The Colonial Announces Newly Appointed Board Members

04:23PM / Wednesday, August 22, 2007Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD - Joan E. Bancroft, Joan G. Callahan, Pamela C. Rich, A. King Francis, Laura L. Mick, Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. and Carole Siegel have been appointed to the Colonial theater board of trustees. â€œThe Colonial theater navigated the always-challenging path through the renovation process largely because of the dedication and single-mindedness of an enthusiastic group of community volunteers. The mission of this performance center will always be to serve the people of the Berkshires. To do that effectively, we need to continually attract community representatives who will effectively represent our communities and advocate for the long-term success of the theater. We are so pleased to announce these wonderful new additions to our Board of Trustees,â€ said Colonial Executive Director David Fleming. â€œThe Colonial is off to a great start. Now that weâ€™ve transitioned from a construction project to final capital campaign fundraising and an actively programmed theater, we are eager to expand the skills and talents of the dedicated advisers who are helping us realize success. The people on this list are outstanding community members who are all enthusiastic about the Colonial theaterâ€™s future,â€ said Gary Scarafoni, president of the trustees. New Board Members Joan E. Bancroft (President, Berkshire Life Insurance Co. of America) Bancroft became president of Berkshire Life Insurance Co. of America, a wholly-owned stock subsidiary of Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America of New York City, in October 2005, capping a 35-year career with the company. After her initial start in the field compensation area in 1970, Bancroft joined what was then the computer services department. In 1972, she went to Vienna as a systems software specialist for Univac-Austria. Upon her return to Berkshire Life 2 1/2 years later, she resumed her career in information technology, where she held several management positions and received several promotions before being named information resources officer in 1984. Bancroft became director of corporate systems in 1996 and was promoted to vice president, information technology, in 1998. She joined the Senior Leadership Team in November 2002, assuming responsibility for claims as well as IT. A graduate of Colorado Womenâ€™s College (an affiliate of the University of Denver), where she earned a bachelorâ€™s degree in Music Theory, Ms. Bancroft currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Berkshire Wireless Learning Initiative, as well as the board of the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Massachusetts and Berkshire business roundtables, and sits on the Executive Committee of the Berkshire Economic Development Corp. Past examples of community service include serving on the board of managers of the Lenox Library Association, on Berkshire Health Systemsâ€™ Community Benefits Committee and as president of Berkshire Retirement Home. An alumna of Miss Hallâ€™s School in Pittsfield, Bancroft resides in Lenox with her husband, Don Grody. Joan Gregg Callahan (Consultant, Williams College) Callahan is an annual-giving consultant affiliated with Marts and Lundy, a full-service philanthropic consulting firm. From 1995-2006, she served as director of annual giving at Williams College in Williamstown. She was director of the Alumni Fund and of the Parents Fund concurrently for four years and, in 2002, director of the 25th Reunion program was added to her portfolio. She also served as a regional director for special gifts during the collegeâ€™s Third Century Campaign. During Callahan's tenure as director of annual giving, the college Alumni Fund raised more than $70 million, increasing from $4.4 million the year before she took over to $10.2 million, growing an average of 8.9 percent annually. Participation grew from 56 percent to a high of 63.5 percent. The Parents Fund over this time raised more than $6.8 million. As director of the 25th Reunion Program, Callahan ran five comprehensive 25th Reunion Campaigns that together raised more than $36 million in gifts and pledges for endowment, capital and current unrestricted purposes. In 2005 and 2006, the Annual Giving and the 25th Reunion programs raised more than $20 million in each year. Prior to her work at Williams, she worked for James Heekin Associates, and Allison, Hull, Malnati, both advertising, marketing and public relations firms, and served on the editorial staff of Good Housekeeping Magazine. Among her volunteer roles, Callahan serves on the foundation board of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and its development committee; and as leadership co-chairman for her Class of â€™89 at Williams. Callahan earned her bachelor's degree cum laude in political science from Williams. As a single parent, with three children at home, she was one of a handful of adult students admitted to Williams. She also attended State University of New York at New Paltz and Smith College. She resides with her husband, Mick, in New Ashford. A. King Francis (Senior vice president of investments, Francis Investment Consulting Group Inc.) Francis has been working in the brokerage business since starting with First Albany Corp. in 1976. First Albany merged in 2000 with Wachovia Securities and Francis has been senior vice president of investments since. Francis Investment Consulting Group is a division of the Wachovia Securities Financial Network. A graduate of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., with a bachelor of science degree, Francis is president of the Pittsfield Cemetery, a board member of South Mountain Music and a committee member at Berkshire Place. Past examples of community service include serving as president of the Pittsfield YMCA and of the Exchange Club of Pittsfield, and as a board member for Berkshire Place and the Salvation Army. He and his wife, Debbie, reside in Pittsfield. Laura L. Mick (Community development specialist, City of Pittsfield) Born in Lima, Ohio, Mick worked for The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group throughout the 1980s and, in 1990, moved to suburban Washington, D.C., to begin a new career as director of public affairs of the Prince William County Association of Realtors. In 1999, she moved to Pittsfield and joined the city's Department of Community Development as a community development specialist. Mick volunteers her time publicly speaking on the topic of womenâ€™s health, and spending time with the American Cancer Society Breast Health Team. She has also been an active volunteer on behalf of Berkshire Medical Center Imaging Center, BMC Development Committee, Berkshire County Kidâ€™s Place, the American Heart Association, Artscape and the Commissions on Tourism and on Disabilities. She and her husband, Andrew, live in Pittsfield and enjoy Berkshire arts and cultural events and the outdoors. Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. (Register of deeds, Berkshire Middle District) AnNuciforo was elected register of deeds for the Berkshire Middle District in November 2006. Prior to that, Nuciforo served as state senator for the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin District. Representing more than 160,000 people in 48 cities and towns throughout Western Massachusetts, he was elected to the Senate in 1996, having won a four-way Democratic primary and three-way general election. After five terms in Senate, he decided not to run for re-election in 2006. Among other committee assignments, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Financial Services and was a member of the Senate Ways & Means Committee from 1998 to 2005. While in the Senate, he was the author of hundreds of legislative proposals, including dozens enacted into law. He crafted the initial state bond authorization and appropriations in support of the Colonial theater, and has supported a variety of development projects serving the cultural community. As chairman of the Committee on Financial Services, he worked closely with legislators, consumers, federal officials and the banking and insurance industries on issues as diverse as auto insurance and mortgage lending. Prior to his service in the Senate, Nuciforo worked with Posternak, Blankstein & Lund LLP, a private law firm in Boston, and as a law clerk to Chief Judge Frank H. Freedman of the U.S. District Court, sitting in Springfield. A graduate of Boston University School of Law and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Nuciforo is an attorney licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and in New York. He has practiced law for many years in Boston and in Pittsfield. He was born and raised in Pittsfield and attended its public schools. Pamela C. Rich (Marketing director/owner, Paul Rich & Sons Home Furnishings and Design) For the past 13 years, Rich has been responsible for the marketing and advertising of the home furnishings business that she owns with her husband, Tom, and his parents, Betty and Paul Rich. Prior to joining Paul Rich & Sons, she spent six years working for Pyramid Cos. of Syracuse, N.Y., the largest privately held developer of destination centers in the nation. From 1988-1992, she worked at several Pyramid sites in the areas of marketing and management. During that time, she earned several promotions and also created marketing programs that she presented to national retailers throughout the nation. From 1992-94 she worked out of the corporate offices in Syracuse, where she was promoted to the leasing department and was responsible for leasing retail space for the companyâ€™s portfolio throughout the Northeast. She has served on the Berkshire Country Day School Development Committee, and chaired major fundraising events for the school. She was on the Berkshire Lyric Theatre board of directors, and currently serves on the Pittsfield Cultural Plan Steering Committee. She is a graduate of Boston Universityâ€™s School of Management. She resides in Pittsfield with her husband, Tom, and three sons. Carole Siegel (Consultant, Juvenile Resource Center) Siegel retired in 2003 as the unit leader for the school adjustment counselors and school psychologists in the Pittsfield Public Schools. She now works as a consultant at the Juvenile Resource Center, conducting parent groups, family meetings and staff development. She also teaches graduate college courses and maintains a psychotherapy practice. Siegel serves on the boards of Berkshire Health Systems, Elder Services of Berkshire County, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Knesset Israel Synagogue and Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, and is a founding member of the Pittsfield Coalition for Cultural Diversity. She is a corporator of the Berkshire Museum. She previously served on the board of Berkshire United Way and was a long-time member of the board of Hospicecare in the Berkshires. In 2003, she received the Robert K. Agar Volunteerism Award from Berkshire United Way. In 1994, she was selected Massachusetts School Adjustment Counselor of the Year by the Massachusetts Association of School Adjustment Counselors.

