decades of experience in the banking sector, specializing in the fields of internal audits, risk management and commercial lending. Jodi joined the team at Greylock Federal Credit Union in 2010 and was promoted to the position of senior vice president and chief lending officer in December 2015. She previously worked for a decade at Legacy Banks in Pittsfield, Mass., where she served in various roles, including vice president of commercial lending from 2004 to 2010. She was a recipient of the 2015 Credit Union Heroes Award, given by Banker & Tradesman. Jodi’s volunteer activities include sitting on the board of directors for the 1Berkshire Foundation and previously serving on boards and committees for Community Health Programs and Berkshire Community Action Council, among other organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western New England College and an associate’s degree from Berkshire Community College. She resides in Great Barrington, Mass.

Suzette Brooks Masters
Suzette Brooks Masters is an expert on immigrant and refugee integration policy who currently provides strategic advice on the topic to foundations, nonprofits and corporations, including Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. She previously oversaw immigration-related grantmaking at the J.M. Kaplan Fund, a New York-based family foundation, for nearly a decade. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Suzette practiced corporate and environmental law in New York City until 1999, when she shifted her attention to immigrant issues. She co-founded New York Cares, a nonprofit volunteer organization that engages young professionals in community service, in the late 1980s. Suzette has served in leadership roles on a number of nonprofit boards, including the New York Immigration Coalition, the Tenement Museum, HIAS (formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), the National Immigration Forum and the Lawyers Alliance for New York. She has received awards from the New York Immigration Coalition, Welcoming America, City and State Reports, the American Immigration Council, the National Partnership for New Americans and Upwardly Global. Suzette has degrees in economics from Amherst College and Cambridge University, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She lives with her husband in Canaan, N.Y., and New York City.

Nancy Needham Hathaway
Nancy Needham Hathaway was the head of school at Dutchess Day School in Millbrook, N.Y., for seven years before retiring in 2017. She sat on the school’s board from 1989 to 1999, served as treasurer from 1994 to 1999 and joined the faculty as a history teacher from 2007 to 2010. The school’s renovated science wing was named in Nancy’s honor. Nancy began her career in finance, spending 15 years at Bankers Trust Company before moving into education, teaching math at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Conn., and then at Greenwich Country Day School in Greenwich, Conn. She is currently the treasurer of the board of directors of Dutchess Land Conservancy, where she served as chair from 1992 to 1997. She was also a member of the management committee for the Millbrook Horse Trials for 10 years. She holds a master’s degree in history from Western Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Smith College. Nancy resides in Millbrook, N.Y.

Michael Clinton
Information Technology Manager

Michael Clinton joined the staff at Berkshire Taconic Community foundation in June 2017. In his role as information technology manager, he is responsible for the day-to-day integration of technology, as well as general maintenance and security of data and applications. He has a background in educational and retail technology in both the private and public sector. He holds an associate’s degree from Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. He currently resides in Winsted, Conn.

Dustin Briggs
Finance and Operations Associate

Dustin Briggs joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in April 2017. In his role as finance and operations associate, he is responsible for accounts payable, contribution processing, payroll systems support, data analysis and facilities maintenance. Prior to joining BTCF, he was a financial assistant at Community Health Programs in Great Barrington, Mass. Dustin holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in mathematics from Westfield State University. He lives in Sheffield, Mass.

The staff of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Darryl Gangloff
Communications Officer

Darryl Gangloff joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation as communications officer in October 2017 to help share BTCF’s mission of strengthening communities through philanthropy and leadership. He was previously the entertainment editor at The Lakeville Journal Company in Lakeville, Conn. His career in local journalism has included positions at the Poughkeepsie Journal in Poughkeepsie, N.Y, the Harlem Valley Times in Amenia, N.Y., and the Register Herald in Pine Plains, N.Y. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Marist College. Darryl is a lifelong Dutchess County resident. He lives with his wife and daughter in Millerton, N.Y., where he is the secretary of the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse board.

