Berkshire LGBTQ+ Leaders Launch Monthly Networking Event

07:25AM / Wednesday, March 12, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire LGBTQ+ business owners, professionals, and community leaders are coming together to launch the new LGBTQ Business & Leaders Networking Monthly Networking Event on the third Wednesday each month, beginning March 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Inaugural meeting will be hosted at WANDER Berkshires, 34 Depot St., Suite 101, Pittsfield, and include a panel discussion with a local business owner, a community leader, and a representative from the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. There will also be an opportunity for participants to speak about their businesses and meet other business owners.

The monthly networking event is designed to foster connection, collaboration, and creative dialogue among local LGBTQ+ business owners, professionals, and community leaders. In partnership with the Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Q-MoB, WANDER Berkshires, and media sponsor Berkshire Magazine, the series offers a platform to reflect on the rich history, vibrant present, and promising future of LGBTQ+ business in the Berkshires, as well as to support one another and find ways to meet the challenges that the LGBTQ community now faces. Each gathering will feature insights from esteemed LGBTQ leaders in the region. In this first gathering, the discussion will focus on the theme of "Berkshire LGBTQ Business: Past, Present, and Future." Panelists include:

Past: Jason Vivori, co-founder of the Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition, a long-time community organizer, and Collections Manager for the Berkshire Museum, will share stories of the influential LGBTQ+ businesses and leaders who helped shape our community.
Present: Jay Santangelo, founder of WANDER Berkshires—a dynamic coffee house, creative meeting space, and community darkroom—will provide insights on current innovative gatherings and community building.
Future: Angie Montalvo-Greene, Member Engagement Director for the Massachusetts LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, will outline new programs aimed at empowering local LGBTQ business leaders.

"In this time of tumultuous change, it's vital that our local LGBTQ+ community leaders come together to support one another and work in solidarity with our many allied businesses, government agencies, and organizations," said Q-MoB Executive Director Bart Church.

The LGBTQ Business, Professional, & Community Leaders Networking Event series will continue at these local LGBTQ-owned Berkshire businesses in April & May:

4/16/25, 5:30-7:30pm, at Brazzucas Market, 75 North St, Pittsfield, MA 01201, and on
5/21/25, 5:30-7:30 pm at Heart's Pace Teahouse, 15 Eagle St, North Adams, MA 01247

"It is more essential than ever for our community to come together, support one another, and build strong networks with allied businesses and organizations," says Jay Santangelo, founder of WANDER Berkshires. "This series is an invitation for us to unite, share ideas, and work collaboratively towards a resilient and empowered future."

For more information and to register, please click HERE. Registration is free.

Tags: networking,

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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