Berkshire Money Management Hires Compliance Officer

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Money Management, a locally based investment advisory firm, has hired Jayne Bills, a veteran of Citigroup Treasury, as the firm's compliance officer.

Bills joins an already growing team of committed advisors and will be dealing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and all of its outside regulatory requirements and internal policies. She has the essential task of effectively communicating Berkshire Money Management's ethics principles and compliance regulations to the SEC and to BMM's client community.

"We are fortunate to have been able to lure Jayne away from New York City to our Berkshire-based company," said Berkshire Money Management CEO and Chief Investment Officer Allen Harris. "This area has so much to offer other young professionals, and Jayne has a lot to offer to us."

Bills attended Providence College in Rhode Island, where she met her husband Dan. She graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in quantitative economics. For a decade, the couple lived in the New York City area, "commuting, competing, and, at times, wondering if there just might be a different way of life." The arrival of their son, August, gave them the incentive to find out. It was a perfect match — the job, the "Shire" and their mutual interests — hiking, cycling, and antiquing.

"We are excited to call the Berkshires home and for our family to embrace all the wonderful things the region has to offer," Bills said. "I am so grateful to have the opportunity to join Berkshire Money Management, to be part of a company that operates with a great level of respect not only for their clients and employees, but also for their community."

Pittsfield Remembers Lives Lost to Overdose, Underscores Harm Reduction

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Mayor Peter Marchetti reads a proclamation at City Hall encouraging residents to raise awareness and lift each other up. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder. 

The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma. 

There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024. 

While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero. 

"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. 

August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.

Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."

"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said.