Elizabeth R. Hilpman
Liz Hilpman joined Barlow Partners in January 2001 as chief investment officer and a partner of the firm. She has over 30 years of investment management experience, including at Commonfund, Dartmouth College and Global Asset Management. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Liz is a frequent speaker at hedge fund conferences and serves on the investment committees of the University of New Hampshire Foundation, the Maine Community Foundation and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y. She resides with her husband, Bryon Tucker, in Norfolk, Conn., and New York City.

Michael J. Wynn
Michael Wynn has been serving and protecting his hometown of Pittsfield, Mass., for more than 20 years. He has led the Pittsfield Police Department as the chief of police since December 2007. He began his career in 1993 as the first director of the Westside Neighborhood Resource Center — an organization directed at improving communication and police services in a drug-impacted neighborhood. He attended the Police Academy in 1995 and joined the Pittsfield Police Department in 1996. In 2003, he was selected to serve as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Leadership Fellow, working in the DEA's Leadership Development Unit in Quantico, Va. He is a certified trainer in numerous disciplines, including defensive tactics, patrol procedures, cultural diversity, bias crimes, leadership and workplace discrimination. As the president of Victory Force Options Training in Pittsfield, he has provided training and education on these disciplines to law enforcement supervisors since March 2007. He graduated from Taconic High School, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated from Williams College with a degree in English literature and American studies.

Danielle Benassutti
Philanthropic Services Associate

Danielle Benassutti is responsible for reviewing and profiling all incoming gifts, updating donor records and supporting the Philanthropic Services team. Prior to joining Berkshire Taconic, she was a residency manager at the Lexington-Fulton County chapter of NYSARC, Inc., New York's largest nonprofit supporting people with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities. She continues to work part-time as a site-based coordinator and mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region. Danielle was featured in the organization’s November 2016 newsletter for her strong mentoring abilities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and business from the University at Albany, SUNY. She lives in Stuyvesant, N.Y.

Natashea Winters
Community Engagement Officer

Natashea Winters is responsible for advancing Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s scholarship programs and grantmaking in education and arts and culture. Prior to this role, Natashea worked to develop, scale and evaluate programs for several local and national nonprofits. Natashea holds two master’s degrees, in social administration and public health, from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire. She lives in Litchfield, Conn., with her husband and border collie Ruby.

Emily Bronson
Senior Community Engagement Officer

Emily Bronson returns to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation as the senior community engagement officer for initiatives and special projects. Previously, Emily served as program coordinator and assistant to the president at the foundation for a total of five years, before moving on to work in development at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., and Community Access to the Arts in Great Barrington. Emily’s experience in the nonprofit sector began at the Merck Family Fund, a private foundation in Boston with a grantmaking focus on protecting the natural environment and strengthening urban communities. Emily holds a B.A. in environmental studies and anthropology from the University of Vermont. She lives in Falls Village, Conn., with her husband and daughter.

Jill Cancellieri
Director of Philanthropic Services

Jill Cancellieri joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation as its first director of philanthropic services in 2012. In this position, Jill is responsible for stewarding the foundation’s donor advisors, working with people who want to open new funds at BTCF and with professional advisors whose clients have charitable interests. Jill helps new and current donors identify where their giving can have the greatest impact, creating individualized philanthropic vehicles that are expressions of an individual’s or family’s values. She has over 15 years of experience as a development professional, most recently conducting local and global fundraising for the Nature Conservancy and Save the Children. She began her nonprofit career as development director with the Girl Scout Council in Connecticut, where she managed the annual fund, corporate and foundation relations, special events and a capital campaign. Prior to that, Jill worked in marketing and public relations in New York City, rising to vice president at the Cohn & Wolfe agency, where she specialized in consumer product accounts and sports marketing. Jill holds a B.S. degree from Boston University’s School of Communication. Jill’s volunteer activities have included working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the Greater Bridgeport School Mentoring Program, Norwalk Maritime Aquarium and a stint teaching children with learning disabilities in Tanzania. Jill has two sons and lives in Great Barrington, Mass.

Justin Burke
Director of Marketing and Communications

Justin Burke has worked in nonprofit communications for nearly two decades. He previously served in senior communications roles at the Children’s Aid Society and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City, and spent six years with AIDS Project Los Angeles. Earlier in his career, he worked in film and television production at Nickelodeon and Paramount. A graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., he joined the foundation in March 2014. He lives in Monterey, Mass.

