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Berkshares, Inc. Board of Trustees Continuing Their Terms Daniel Bellow Makes Fine Porcelain Pottery in Great Barrington, Which

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Berkshares, Inc. Board of Trustees Continuing Their Terms Daniel Bellow Makes Fine Porcelain Pottery in Great Barrington, Which BerkShares, Inc. Board of Trustees Continuing their terms Daniel Bellow makes fine porcelain pottery in Great Barrington, which he exhibits and sells in fine galleries all over the country, in Anthropologie stores from LA to London, and at the studio, by appointment, where he accepts Berkshares. A former reporter and editor for The Berkshire Eagle, he still writes occasionally for the Berkshire Edge. He has two exceptional children who attend local schools and a former stray dog named Ringo. Bellow is very interested in the ideas of E.F. Schumacher and, despite decades of disillusionment in the newspaper business and elsewhere, in the possibility of a better world. He sees his work with BerkShares as a way of putting these ideas into practice. Catherine Chester is an attorney with the law firm of Hellman Shearn & Arienti LLP in Great Barrington, MA, where she specializes in the areas of real estate, zoning and permitting, and corporate formation and transactions. She grew up in the Berkshires and returned to the area after living and working in New York City. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in International Relations and French Studies and earned her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Catherine is actively involved in the community, volunteering for many local organizations and currently serving on the boards of the Stockbridge Land Trust and the Olga Dunn Dance Company. She is also a 2014 graduate of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce’s “Berkshire Leadership Program” which further inspired her to make the Berkshires an attractive area for young people and their businesses. Catherine recognizes that the economy and culture of the Berkshires sits at a critical juncture due to dwindling population and job growth and sees BerkShares as a unique and creative effort to assist in reversing that trend and achieving economic sustainability in the region. Brian Hailes is a global technology executive who moved to the Berkshires from Atlanta in 2013. His company, Hailes & Associates, takes on a range of assignments in business development and executive recruitment. He has held senior positions with a number of technology companies, including Vice President, BellSouth International and Regional Director, ITT Africa & Middle East. As an executive recruiter he was Managing Director and Head of the North American Telecom Practice for Russell Reynolds Associates. Brian has a B.Sc.(Honours) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Leeds (UK) and a DMS (Diploma in Management Studies) from the Polytechnic of Central London. He is a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng) and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering & Technology, London (FIET). Jennifer Tabakin is Town Manager for the town of Great Barrington. Previously, she served in senior leadership positions in the New York City Government, the MTA, and in the non-profit sector. Before moving to Great Barrington with her husband and two children, Jennifer was Senior Program Manager in the Office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, responsible for BerkShares, Inc. Board of Trustees Continuing their terms construction oversight and operations of Lower Manhattan; design and construction of waterfront parks; development of new parks in the Bronx and as a senior advisor to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development on policy, quality of life issues, environmental issues and urban design. Jennifer grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison with a degree in history and a certificate in environmental studies, and attained a Masters in Urban Planning from NYU. Sierra King Watson was born and raised in Berkshire County. While still attending High School at Mount Everett, she started her career with Salisbury Bank and Trust (SBT) and began learning the dynamics of banking. She has since been with SBT for 8 years and served many different positions. Sierra has participated in many community events, lending her skills and time while also building relationships throughout the business community. Many of her mentors and friends have inspired her to participate more in the public sphere, and she feels that serving on the board of BerkShares will be a great introduction to board service, and a way to help develop future changes to our community. Susan Witt is the Executive Director of the Schumacher Center for a New Economics, heir to the legacy programs of the E. F. Schumacher Society. She helped found the Schumacher Society in 1980 and led the development of its publication, library, seminar, and other educational programs. She helped found the Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires in 1980 to create more affordable access to land for housing, farming, and small business development. In 2006 she co-founded BerkShares, and before that created and administered the SHARE micro-credit program, the precursor to BerkShares. A Rotarian since 1989, she was the first woman President of the Great Barrington Club. She lives