1Berkshire Announces VP of Tourism and Marketing, Digital Specialist

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 1Berkshire has promoted Lindsey Schmid to the position of vice president of tourism and marketing.

Schmid, who previously served as 1Berkshire's director of marketing, has worked with the organization for more than eight years and is also the regional Tourism Council director.

"We are thrilled to continue our work with Lindsey, who was originally hired by the late Lauri Klefos to work for the Berkshire Visitors Bureau," said Jonathan Butler, president, and CEO of 1Berkshire. "She worked hand and hand with Lauri, promoting and enhancing our tourism product, and has transformed our organization in the areas of traditional and digital marketing and public relations. We look forward to further utilizing her considerable skills in marketing, as well as her expertise in promoting the Berkshires - both regionally and nationally - as a preferred place to visit, live, work and grow a business.”

Currently, she lives with her family in Lenox, serves on the board of Downtown Pittsfield Inc, and dedicates time to the Lenox Library Event committee. Prior to joining 1Berkshire in August 2010, Schmid lived in Denver, where she got her MBA from University of Denver and worked as marketing manager for SCS Interactive. Before that, she lived in Washington, D.C., where she worked for The National Council of La Raza, as well as Teatro and Osteria Goldoni Restaurants handling public relations and marketing.

1Berkshire also announced the arrival of Jeremy Clowe, who joined the organization as the digital design specialist. Clowe is charged with overseeing websites for both 1Berkshire and Berkshires.org, as well as digital communications. 

Clowe previously served as manager of media services at Norman Rockwell Museum, where he worked for the past 18 1/2 years, creating digital content and acting as a chief spokesman for the museum. His public relations work for the museum was nominated for a Berkshire Trendsetter Award by 1Berkshire in 2014. Clowe previously worked for both broadcast television and performing arts companies in Western New York, and has created award-winning video and multimedia for clients across Western Massachusetts and New York's Capital Region, where he currently lives with his family.

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.