Sarah S. Stack
Sarah Stack is an Asian art curator and appraiser specializing in Chinese, Japanese and Korean ceramics who maintains her professional contacts in New York and is active in community nonprofits in Dutchess County. For 11 years, she served on the Clinton Community Library Board, including two years as president, during which time she oversaw the organization’s move from a reading association to a chartered member of the Mid-Hudson Library System. Sarah is a past board chair of Dutchess Day School in Millbrook, NY. She received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and studied Chinese language at Taiwan National University in Taipei. She and her husband David reside with their children in Clinton Corners, NY.

Nancy Humphreys 
Nancy Humphreys has over 35 years of banking experience concentrating on liquidity and treasury management. She spent 18 years at JP Morgan and a decade at Chase Manhattan Bank before serving for 10 years as managing director and treasurer of Citibank’s North American Investment Bank. She retired in 2000. Nancy graduated from Chatham College (now part of Chatham University) in Pittsburgh, Penn., with a B.A. in political science and earned her graduate degree, also in political science, at the Maxwell Graduate School at Syracuse University. Nancy has maintained an active interest in several Lakeville organizations, serving as a director of the Salisbury Bank and Trust Company, a board member of the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association and a trustee of the Salisbury Association. For the past five years, Nancy has been a member of the audit committee of Berkshire Taconic. She and her husband Neil have split their time between New York City and Lakeville for over 30 years. They have two grown children.

Pamela R. Green
Pamela R. Green is a partner in the law firm of Smith Green & Gold, LLP in Pittsfield, Mass., where she concentrates her practice on sophisticated trust, estate and tax planning, estate administration, elder law and real estate. Pam was named to Boston magazine’s “Super Lawyers Rising Stars” list in 2013-2016 and was part of the inaugural class of young professionals named as “Berkshire County 40 Under Forty,” presented in 2016 by Berkshire Community College. Pam volunteers her time as vice-chair of the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority board of directors, general counsel for the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum, and is the past board chair of the Berkshire County Estate Planning Council. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Western New England University School of Law, where she served as managing editor of the law review. Pam is also a cum laude graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in world politics.  

Peter Dillon
Dr. Peter Dillon was appointed superintendent of schools for the Berkshire Hills Regional School District—serving the towns of Stockbridge, West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, Mass.—in 2009. He was also named superintendent of the Shaker Mountain School Union, which serves Richmond, Hancock and New Ashford, in 2016. Previously, Peter was executive director of policy in the Office of Portfolio Planning at the New York City Department of Education, where he helped to create and sustain more than 150 new schools. Prior to that, he was principal of the Heritage School in East Harlem, a collaboration between Teachers College, Columbia University, and the New York City schools. He has taught in New York and in the Republic of the Marshall Islands as a Peace Corps volunteer. Peter earned a doctorate in curriculum and teaching from Teachers College, where he also received an M.A. in teaching English to speakers of other languages. He holds an Ed.M. in international education from Harvard University and an A.B. in history and religion from Bowdoin College. Peter serves on the boards of the New England School Development Council and St. James Place, and is a member of the Berkshire Compact for Education and Multicultural BRIDGE’s Race Task Force. He is a past president of the Berkshire County Superintendents’ Roundtable and the Great Barrington Rotary Club. He lives with his wife Diane and their three children in Stockbridge.  

Peter Taylor
President

Peter Taylor became the fourth president of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in January 2016. Since his arrival, Peter has led the board and staff through a regional community assessment and a strategic planning process resulting in new foundation priorities aimed at increasing educational attainment, community engagement and economic opportunity. During his tenure, the foundation has worked collaboratively with BTCF donors, committees, other funders and community groups to launch multi-year initiatives focused on supporting entrepreneurship, strengthening community engagement through the arts, increasing educational attainment and reducing poverty and substance use. Previously, Peter served as vice president, program development and grantmaking services, at the Maine Community Foundation, a statewide community foundation he joined in 2002. Prior to this role, Peter was associate dean of students at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. His past board service includes chairing Maine Philanthropy Center and Maine Commission for Community Service. 

