18 Degrees President and CEO To Resign

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 18 Degrees President and CEO Colleen Holmes, has resigned to accept another opportunity in the nonprofit sector in Springfield.  
 
"That I have loved serving 18 Degrees' mission and people over the past three years made this a tough decision," Holmes said. "It's been life-changing to be a part of our communities and this amazing 18 Degrees team and to work with all of you to advance 18 Degrees' vision of welcome, inclusion, growth, and social justice change. What we have accomplished together makes me very grateful and unabashedly proud." 
 
Holmes will leave the organization as of Oct. 30, 2020.
 
"For the past three years, our organization has been uplifted and transformed by our President and CEO, Colleen Holmes, for which we are very thankful," Chris King, chair of the board of directors for 18 Degrees said. "When the board of directors began their search for a new President and CEO in 2017, we sought to ensure ongoing programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance, administration, fundraising, and communications.  We got all that with Colleen and more."
 
Stephanie Steed, vice president of programs, will step up to serve as the Interim Executive Director. 
 
Steed, who has a master's degree in education and is a licensed social worker, began her career with 18 Degrees fifteen years ago. She oversees a range of programs in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley, including Foster Care, Adoption, Child and Family Support in the Pioneer Valley, Family Networks, Young Woman's Initiative, and RAP Inc, and is well acquainted with state funding sources.
 
The board has begun a search for Holmes' successor.
 
18 Degrees, formerly Berkshire Children and Families, promotes the well-being and strengths of children, youth, adults and families to build better communities in Western Massachusetts.  We provide education, parenting skills and support, prevention and intervention, advocacy, and life skills across a spectrum of program serving young people, adults, and families in four areas: early education and care; foster care and adoption; child and family well-being; youth and community development.
 
"This organization has a 133-year history of helping children, youth, and families thrive in Western Massachusetts, and we have the utmost confidence this will continue. We are fortunate to have five highly capable Senior Directors who will work with Steed through the transition," King said.
 

Tags: 18 degrees,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories