BCC's '40 Under Forty' Winners to be Honored

08:14AM / Wednesday, February 12, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC), together with partners 1Berkshire and Mill Town Foundation, will honor the winners of its annual 40 Under Forty Awards on Thursday, March 27 at 5 pm in the Robert Boland Theater, located on the main campus at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield.

Tickets are $75 per person (free for award winners and one guest per winner) and may be purchased online at www.berkshirecc.edu/40-tix. Proceeds benefit support Workforce programs at BCC, addressing immediate needs and helping to build a lasting endowment.

According to a press release, 40 Under Forty celebrates talented people in the Berkshires, under the age of 40, who have a deep dedication to improving the quality of life for those living and working in our community. Nominees, who hail from throughout Berkshire County, are eligible for the award through their professional work and how it makes a difference, their personal commitment to their community, or other efforts to improve the quality of life for those living and working the Berkshires.

Mill Town Foundation, for the second consecutive year, will provide funding for each 40 Under Forty Award winner to re-grant $1,000 to an eligible Berkshire-based nonprofit organization.

Designed to promote purposeful giving, the Mill Town Foundation initiative encourages each award winner to research area nonprofit organizations to gain an extensive understanding of their mission and work before choosing which group to support.

The winners, along with their non-profit of choice to receive the $1,000 funding, are:

Melissa Agosto, Director of Finance, Austen Riggs Center; donating to Berkshire Children’s Chorus
Abigail Allard, Development & Communications Manager, Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center; donating to Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center
Christian Bianchi, CEO, Berkshire Family YMCA; donating to Community Access to the Arts (CATA)
Dr. Ashley Clancy-Gagnon, Audiologist, Berkshire Medical Center; donating to Berkshire Humane Society
Kate DeWolf, Certified Nurse Midwife, Berkshire OB/GYN & Associates; donating to Berkshire Nursing Families
Marina Dominguez, Community Coordinator, Downtown Pittsfield / Founder, Katunemo Art & Healing / Owner, Maru Art & Studio; donating to Berkshire Immigrant Center
Grace Enchill, Attorney, Heller & Robbins PC; donating to 18 Degrees
Samantha Farella, Reading Specialist, Pittsfield Public Schools; donating to The Love of T Foundation
Luke Fitzgerald, Case Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health / Executive Director, The Love of T Foundation; donating to The Love of T Foundation
Mystie Ford, Fraud and Loss Prevention Officer, Greylock Federal Credit Union; donating to No Paws Left Behind
Kelly Galvin, Program Director, Community Access to the Arts (CATA); donating to BRIDGE
Christopher Hantman, College and Career Readiness Coordinator, BART Charter Public School; donating to PopCares
Darci Hess, College and Career Readiness Coordinator, General Dynamics Mission Systems; donating to Berkshire Music School
Daniel Hudson, Executive Director, Images Cinema; donating to Images Cinema
Michael Jefferson, Family Medicine Physician Assistant, Community Health Programs; donating to Roots Rising
Kevin Kelly, Founder & CEO, After Hours Hospitality, LLC; donating to Berkshire Bounty
Matthew Kosiorek, Program Director, College Internship Program; donating to Wildcat Sports Group
Hayden Kuhn, President, Thunderbolt Ski Runners (TSR) / Pharmacist, Berkshire Community Pharmacy; donating to Roots Rising
Gabriela Leon, Outreach Coordinator/Recovery Coach, Berkshire Health Systems (Berkshire Connections); donating to Berkshire Humane Society’s Safe Pet Program
Cheryl Martin, SVP Consumer Banking, Lee Bank; donating to Berkshire Humane Society
Michael Massery, Owner/Head Coach, The Infield; donating to Baseball in the Berkshires
Brandy McKie, First Vice President, Retail Banking, Lee Bank; donating to 18 Degrees
Cailin McMahon, Special Education Teacher, Branches School of the Berkshires; donating to Road Runners Club of America
Christina Meucci, Owner, The Recovery Room; donating to Girls Inc. at the Gladys Brigham Center
Tiffany Moreno, Program Manager, Berkshire Community College; donating to Latinas413
Mary Morrison, Math Teacher, Pittsfield Public Schools (Pittsfield High School); donating to Berkshire United Way
LaTonia Morton, Behavioral Intervention Paraprofessional, Pittsfield Public Schools; donating to R.O.P.E.
Bethany Prince-Malloy, Program Director, Family Center of Northern Berkshire, Child Care of the Berkshires Inc.; donating to Child Care of the Berkshires Inc.
Adam Rice, CPA, Partner, Killeen Arace & Quinn PC; donating to No Paws Left Behind
Megan Rose, Attorney, Hilgers Graben; donating to Strong Little Souls
Heather Roy, Domestic Violence Specialist, Department of Transitional Assistance; donating to Elizabeth Freeman Center Inc.
Allen Scaccia, Project Manager, Senior Estimator, Thermo Expert; donating to Gladys Brigham Center
Ryan Sears, Executive Director, Commonwealth Collaborative; donating to Berkshire Pride
Taylor Staubach, Community Conservation Senior Manager, Berkshire Natural Resources Council / Founder, Berkshire Family Hikes; donating to Berkshire Natural Resources Council
Mary Summers, Owner, Tommy’s Compost Service; donating to Berkshire Agricultural Ventures
Jeanna Tinney, Founder & CEO, Romans 828, LLC; donating to Berkshire REIGN Youth Sports
Lyndsey Wadsworth, Systems Engineer, General Dynamics Mission Systems; donating to Elizabeth Freeman Center Inc.
Jen Weber, EMS Director, Lanesborough Ambulance; donating to Western Mass Critical Incident Stress Management
Rebecca Wehry, Executive Director of Development, Berkshire Community College; donating to Berkshire Community College Foundation
Andy Wrba, Program Director, Mill Town Foundation; donating to Focus Is Our Children

Tags: 40 under 40, BCC,

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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