CHP Berkshires Board Welcomes New Member

02:17PM / Tuesday, February 13, 2024Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Rachel Melendez-Mabee has been named to the board of CHP Berkshires.

As vice president of culture and brand and DEI officer at Greylock Federal Credit Union, Melendez-Mabee brings to CHP her skills in corporate workplace diversity issues, training and initiatives. She has previously worked for the PGA of America, as PGA WORKS' workforce development and lead manager-DEI.

She has also worked as social and digital brand manager for Berkshire Bank, and as a senior account executive for Roberts Communications, a public relations firm. Earlier, she worked as a sales and marketing specialist for PGA of America.

"Rachel's professional expertise in workplace diversity and inclusion issues, along with her community commitment, will make a valuable impact on our board and the CHP organization," said Brian Drake, president of the CHP board. "We look forward to learning from Rachel's depth of insight and experience."

Melendez-Mabee earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia. She is also a certified diversity executive (CDE®), which indicates excellence in DEI leadership.

In the community, she has been a Berkshires 40 Under 40 award recipient and has served on the board of the Berkshire Museum, United Way of the Berkshires, Elizabeth Freeman Center and the Women in Golf 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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