PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 2nd Street, an organization supporting formerly incarcerated men and women in Berkshire County, has elected four members to its board of directors, effective as of Jan. 1, 2023.

 

They are Kristin Accetta, Jay R. Green, Andy Ottoson and Nyanna L. Slaughter.

 

Accetta is a clinician for the Acute Care Services/Emergency Services Program at the Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Use in Pittsfield.

 

After completing Berkshire Community College's Social Work Transfer Program in 2011, she earned a bachelor of social work degree from Elms College in 2013 and a master of social work degree from Westfield State University's Advance Standing Program in 2015. A formerly incarcerated person, she volunteers with 2nd Street's After Incarceration for Women Program and with the Ministry Program at Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction (BCHC).

 

Accetta, who has a hearing disability, has been in substance abuse recovery for 16 years and works per diem as a recovery coach for the deaf and hard of hearing community. "While I was incarcerated, I knew this was not the life I wanted to live," she said. "I wanted to make a difference in people's lives."

 

Green is town administrator for Adams. Prior to assuming that role in 2019, he served as an assistant district attorney with the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office, was chief administrative officer for the city of North Adams and district manager of station operations with Amtrak in Albany, N.Y.

 

He holds a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., a juris doctor degree from Western New England School of Law in Springfield and a certificate in railroad management from Michigan State University. He is also a graduate of the Massachusetts Intermittent/Reserve Police Academy.

 

Green's community involvement includes serving as past president and board member of the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum, past chairman of the Pittsfield Board of Health and current member of the Pittsfield Municipal Airport Commission.

 

Ottoson is a senior public health planner at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, overseeing countywide substance use-related initiatives. Previously, he worked in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) Program at Berkshire Community College and as systems manager at the National Association for Drug Abuse Problems, focused on moving individuals with substance use disorders into self-sufficiency. He also worked as a producer and director in theater and opera in New York City and across the county. 

 

He currently sits on the statewide Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Board. Ottoson holds a bachelor of arts degree from Webster University in St. Louis and a master's of business administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 

 

Slaughter is the Central Massachusetts regional director for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and treasurer of the Berkshire Black Economic Council. She brings experience with children, politics, the criminal justice system and entrepreneurship. Previously serving as a Pittsfield School Committee member, she has held multiple supervisory roles working with children, including positions as coordinator and co-director of Pittsfield's Marilyn Hamilton Sports and Literacy Program.

 

She holds a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice for investigative services from the University of New Haven in Connecticut and a master's degree in business administration from Fitchburg State University. Slaughter is the founder of Move In Love, an organization dedicated to bringing families and communities together through empowerment, love and joy. She also assisted in the development of Focus Is Our Children Inc. to provide services and opportunities to youth.