Berkshire Taconic staff. Photo by Sarah Edwards

Michael E. MacDonald

Michael MacDonald is executive vice president and general counsel of Petricca Industries, Inc. in Pittsfield, Mass. While in private practice, Michael was an associate at Cook & Shepard, from 1981 to 1984; a junior partner at Cain, Hibbard, Myers & Cook, PC, from 1984 to 1986 and a partner there from 1986 to 2007. His past civic and board involvement includes serving as president of Berkshire Theatre Group; vice president of the Colonial Theatre Association, Inc.’s board of trustees; president of Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.; president of Downtown Investment Company, Inc.; chairman of planning board for the town of Windsor, Mass.; and clerk of the Central Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. Michael’s earned Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.’s Edward R. O’Keefe Person of the Year Award in 2006, the Massachusetts Bar Association’s community service award; the Colonial Theatre a Community Service to the Arts Award in 2007 and the Esther Quinn Community Service Award in 2011 from the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. Michael earned a B.A. in history at Assumption College and a J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law.

Richard Weininger

Richard Weininger is a health care entrepreneur who has founded several small health care management companies over the last two decades. The last of these was merged with CareCore National, where Dr. Weininger served as executive vice president, chairman, and, most recently, chief medical officer of this 3,000-employee enterprise. Richard studied oncology and hematology at Columbia University and Yale University, and taught medicine at Yale before setting up a clinical practice in Hudson 35 years ago. He is a board member of the Greenport Rescue Squad in Columbia County and of the National Advisory Council for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis. He is besotted by his two grandchildren, ages 4 and 2, and resides in Columbia County.

Ellen Casey Boyd
Ellen Casey Boyd has over 20 years of experience in development, marketing and corporate relations for nonprofits and grantmakers focused on health, literacy, and women and girls. She spent seven years in New York City, where she was on the development staff at the New York Women’s Foundation and Gilda’s Club, before managing corporate giving for the American Cancer Society’s Eastern Division. She then led the development program at Starlight Children’s Foundation of New England in Boston. Locally, she has served as event coordinator for Literacy Network of South Berkshire. Ellen is chair of the South Berkshire County Fund committee, a BTCF area fund with over $3.5 million in assets, and sits on the advisory committee of the Denise Kaley Fund, which supports Berkshire County women with cancer in financial need. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and American studies from Skidmore College. Ellen lives in West Stockbridge, Mass., with her husband, Steve, and their two children.

Thaddeus Gray
Thaddeus Gray has served as a member of Berkshire Taconic’s investment committee since March 2013. In 2017, he retired as a managing director at Abbott Capital Management, LLC, a New York-based investment advisor focused exclusively on private equity. Thaddeus was chief investment officer and a member of Abbott’s executive committee, overseeing staff responsible for screening, due diligence, selection, closing, monitoring and reporting on investments in private equity limited partnerships on behalf of institutional clients. Total assets under Abbott’s management are approximately $7 billion, with investments focused on venture capital, growth equity, leveraged buyouts and special situations. Prior to this, Thaddeus was syndicate manager and assistant vice president for Commerzbank Capital Markets Corporation and an analyst in the corporate finance department of Credit Commercial de France in Paris. He has served on the Sharon Association board and was co-chair of the Security and Street Life Committee for Community Board 8 in Manhattan. A Litchfield County native, he is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. Thaddeus resides with his family in Lakeville, Conn.

Brandon Williams
Grants Coordinator

As grants coordinator, Brandon is responsible for processing all grant requests from the program staff. Prior to joining Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Brandon served as a systems analyst for Berkshire Life Insurance Company. He holds a B.A. in communications and a B.S. in business information systems from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Shela Hidalgo
Community Engagement Officer

Shela Hidalgo is the community engagement officer for community philanthropy. She partners with Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s 11 area funds on fundraising and grantmaking, and provides strategic support for a range of other BTCF funds. Shela is active in many philanthropic organizations, including the Junior League of Berkshire County, Berkshire Business and Professional Women, and Berkshire Young Professionals. Prior to joining the foundation, Shela served as database associate at the Arizona Community Foundation. She holds a B.A. in nonprofit leadership and management from Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. Shela lives in Pittsfield, Mass.