and works on Community Land Trust land in Egremont. BerkShares, Inc. Board of Trustees Candidates to be confirmed at the Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 20, 2016. Michael Bloomberg is an advocate for the sustainable redevelopment of post-industrial cities in Massachusetts. He recently ran as a Democratic candidate for the Massachusetts House of Representatives on a platform of economic revitalization for the City of Pittsfield and Gateway Cities across the Commonwealth. A graduate of Pittsfield High School and the University of Massachusetts, Mike has previously worked with United States Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs on their Games Planning team, for Kora Management, a startup hedge fund in New York City, and Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest financial firms located in Westport, Connecticut. He brings with him a diverse background in strategic planning, investor relations, talent management, and emerging technology. He is a member of Strong Towns, a planning advocacy group that promotes sustainable neighborhoods, and is an outspoken advocate for people-centered infrastructure and economic systems. He currently serves as an advisor to a group that will be launching a new research university in Massachusetts and is continuing his studies on urban revitalization. When he is not on the road, Mike can be found enjoying a cup of locally roasted coffee or brushing up on local history at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Kate Chebatoris is a prominent sweater designer with more than 20 years of experience in the fashion industry working for Donna Karan, and Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen among others. She has lived in the Berkshires since 2006 with her husband and son. She joined the board of BerkShares, Inc. in 2014 and is interested in the potential of building more local industry based on Berkshire resources such as wool. She sees our local currency as a tool to help create a more self-sufficient and vibrant local economy that can provide fulfilling and sustainable livelihoods to the residents of the region. She makes custom robes and wraps from her studio in South Egremont and is also a certified consulting hypnotist. Gillette Conner is passionate about building bridges between private, public and civil sectors to address both international and domestic development challenges. She is an integrative and holistic thinker with extensive experience in program strategy, design and management with focused expertise in stakeholder engagement processes, building alliances and spearheading and designing development partnerships. She works for the World Bank Group/International Finance Corporation where she is a Senior Knowledge Officer and is Senior Knowledge Officer in the Finance and Markets Global Practice. She has a diverse background with subject matter expertise in HIV/AIDS and women’s health, knowledge management and community and stakeholder engagement. She has worked across multiple sectors including financial services, oil and gas, mining, light manufacturing, technology and the hospitality industries engaging with BerkShares, Inc. Board of Trustees Candidates to be confirmed at the Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 20, 2016. companies, non-profit organizations and civil society across sub-Saharan Africa, the Russian Federation, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands and the US. Gillette is committed to local and regional development, and although relatively new to the Berkshires, she currently serves as a Commissioner for the Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women, is a member with the Berkshire Business and Professional Women’s Association, and volunteers her time and expertise with Berkshire Starts. She also works with Halcyon Incubator in Washington, DC, where she has served as a mentor and in other capacities since the first class of Fellows in the fall of 2014. She received her MBA with a focus on Finance and International Business from Georgetown University in Washington, DC and a BA with cum laude distinction in Psychology and French from Wake Forest University in North Carolina. Tim Geller has been Executive Director of the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire since 2002. Over the last seven years, the CDC has leveraged over $16 million in public and private investment for southern Berkshire County and created over sixty affordable housing units. The CDC has 142 housing units in their prospective projects, and 40,000 square feet of commercial space. Before joining the CDC, Mr. Geller was Portfolio Manager of the Western Massachusetts Enterprise Fund, and was Founder and President of the Berkshire Interfaith Community Investment Fund. Since 2004, he has “moon-lighted” for the Boston Symphony as score reader for the orchestra video production at Tanglewood. He has a Master’s Degree in Community Economic Development from the University of Southern New Hampshire, as well as degrees in music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Southern Methodist University and Princeton University. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Stockbridge Land Trust, the Great Barrington Land Conservancy and HousingUs, a tri-state affordable housing development program of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
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