Registration Now Open for Nonprofit Leadership Conference

11:21AM / Friday, March 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation presents the 2023 Institute for Trustees (IFT), a virtual conference for nonprofit leaders and board members from March 28 to May 15.?

The 2023 IFT will offer 18 educational workshops and networking opportunities led by experts in the nonprofit sector. Participants can sign up for any of the workshops on topics ranging from strategic planning and fundraising to inclusion and board development. The conference is presented collaboratively with several Massachusetts community foundations.?

All nonprofit executive directors and board members serving Berkshire County, Mass., northwest Litchfield County, Conn., and Columbia and northeast Dutchess counties in New York are invited to attend the conference.?

On March 28, Rachel Hatch, chief operating officer at Institute for the Future (IFTF) – a nonprofit research firm that helps organizations, communities, partners and leaders build resiliency – will kick off the 14th annual Institute for Trustees with a discussion that answers this question and more. Hatch will talk about the ways in which nonprofits and philanthropy will need to evolve to address the biggest shifts facing our sector in the coming decades: from a changing climate to the evolving world of work and more.

"Collaboration and board leadership are key elements to organizational resiliency," said Peter Taylor, president of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. "It's fitting, therefore, for the state's community foundations to come together to offer support through the broad-reaching learning opportunity the IFT provides to our nonprofit partners as they work to build resiliency during times of change."

To register for and learn more about the 2023 Institute for Trustees Virtual Conference, visit?www.eccf.org/nonprofits-grants/ift.

Registration will cost $130. Full board registration is available for $550 with no limit on the number of board members who can attend.?

The 2023 Institute for Trustees is presented by Berkshire Taconic Foundation in collaboration with Essex County Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts in Springfield and SouthCoast Community Foundation in New Bedford, Mass.

Tags: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation,

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Monument Mountain Sophomore Wins Congressional App Challenge

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
12:12PM / Saturday, January 17, 2026

Congressman Neal takes questions from students during his visit.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Monument Mountain Regional High School sophomore Jonah Sanabria is the winner of this year's Congressional App Challenge for the 1st Massachusetts District.

His Health Advocate application acts as just that in your pocket, Sanabria said, helping resolve one of the biggest problems in health care — miscommunication.

"Every day, patients of all ages go to the doctor feeling stressed, confused, scared and uncertain, meaning they often forget what they wanted to say, and they leave without fully understanding what was said or the plan ahead," he said.

"It's not because doctors don't care; it's because the system is set up in a way that makes relaxed communications really hard. Appointments are abbreviated. Patients aren't always sure what they can ask physicians, and nerves often make them forgetful."

The challenge was authorized by Congress in 2015 to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Each representative may host an official computer science competition in their districts. More than 85,000 high school students in all 50 states have since participated, with more than 18,000 in 2025.

Jonah beat out nine other submissions in the 1st Mass. His app will be featured on the challenge page and displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. In addition, he will have the opportunity to visit Capitol Hill in the spring at a celebration called #HouseOfCode, where winning teams from across the country hear from lawmakers, interact with sponsors and partners at the STEM Expo, and demonstrate their apps.

Before a scheduled doctor's appointment, the program asks the user about their symptoms, health issues, and health goals and organizes and prioritizes questions to ask during the doctor visit.

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