Kelly A. Morgan
Kelly Morgan is a managing director at Boston-based investment firm Prio Wealth and a skilled portfolio manager with three decades of experience in investments. Kelly joined the firm in 2008 after 11 years with Putnam Investments, where she ultimately served as a chief investment officer for all retail and institutional U.S. large cap growth portfolios. Prior to Putnam, Kelly spent 10 years at Alliance Capital Management in New York and London. Throughout her career, she has managed assets for foundations and endowments large and small, for schools, churches, land conservancies, and health care nonprofits and hospitals. Kelly received her undergraduate degree in mathematics from Middlebury College and her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Active with Big Sister Association of Greater Boston for nine years, she lives part-time on a working farm in Pine Plains, N.Y.

Ellen L. Kennedy
Ellen Kennedy was named the seventh president of Berkshire Community College in 2012 after previously serving as the college’s chief financial officer. Prior to joining BCC, Ellen was interim chief operating officer of the National Patient Safety Foundation, director of development at WFCR (New England Public Radio), chief advancement officer for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and president of the MCLA Foundation. She has a B.S. in business administration from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a master in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and an Ed.D. from Northeastern University. Ellen’s community involvement includes serving on the boards of Berkshire Health Systems, the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Berkshire County Regional Employment Board and the executive committee of the Berkshire Compact for Education. She is a member of the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board Career Pathways Committee, the Berkshire Business Roundtable and the Pittsfield School Building Needs Committee. Ellen lives in Williamstown with her husband, Mark Gold. 

Christopher Kennan
Chris Kennan is a private investor based in Pine Plains, NY. From 1998 to 2001, he was a registered representative at Melhado, Flynn & Associates, an investment management firm in New York. Prior to that, he founded East River Holdings, Inc., which developed and marketed Latin American investment opportunities to individual and institutional clients. From 1982 to 1993, Chris was a senior associate to David Rockefeller, overseeing Mr. Rockefeller’s association with The New York City Partnership, the New York City Chamber of Commerce, the Americas Society, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission. Chris was also employed by Rockefeller & Co., the investment arm of the Rockefeller Family, as an advisor on private equity investments in South America. In addition to serving on the Wilson Council, Chris is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an Officier Commandeur in the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, a French oenological organization. He lives with his wife and children in Pine Plains, New York.

Cathy Glasner
Office Manager

Cathy Glasner joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in March 2013. In her role as office manager, she supports the president and board of directors and enthusiastically greets all who call or visit the office. Cathy is a graduate of the Ancell School of Business at Western Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Prior to joining the foundation, Cathy worked for Lime Rock Park, LLC and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. She lives with her husband, dogs and cats in Goshen, Conn.

Jill Cancellieri
Director of Philanthropic Services

Jill Cancellieri is Berkshire Taconic's first Director of Philanthropic Services. In this position, Jill is responsible for stewarding the foundation’s donor advisors to ensure high quality service and satisfaction. She has over ten years of experience as a development professional, most recently conducting local and global fundraising for The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children. She began her non-profit career as Development Director with the Girl Scout Council in Connecticut, where she managed the annual fund, corporate and foundation relations, special events and a capital campaign. Prior to that, Jill worked in marketing and public relations in NYC, rising to Vice President at the Cohn & Wolfe agency, where she specialized in consumer product accounts and sports marketing. Jill holds a BS degree from Boston University School of Communication. Jill’s volunteer activities have included working with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, the Greater Bridgeport School Mentoring Program, Norwalk Maritime Aquarium and a stint teaching children with learning disabilities in Tanzania. Jill has two sons, and recently moved to Great Barrington from New Canaan, Conn.

Peggy Gearity
Controller

Peggy joined Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation in July 2013 as controller. Prior to joining the foundation, she worked as controller at Encore Community Services in New York City for 10 years. Peggy graduated from Baruch College of the City University of New York with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She lives in Ghent, NY, with her wife and two cats, Cleo and KayLee.

