Berkshire Museum Welcomes New Trustees

08:00AM / Saturday, October 22, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Trustees of Berkshire Museum held their Annual Meeting on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022 - the first fully in-person board meeting since early 2020 – at which they elected officers and appointed three new Trustees.

Ethan Kelpetar will continue as President for one more year. Jeffrey Belair will serve a full two-year term as Vice President, as will Rachel Melendez Mabee as Secretary, and Brian Tremblay as Treasurer.

Judith Bookbinder, James Greenfield, and Charles Walker were all duly elected to serve full terms on the Berkshire Museum's Board of Trustees.

"This is an exciting time at the Museum. We are thrilled to have Kim Bush Tomio as our new Executive Director, and we are working on the plans for a significant renovation of the first floor. It is the perfect time to welcome these new highly qualified and experienced people to our Board. We are so grateful for their commitment and to all Trustees, past and present, who have given so much to the Museum over the years," said Ethan Klepetar.

About the new Trustees:

Judith Bookbinder joins the Berkshire Museum Board of Trustees after being the Vice President of Creative Communications at The Hearst Corporation for 27 years. Judith retired from her position at Hearst in December 2021 and is currently working as a special projects consultant. Judith has established a deep connection to the Berkshire Museum through her grandchildren, having attended several birthday parties and many family events at the Museum. Judith and her husband, Larry Fischer, have resided in both New York City and the Berkshires since 1988. They now spend most of their time in their home in Lenox. Judith currently serves on the boards of the ANA Education Foundation (AEF) in New York, NY, and the Pine Cobble School in Williamstown.

James Greenfield has served on the Investment Subcommittee of the Berkshire Museum for the past two years. He brings with him 36 years of investment experience in serving wealthy families and endowments as an investment portfolio manager. Jim and his wife Marla have a connection to the Berkshires of over 40 years.

Charles Walker joins the Berkshire Museum Board of Trustees having recently retired from Disney/ABC News based in New York, NY where he served in multiple senior management roles including Director of Broadcast Engineering & Operations, Operations Producer, and Technical Production Manager. After retirement in 2021, Chuck decided to make Pittsfield and the Berkshires his permanent year-round home. For years prior to moving here, he would often visit the Berkshire Museum to learn more about the people, history, culture, and community of the Berkshires.

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Mass Voters Retain Recreational Cannabis, Tighten Gun Laws in Midterms

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
11:30AM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Massachusetts resoundingly voted to keep recreational cannabis and tighten gun laws during the midterm election on Tuesday.

The Democratic Berkshire delegation was re-elected without contest, and unofficial results show Democratic incumbent Maura Healey taking more than 62 percent of the vote for Massachusetts governor over Republican challenger Michael Minogue.

This coincides with the blue tsunami seen nationally during the midterms, with Democrats flipping seats across the United States and taking control of the House and Senate.

Pittsfield has roughly 10 cannabis dispensaries, alongside several other retail operations and cultivation facilities in Berkshire County. At least three-quarters of the state voted against repealing the legalization that was passed 10 years ago.

According to unofficial results, 46.89 percent of registered Pittsfield voters went to the polls. Pittsfield's 33,934 registered voters cast 15,913 votes, according to these results.

As of Wednesday morning, with more than 85 percent of ballots counted, almost 76 percent of voters opposed Question 8, that would repeal the laws that legalize, regulate, and tax the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana in Massachusetts. It was proposed by an initiative petition.

Similarly, as of 10 a.m., 67 percent of Massachusetts voters have said "yes" on Question 9, which sustains several changes to Massachusetts laws governing firearms: adding school administrators and licensed healthcare providers as parties permitted to ask a court to issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order if an individual is a present danger to self or others, imposing penalties for possessing, creating, and transferring untraceable "ghost gun" firearms, and more.

"At a time when the federal government is focused on the priorities of the gun lobby and rolling back national protections, the people of Massachusetts have reaffirmed our commitment to keeping our residents safe through proven, common-sense regulations," American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Jessica Tang said in a statement released late on Tuesday evening.

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