Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Has New Board Chair
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| J. Williar 'Bill' Dunlaevy |
SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has announced the election of J. Williar ‘Bill’ Dunlaevy, of Lenox as the new chair of its board of directors.
First elected to the board in 2006, Dunlaevy retired as CEO of Legacy Bancorp and Legacy Banks in 2011 after 16 years as chairman and CEO and a 42-year career at the bank.
“It’s a great honor for me to assume this leadership role as Berkshire Taconic enters an important period in its 26-year history,” Dunlaevy said. “As a permanent resource for the communities we love, we are uniquely positioned to drive collective action on critical issues and create positive change in the region, today and for years to come.”
Active in civic affairs, Dunlaevy currently serves as chairman of Berkshire Bank Foundation - Legacy Region, Inc., the charitable arm of Berkshire Bank, and director/treasurer of the Literacy Network of Southern Berkshires. He is also a director of Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Berkshire Bank, and the Savings Bank Life Insurance (SBLI) Company.
Dunlaevy has previously served on the boards of Berkshire Community College (including as chair), Berkshire Business Roundtable, Berkshire Health Systems, Berkshire Regional Competitiveness Council, The Colonial Theatre Restoration Campaign, Pittsfield Boys’ & Girls’ Club and Berkshire Economic Development Corporation. He has held industry leadership positions with Depositors Insurance Fund and Massachusetts Bankers Association. A graduate of Bowdoin College (AB), the University of Massachusetts (MBA), the Graduate School of Banking at Brown University and the College for Financial Planning, Dunlaevy lives with his wife Susan in Lenox. For their work on behalf of Berkshire United Way, the couple received the Ruth P. and Nicholas Boraski ‘Leader in Philanthropy’ Award at a June 24 event.
“Berkshire Taconic will benefit greatly from the leadership skills of our new chair Bill Dunlaevy,” said Jennifer Dowley, president of BTCF. “I so look forward to partnering with him as Berkshire Taconic grows and helps our region prepare for the future. Bill’s deep knowledge of the Berkshires will make him invaluable to our work together.”
Newly elected board officers are: Tom Quinn (Vice Chair) of Salisbury, Conn.; Gloria Gaines Callen (Treasurer) of Millbrook, NY; and Diane Monti-Catania (Secretary) of Salisbury, Conn. Joining the board for his first term is Carl ‘Gif’ Whitbeck of Hudson, NY.
Rounding out the board of 18 are (from northwest Connecticut) Ann Goodbody, Emilie Mead Pryor, Henry ‘Pete’ Putzel and David Rich; (from Berkshire County, Mass.) Edward Hoe, Ellen Kennedy, David McCarthy and Robert Norris; (from Columbia County, NY) Sheldon Evans and Vera Weintraub; and (from northeast Dutchess County, NY) Christopher Kennan, Holly Nelson and Sarah Stack. Dunleavy succeeds Kennan as chair.
In 2013, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation distributed 3,500 grants totaling $8 million. With assets of $114 million, BTCF is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in the Berkshire Taconic region and works in partnership with donors and nonprofit organizations to meet the needs of communities in three states and four counties.