A. J. Pietrantone
VP, Finance & Administration

A. J. Pietrantone joined the foundation as vice president of finance and administration in October 2014. In this role, he serves as the foundation’s chief operating and financial officer and provides high-level support to its finance and investment committees, which oversee the annual operating budget and the foundation’s $150 million in assets. With 25-plus years of experience as an executive at a broad range of nonprofits, A. J. has held senior finance and administrative positions with organizations focused on the arts, social services, civil rights and the environment, including national nonprofits Environmental Defense Fund and the Human Rights Campaign. Based in New York City from 1997 to 2014, A. J. served as executive vice president of KidRo Productions, the production company and charitable foundation of actress and TV personality Rosie O’Donnell. Most recently, he spent five years as executive director of Friends of Hudson River Park, the fundraising and advocacy arm of the longest waterfront park in the U.S., on the city’s West Side. A graduate of the Catholic University of America, he earned his M.B.A. in finance and investments at George Washington University. He lives in Millerton, N.Y.

Hannah Schiff
Communications Officer

Henry "Pete" Putzel

Pete Putzel, currently counsel to the New York City law firm Morvillo LLP, defends clients in civil and criminal white collar cases. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the Fordham University School of Law, where he teaches courses in Trial Advocacy. Prior positions include service as an assistant United States attorney for Southern District of New York and as an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the New York Council of Defense Lawyers and the Federal Bar Council. Since 1995 Mr. Putzel has served as a member of the Merit Selection Panel for Selection of United States Magistrate Judges in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He has served on several nonprofit boards including the Turtle Bay Music School, Concern for Dying, the Osborn Association and the Federal Bar Council, American Inn of Court (where he served as president from 2003-2004). Mr. Putzel currently resides with his wife Anne in New York City and in Sharon, CT.

Emilie M. Pryor

Emilie Pryor has been involved in the nonprofit world, professionally and as a volunteer, for almost 30 years. After receiving a B.A. in environmental studies and geography from the University of Vermont, she worked at the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C., for nine years. At WWF, she was program officer for Asia, supervising grants in environmental education, organizational development and strategic planning. She also wrote grants for a variety of projects, and designed workshops and guidebooks to help organizations strengthen their institutional capability. Emilie later earned an M.S. in museum education at the Bank Street College of Education. She has served as a director on many boards, including the Connecticut chapter of the Nature Conservancy, RARE Center for Tropical Conservation, Open Space Institute, Miss Porter’s School, Indian Mountain School, Prime Time House, the Cornwall Library, Cornwall Child Center, the Cornwall Conservation Trust and the World Rehabilitation Fund. Emilie served for six years on the planning and zoning commission for the town of Cornwall. Since 2008, she has been on the advisory board of Berkshire Taconic’s Alice and Richard Henriquez Memorial Fund. She lives with her husband Joe and their two children in West Cornwall, Conn.

Sheldon Evans
Sheldon Evans has been in the real estate business in New York City for over 50 years, specializing in the management of high-rise luxury apartment buildings. In the 1980s, he was in the forefront of purchasing buildings for conversion to co-ops and condos. He is also a licensed stockbroker and founder of Elliot Evans. Sheldon served for 12 years as a board member of Community Access, a New York City agency that provides housing and advocacy for people with psychiatric disabilities, where he was chair of the real estate committee. He was treasurer of the Columbia County Historical Society board for 15 years, a longtime board member and vice chair of the Columbia Land Conservancy and in 2006 founded Vote Columbia, a nonpartisan organization helping second-home owners vote in their local towns. He has been published in Walks Around Protected Land in Columbia County and Columbia County Outdoors. A graduate of Pratt Institute, Sheldon lives with his wife in Ghent, NY. 

Vera V.J. Weintraub
Vera “Tinny” Weintraub served as the executive director of Literacy, Inc., a nonprofit focused on organizing neighborhoods to read with their children, from 1997 to 2007. Earlier in her career, she was a consultant for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) and vice president of the financial institutions group within the Chemical Banking Corporation, where she worked from 1982 to 1995. Tinny has served on the boards of Henry Hudson 400 in New York City and the Edgewood Club of Tivoli, as well as on the advisory committee of Berkshire Taconic’s Fund for Columbia County. She also participates in the strategic planning efforts of the prominent NYC chorale group, The Collegiate Chorale. Tinny received a B.A. from Smith College in 1965, and an M.B.A. in public and private management from Yale School of Management in 1982. She resides with her husband Myles in Germantown, NY, and New York City.

