Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires Board Names New Director

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. – The Board of Directors of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC) announces the appointment of Samantha Anderson as the new executive director of the organization, following the retirement of founder Liana Toscanini at the end of April of this year.
 
Anderson, a Berkshire resident, brings 30 years of experience managing mission-driven organizations in both the nonprofit and private sectors.
 
Board Vice President Hari Kumar, who chaired the search committee, said that the NPC Board undertook a national search.
 
"With the support of our external search firm Eos Transition Partners. Our focus was on finding the right person to steward and grow NPC as an organization that centers the needs of the vital nonprofit sector in Berkshire County, which is home to over 1,200 nonprofits serving a wide range of community causes. Samantha emerged as the clear choice from an extensive pool of highly qualified candidates," he said. 
 
Anderson will enter this new role from her previous position as president of West Stockbridge-based Essential~Wholeness LLC, where she led philanthropic advising and nonprofit capacity-building work while also serving as a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach. 
 
Her career has been both local and international in scope, and she has demonstrated a consistent ability to design programs that respond to community needs, grow and diversify revenue, and elevate organizational visibility. These skills and capacities are at the forefront of NPC's work. 
 
Additionally, Anderson brings direct experience with the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires itself, having previously served as a board member. 
 
Her existing familiarity with the organization allows her to enter her new role with a firm grasp of the organization's membership, programs, finances, and stakeholders.
 
"I'm thrilled to step into this role, and deeply grateful to Liana for founding and nurturing such a vital organization and to the Board for their confidence in me," Anderson said. "It's an honor to carry the baton forward into the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires' next chapter."
 
"Samantha is the whole package and then some," said Toscanini of her successor. "The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires will benefit greatly from her experience and skillset as the organization enters its next phase of growth and impact."
 
NPC's Board of Directors invites the Berkshire nonprofit community to join them in both welcoming Samantha Anderson into her new role and celebrating the work of Liana Toscanini in founding and stewarding the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires for 10 years.
 
 
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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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