Governor to Sign Executive Order Creating Council on Latino Empowerment

• Chair Josiane Martinez, Former Executive Director, Office for Refugees and Immigrants; Founder and CEO, Archipelago Strategies Group 
• Vice Chair Gladys Vega, Executive Director, La Colaborativa  
• Liliana Patino, Director of Community Engagement, Eliot Family Resources Center 
• Grace Moreno, Executive Director, Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce 
• Eneida Román, President and CEO, Amplify Latinx 
• Margareth Shepard, Community Leader and Former Framingham City Councilor 
• Heloisa Galvão, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Brazilian Women's Group 
• Lenita Reason, Executive Director, Brazilian Worker Center 
• Adrian Velazquez, Chief Advocacy Officer, Cooperative Credit Union Association, Inc. 
• Carmen Arce-Bowen, COO, The Partnership, Inc 
• Oscar Escobar, CEO, Blue Nest Real Estate 
• Amanda Fernandez, CEO and Co-Founder, Latinos for Education 
• Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, Chief Strategy Advisor, Mrs. Wordsmith /Boston School Committee Member 
• Marty Martinez, CEO, Reach Out and Read National; Former Chief of Health and Human Services for the City of Boston 
• Carolina Trujillo Executive Director, Citizens Inn, Inc. 
• Cristina Aguilera Sandoval Executive Director, Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative 
• Luisa Peña Lyons, Founder and CEO, Bridge Forward Fund 
• Roxana Rivera, Vice President, 32BJ SEIU 
• Zamawa Arenas, Founder & CEO, Flowetik 
• Celina Barrios-Millner, Co-Vice President, Office of Race and Equity Research at the Urban Institute 
• Betty Francisco, CEO, Boston Impact Initiative 
• Representative Andy Vargas, Vice Chair, Black & Latino Legislative Caucus 
• Carlos Aramayo, President, UNITE HERE Local 26 
• Patricia Sobalvaro Executive Director, Agencia ALPHA 
• Damaris Frias-Batista, Chief of Operations & Co-Founder, Center for Assistance to Families/ Centro de Apoyo Familiar 
• Gladys Ortiz, Bilingual Advocacy and Systems Change Manager, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence 
• Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) 
• Grace Corporan, Site Director, Families & Youth Initiative/PATCH Lawrence 
• Nahir Torres, Senior Program Officer, The Hyams Foundation 
• Monica Lowell, Former Vice President Community Health Transformation/Community Benefits at UMass Memorial Health 
• Samalid M. Hogan, Western Mass Regional Director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center 
• Juan Lopera Fernando, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health 
• Juan Carlos Morales, Founder and Managing Partner, Surfside Capital Advisors LLC 
• Carolina Avellaneda, Chief Strategy Officer & Strategic Counsel, UMass 
• Yvonne Garcia, Chief of Staff to CEO, State Street 
• Rosalin Acosta, Managing Director, Government & Public Sector at Ernst and Young; Former Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development 
• Dan Rivera, President and CEO, Mass Development 
• Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt, President, The Commonwealth Fund 
• Mary Skelton Roberts, Climate & Philanthropy Strategist 

Dalton Fire District Faces Major Decision on Future of Station

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:36AM / Monday, September 07, 2026

Select Board Chair Robert Bishop brings up the potential of collaborating with the Fire District on a combined public safety building, which would solve both the fire and police station problems.

DALTON, Mass. — For several years, the Dalton Fire District has emphasized the fire station's space limitations, and a recent community and space needs analysis further demonstrated that significant decisions need to be made about the facility's future.

 

The district was established in 1884 after rapid growth strained the town's limited water supply for drinking and fire protection. After a fire destroyed seven paper mills, local leaders began searching for new water sources. Check out our story on the district's charter. 

 

MissionCIT (Critical Immersive Training) LLC was contracted by the district to conduct the needs assessment, with its findings presented during last Tuesday's Board of Water Commissioners meeting. View the full report here. 

 

Over the last century, the department has evolved alongside advances in firefighting technology and practices, with changes in staffing, training, equipment requirements, and call volume and types ultimately causing it to outgrow its facility, Mark Waters of Mission CIT said. 

 

The most recent change came in 2022, when the district assumed control of the ambulance service following the closure of the Dalton Ambulance and Rescue Association and added Advanced Life Support to its services.

 

The department now provides both Advanced and Basic Life Support services.

 

"The bottom line is that this building is being used for something today that it wasn't built for almost 70 years ago," Waters said.