Thomas S. Quinn
Tom Quinn is an investment adviser with over 30 years of experience in banking, investment management and commercial property. He is the former global head of real estate investment management for UBS Wealth Management and Business Banking, a position he held from 2004 to 2009. Prior to joining UBS in April 2004, Tom founded and managed TS Quinn Associates, LLC, a real estate investment management firm. Before that, he spent 23 years in various senior management positions at JP Morgan. From 1994 to 2001, Tom was responsible for JP Morgan's proprietary private equity investments in the real estate sector. He previously had a broad range of assignments in corporate finance and investment banking, including positions in New York, Mexico City and London. He is a former director of Alpha Investment Partners Limited, a real estate investment management firm in Singapore, a trustee of the Hotchkiss School and a former member of the National Real Estate Advisory Board of the Nature Conservancy. Tom graduated from Dartmouth College and earned a master’s degree from Middlebury College. He lives with his wife, Maria Horn, and their children in Salisbury, Conn.

Henry Putzel III
Henry “Pete” Putzel is counsel to the New York City law firm Morvillo LLP, where he defends clients in civil and criminal white collar cases. He is also adjunct professor of law at the Fordham University School of Law, teaching courses in trial advocacy. Prior positions include assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. He has a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Yale Law School, and is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the New York Council of Defense Lawyers and the Federal Bar Council. Since 1995, Pete has served as a member of the merit selection panel for U.S. magistrate judges in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He has served on several nonprofit boards, including the Turtle Bay Music School, Concern for the Dying, the Osborn Association and the Federal Bar Council American Inn of Court, where he was president from 2003 to 2004. Pete lives with his wife Anne in New York City and Sharon, Conn.

Robert W. Norris
Bob Norris was a teacher at the Rudolf Steiner School in Great Barrington, Mass. for 17 years. Previously, he was a managing partner of Provent AB, led training seminars for International Management Training for Educational Change and worked for the National Program for Educational Leadership. He also worked as the assistant management director and then assistant plant manager at Lennox International, Inc. Currently a board member of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, Bob has served on multiple boards for a range of nonprofit organizations, including the Lennox Foundation, The NOAH Center, Construct and Berkshire South Regional Community Center. A graduate of Grinnell College, the University of Stockholm and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bob lives with his wife Mary Ann in Great Barrington, Mass. 

Holly J. Nelson
Holly Nelson is co-founder and sales manager of Iceland Adventure and Horses North, LLC, the country’s oldest horseback tour operator providing specialty tours of Iceland. She previously co-founded and managed Oblong Books in Millerton, NY, which today is Dutchess County’s largest independent book store. Holly is an active member of her community, participating on a number of boards, including Salisbury Bank and Trust, and as an advisor to the Violet H. Simmons Scholarship Fund and the Martha Boschen Porter Fund at Berkshire Taconic. She previously served on the planning board for the town of North East and the boards of the Harlem Valley Partnership for Development, Harlem Valley Transportation Association, the Hudson Valley Grass Roots Energy and Environmental Network, and the New York Environmental Planning Lobby. Holly is a 1979 graduate of Cornell University with a B.A. in rural economic development. When she is not traveling through Iceland and Greenland, she is busy sending people on tours to those spots. She lives with her husband, Brad Vogel, in Millerton, N.Y.

Ellen L. Kennedy

Ellen Kennedy is president of Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Mass. Prior positions include interim chief operating officer of National Patient Safety Foundation, director of development at WFCR – Public Radio for Western New England and chief advancement officer for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and president of MCLA Foundation. In addition to her work with BTCF, she serves on the Board of Trustees of Berkshire Health Systems and the Board of Directors of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, Berkshire County Regional Employment Board and the Berkshire Compact for Education. She is a member of the Berkshire Business Roundtable, The Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board Career Pathways Committee and the Pittsfield School Building Needs Committee. Kennedy lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts with her husband, Mark Gold.

