Community Members Join Flying Cloud Board

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Flying Cloud Institute (FCI) announced that Faith Gagliardi and Caitlin Greer Meister have joined the organization's Board of Directors.
 
Faith Gagliardi is a business manager with nearly 20 years of hands-on work experience covering marketing, operations, analytics, and leadership. She currently serves as Account Manager at Working Planet and previously worked as the Senior Director of Owned Media at Go Fish Digital (formerly Agital/Exclusive Concepts). Gagliardi earned a Masters of Science degree in Communications from Lasell University, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
 
"The future I want to help build is one filled with science and art, wonder and awe. I look forward to working with Flying Cloud Institute on bringing hands-on experiences to youth — helping our communities grow in return," said Faith.
 
Caitlin Greer Meister is a specialist in strengths-based learning, neurodiversity-affirming practices, giftedness, and executive functioning. As a parent educator, instructional leader, founder, and mom of two, Meister is Orton-Gillingham trained and holds a certificate in Instructional Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work and words have been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Parents, and more, and she provides professional development for schools, workshops for parents, and speaks for organizations and conferences in the United States and abroad.
 
"In my 12 years as a mom, I've been a public school parent, private school parent, homeschool parent, and worldschool parent. I have seen a lot of different educational environments, and I've never encountered another one like Flying Cloud. After experiencing firsthand what FCI can do for families like mine, I'm eager to help expand their impact on families, classrooms, and communities," said Meister.
 
These professionals join officers Cathy Ingram, Director of Development at Miss Hall's School, as Chair; Dana Vorisek, Economist for the World Bank Group, as Treasurer; and Barbara Viniar, retired former President of Berkshire Community College, as Clerk; as well as Board members Leigh Doherty, Executive Director of the Literacy Network; Liliana Atanacio Garcia, Grant and Program Administrator at Mill Town Foundation; and Sarah Reynolds North, founder and baker at Found Bread.
 
"I am honored to serve as Board Chair with dedicated and talented board members and staff as we embark on a new year of innovation and community impact," said Cathy Ingram.
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Reps. Leigh Davis, Bud Williams Filing Legislation Honoring Freeman

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — State Reps. Leigh Davis of the 3rd Berkshire District and Bud L. Williams, of the 11th Hampden District, are filing legislation establishing Aug. 22 as Elizabeth Freeman Day of Equality, Healing, and Remembrance in the commonwealth.
 
The legislation would direct the governor to annually issue a proclamation recognizing the courageous contributions of Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved Black woman known as Mum Bett, whose landmark freedom suit helped spark the legal end of slavery in Massachusetts.
 
"Elizabeth Freeman's story began here in the Berkshires, but its impact reached every corner of the commonwealth," said Davis. "More than two centuries later, her legacy continues to inspire us. Establishing Elizabeth Freeman Day will ensure that future generations learn not only about her extraordinary bravery, but also about the power of one person to change the course of history."
 
In 1781, Freeman, of Sheffield at the time, challenged the institution of slavery by filing suit against her enslaver, Col. John Ashley. In the landmark case Brom and Bett v. Ashley, a Berkshire County jury ruled in favor of Freeman and her fellow plaintiff, Brom, granting them their freedom. The case demonstrated the power of the Massachusetts Constitution's declaration that all people are born free and equal and helped pave the way for the Quock Walker decisions that ultimately ended slavery in the commonwealth. 
 
"Freeman's courage changed the course of history in Massachusetts," said Williams. "At a time when the odds were stacked against her, she stood up and demanded that the promises of liberty and equality contained in our Constitution apply to her as well. She risked everything to challenge an unjust system, and her victory helped lay the foundation for the end of slavery in our commonwealth. Her legacy deserves to be recognized and remembered by every resident of Massachusetts."
 
Although unable to read or write, Freeman understood the meaning of freedom and equality and took extraordinary action to secure those rights for herself and others. Her story remains one of the most powerful examples of individual courage in the face of injustice. 
 
Elizabeth Freeman Day will provide an opportunity for reflection, education, healing, and remembrance, said Williams. 
 
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