Greylock awards nonprofits
Pittsfield— As part of its ongoing commitment and support of community partners, Greylock Federal Credit Union is awarding ten nonprofits with special gifts of $10,000 each totaling a $100,000 contribution to the nonprofit sector.
In light of current events, Greylock’s leadership recognized the importance of awarding funds to organizations dedicated to providing human services. The recipients include Elder Services of Berkshire County, Louison House, Childcare of the Berkshires, Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires (VIM), Arts in Recovery for Youth (AIRY), Soldier On, Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood, Our Community Table, UCP of Western Massachusetts, and Berkshire Pride.
“We know that this year and next will be extremely challenging for nonprofits,” said Jamie Moncecchi, Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer. “We know that this award will be put to good use, providing essential resources, care, and support for the well-being of our community. Whether it’s AIRY helping youth at risk of suicide or Elder Services making sure our seniors have a hot meal each day or VIM caring for our immigrant neighbors, we believe strongly in giving back. This is one of the most powerful ways that Greylock can help the people of our community.”
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Berkshire Community Land Trust promotes Executive Director
Berkshire— Berkshire Community Land Trust (BCLT) announces the promotion of our Operations Director Beth Carlson to a newly created Executive Director position.
Carlson, a partner in Silo Media, initially got involved with BCLT and the Farmsteads for Farmers initiative through events, video, and graphics projects. She became the campaign manager for Farmsteads for Farmers in 2023 and Director of Operations in 2024.
Carlson served as president of the Dewey Memorial Hall Board until recently and is credited with leading the team that brought the organization through COVID and a significant revival. She is a founding board member of the W. E. B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy. Her Silo Media projects were mostly for nonprofits and involved fundraising campaigns, video editing, direction, and production, social media, and consulting.
Expressing her passion for the mission of the CLT, Carlson stated, “Affordable access to land is critical to the health of our local communities. Land speculation had concentrated ownership in fewer and fewer hands. Placing land into a community land trust and making it available in perpetuity for workforce housing, farming, local retail, and light manufacturing can revitalize the local economy.”
A reception celebrating the recent acquisition of River Run Farm and welcoming Carlson to the new role will be held in the spring of 2026. The event will also honor David Fix, Schumacher Center Director of Operations, for his years of work assisting the board of directors and maintaining governance and supporting operations for both organizations.
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MountainOne Bank promotes Operations Manager
North Adams— MountainOne announces the promotion of Sarah Bloom to Officer, Operations Manager. In this elevated role, her responsibilities include developing and maintaining operational workflows, supporting the implementation of new service and product offerings, and contributing to initiatives that enhance internal operational processes across the organization.
Bloom joined MountainOne Bank in January 2021 as an E-Services and Operations Specialist II. She was promoted to Junior Operations Analyst in 2024 and advanced again in 2025 to Operations Analyst. Prior to joining MountainOne, she served as a Senior Loan Systems Specialist at Berkshire Bank. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Bloom holds a Master of Business Administration. She is an active member of the MountainOne Communications Committee, serves on the North Adams Planning Board, and is a member of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Alumni Board of Directors.
“We’re pleased to announce Sarah’s promotion to Officer, Operations Manager,” said Mike MacArevey, Senior Vice President, Senior Operations Officer at MountainOne. “Sarah’s analytical strengths, collaborative spirit, and dedication to excellence reflect the values we strive for at MountainOne, and we’re grateful for the contributions she brings to our team.”
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Greylock Federal welcomes Senior Vice President
Pittsfield— Greylock Federal Credit Union announces the hiring of Senior Vice President Charles Robertson, who joins the Retail Services team. In this role, he will be responsible for leading Greylock’s branch network, Contact Center, member-facing technology, and strategic retail initiatives. In this role he will provide enterprise-level leadership across deposit growth, member retention, direct lending support, and experience optimization.
“I am incredibly honored to join Greylock Federal Credit Union and return home to Western Mass. where I was born and raised. After spending the last 20 years in the Greater Seattle area, being back home is a personal milestone,” said Robertson.
Before moving back to Massachusetts, Robertson served as Executive Vice President & Chief Retail Officer at Kitsap Bank in Port Orchard, Wash. where he directed the operations for the 15-branch, $1.7 billion dollar community bank. In this role he spearheaded the sales and service program and was responsible for executing multiple strategic initiatives including retail, mortgage, consumer lending, wealth management, business development, leading the learning and development team and overseeing branch modernization and remodels. He is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.
“Charles is a fantastic addition to Greylock’s Retail Services. He has more than 25 years of banking experience and a proven track-record of leading and building teams, executing strategy and delivering exceptional business results,” said Michael Stoddard, Executive Vice President. “We are happy to have him back in Western Massachusetts, lending his skills and expertise to Greylock Federal.”
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Berkshire Community College installs EV charging stations
Pittsfield— Berkshire Community College (BCC) has taken another step towards technological modernization with the installation of eight electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, made possible as a result of a Fleet EV Charging Deployment Grant Program award of $133,161 provided by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Leading By Example (grant program.
In October 2024, Guardian Energy was awarded the contract to install the EV charging stations at the Stanley and Susan B. Anthony Annexes. The grant covered costs associated with fleet electric vehicle charging deployment at BCC, including procurement, installation, and maintenance of eight single-port charging stations and preparatory work to enable future installation of two additional charging ports.
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Middle School Science Fair at MCLA
North Adams— Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host the Massachusetts Region I Middle School Science Fair on Wednesday, April 15th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. The event brings together approximately 110 middle school students from across the region to showcase their original research projects.
Seven schools are participating this year: BART Charter School, Hoosac Valley Middle School, St. Agnes School, Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion School, Greenfield Middle School, Drury Middle School, and John F. Kennedy Middle School. Students will present approximately 50 projects across five STEM categories: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Engineering, Environmental Science, and Behavioral and Social Science.
Projects will be evaluated by a panel of approximately 30 judges, including MCLA faculty, staff, and students, as well as representatives from McCann Technical High School, Berkshire Museum, Flying Cloud, Fuss and O’Neill, and Williams College.
“Participation in the middle school science fair introduces students to the practice of scientific research, and gives us a chance to celebrate their work,” said Dr. Ann Billetz, MCLA Professor of Biology. “It also gives students the opportunity to spend the day on a college campus and interact with faculty, undergraduate students, and STEM mentors.”
The event is open to community members who wish to attend.