David B. Rich
David Rich is the executive director of Supportive Housing Works, an alliance of homeless providers, government agencies and foundations whose mission is to end homelessness in Connecticut. He has also worked to provide affordable housing as the executive director for the Mutual Housing Association in New Haven, as well as the board chair of HousingUs, Berkshire Taconic’s regional affordable housing initiative. David’s professional career has focused on the creation of social enterprises and sustainable business initiatives in India, Belize and the U.S., advising and developing worker-owned companies, cooperatives, and community-based organizations. He also worked for a number of years on a sustainable agriculture program for New England farmers. David graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in political science in 1984, and later received a master’s in urban studies from Southern Connecticut State University and a master’s in management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He lives with his wife Cristin in Lakeville, Conn.

Gloria G. Callen
Gloria Callen’s professional career has included public relations, curating a private collection of Old Master and contemporary drawings, and strategic planning and business development for the Office of the Chairman and President of Chase Manhattan Bank. Gloria has also worked in the thoroughbred industry and was a founding partner of a thoroughbred breeding operation in Lexington, Kentucky. She has served on the Contemporary Arts Council of the Museum of Modern Art, the Associates Committee of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the boards of Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation and the Gaines Center for the Humanities at the University of Kentucky. Gloria received her B.A. from Georgetown University and her M.B.A. from Columbia University. She resides in Millbrook, New York, with her husband Craig.

Christopher Kennan,

Chris Kennan is a private investor based in Pine Plains, New York. From 1998 until 2001, Mr. Kennan was a registered representative at Melhado, Flynn & Associates, an investment management firm in New York. Prior to joining Melhado, Flynn, he founded East River Holdings, Inc., which developed and marketed Latin American investment opportunities to individual and institutional clients. From 1982 to 1993, Mr. Kennan was a senior associate to David Rockefeller, where he oversaw Mr. Rockefeller’s association with The New York City Partnership, the New York City Chamber of Commerce, the Americas Society, the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission. Mr. Kennan was also employed by Rockefeller & Co., the investment arm of the Rockefeller Family, as an advisor on private equity investments in South America. In addition to serving on the Wilson Council, Mr. Kennan is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (NYC) and an Officier Commandeur in the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, a French oenological organization. He lives with his wife and children in Pine Plains, New York.

Maeve O’Dea
Program Director

After more than 20 years of service, Maeve O’Dea is the foundation’s longest-serving employee and has been an integral part of its growing impact on the region. As program director, she oversees all of the foundation’s grantmaking, working with hundreds of donors, advisory committees and applicants. She is also the foundation’s first point of contact for many nonprofits and serves as a mentor for colleagues in other foundations. Prior to her move to the U.S., Maeve worked as an executive assistant at a Dublin accounting firm, in corporate public relations in London and in customer service at an engineering firm in Galway. Maeve is a graduate of the University College Dublin.

Lisa Mlynarczyk
Assistant Controller & Database Manager

Lisa Mlynarczyk is one of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation's longest-serving employees. As assistant controller and database manager, she is responsible for ensuring that all transactions of the organization are recorded properly across multiple systems. Her responsibilities include gift processing (checks, cash, credit cards and public securities), accounts payable, grants processing, data analysis and asset rebalancing, bank reconciliations and assistance with the annual budget and audit. Lisa also acts as the back office for BTCF's supporting organization, the Foundation for Community Health in Sharon, Conn. Lisa attended Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn., where she attained a post-graduate degree, and attended the University of Southern Maine. She lives in Pittsfield, Mass., with her husband, son and daughter.

Cathy Glasner
Office Manager

Cathy joins BTCF in March 2013 as the Office Associate. She looks forward to supporting her entire team and enthusiastically greeting all that call or visit the office. She lives with her husband and dogs in Goshen, CT. Cathy is a graduate of the Ancell School of Business at Western CT State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Prior to joining BTCF Cathy worked for Lime Rock Park, LLC and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Peggy Gearity
Controller

Peggy joined the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation team in July 2013 as Controller. Prior to joining Berkshire Taconic, Peggy worked as Controller at Encore Community Services in NYC for ten years. Peggy is excited to join such a hard working and dedicated team and looks forward to contributing her expertise to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

Berkshire Taconic Staff and Board Photo by John Dolan