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Pittsfield Council Passes $232.7M Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:15AM / Wednesday, June 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council unanimously approved a $232.7 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

It is a modest, almost 2.9 percent increase from FY26.

"I do want to give the community kind of a heads up as we move forward on budgets. What we see coming out of the federal government that's trickling down to the states, it's going to be harder and harder for us as a community to meet our needs under the Proposition 2 1/2," Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said.

"We're going to have challenges, as we've seen communities across the state trying to override the Proposition 2 1/2, because we have dwindling amounts of money coming from the state and federal government."

She pointed out that, at the same time, utility bills are going up for both residents and the city, as are the costs of pavement and other items.

The amended budget of $232,777,720, down from the $232,782,090 originally proposed, includes cuts to the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the restoration of funds for councilors to attend the annual Massachusetts Municipal Association conference.

The Pittsfield Public Schools' $86,855,061 budget includes $68,886,061 in state Chapter 70 funding and $18 million from the city. With $345,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition revenues, it totals $87,200,061 and is an approximately $300,000 increase from the Pittsfield Public Schools' FY26 budget of $86.9 million.

The district's budget will fund 13 schools, as Morningside Community School will retire in the fall, and includes the middle school restructuring.

Councilors also approved the use of $2 million in certified free cash to reduce the tax rate, and appropriated $450,551 for parking-related expenditures.

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