BHS Appoints Three Community Leaders to Board of Trustees

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Shaun V. Cusson, Deborah Renzi, and Jeannette Smith were elected.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) announced the election of Shaun V. Cusson, Deborah Renzi, RN, and Dr. Jeannette Smith, PhD, to the BHS Board of Trustees.
 
"We are excited to welcome Shaun, Deb and Jeannette to the BHS Board of Trustees," said President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz. "All are recognized leaders in our community, and BHS will be lucky to benefit from their perspectives as we continue working to advance health and wellness for everyone in the region."
 
Shaun Cusson
Cusson serves as President and CEO of Hillcrest Educational Foundation, Inc. (HEF), which offers a wide range of therapeutic services for children, families and the community. The HEF umbrella includes Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. (HEC), Hillcrest Dental Care, Inc. (HDC), and Berkshire County Kids' Place & Violence Prevention Center, Inc. Cusson is also President and CEO of HEC, which is a non-profit providing residential treatment and special education for some of the region's most disabled children, and HDC, a large dental practice specializing in MassHealth patients and patients with special needs.
 
Cusson began his career at Hillcrest nearly 30 years ago as a Direct Care Worker, and has held multiple management positions during his ascent including Director of Admissions, Program Director, Executive Vice President, and Executive Director. He was appointed President and CEO following the planned retirement of Jerry Burke in June of 2022. In addition to his work with Hillcrest, he serves on numerous other non-profit boards including the Massachusetts Association for Approved Chapter 766 Private Schools, the Association for Children's Residential Centers, the Coolidge Hill Foundation, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, the Berkshire Business Roundtable, 1Berkshire and others.
 
Cusson has a master's in education from Cambridge College and a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration from Westfield State University.
 
Deborah Renzi, RN
Renzi is a Berkshire County native with an extensive background in patient care at Berkshire Health Systems. Starting at a young age with in-home patient care, she went on to dedicate 32 years in the field.
 
Her journey at BHS began in 1989 as a nursing assistant, staff nurse, community health nurse, quality and improvement specialist, Clinical Manager, and Pain & Spine Service Line Manager. Throughout her 29 years at BHS, she collaborated with healthcare providers, professionals, and community sources to coordinate care, developed, and implemented disease management programs, led interdisciplinary teams, and worked with management across departments to meet quality and regulatory goals.
 
Renzi earned her Registered Nurse degree from Berkshire Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from U-Mass Amherst, and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a major in Health Care Administration from Elms College. She was honored with the BMC Physicians' Award for proficiency in nursing skills and the MSN Capstone Award.  She currently holds a RN license in both Massachusetts and Florida.
 
Renzi has continued her late husband's business, Michael Renzi Painting Co., LLC. Aside from her professional endeavors, she serves on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires.
 
Dr. Jeannette Smith, PhD
Dr. Smith is Vice President for Student Affairs at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. 
 
Her research areas of interest include higher education administration, and retention and persistence of students from traditionally underrepresented communities. Her doctoral journey was informed by a curiosity about decision-makers and led to a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study on policy. That work has infused every position she has held with a belief that approaching policy from an equitable lens can contribute to dismantling oppressive structures in post-secondary attainment. 
 
A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Smith is intentional in collaboratively working across the college to holistically support students through the curricular and co-curricular experience. Dr. Smith has worked in academic advising, residence life, financial aid, student unions and facilities, grant management, student engagement, and foundation stewardship. She resides in Western Massachusetts with her spouse, children and her dog, Porkchop.
 
Departing the BHS Board of Trustees are Carole Siegel, Bronly Boyd and Erwin Stuebner, all providing exceptional lengthy service to Berkshire Health Systems. "On behalf of BHS, I offer my deepest appreciation to Carole, Bronly and Win for their commitment to furthering our mission and their invaluable contributions in support of our community." 
 
 

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Berkshire Schools Awarded CPPI Grants

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced today that 30 school districts in partnership with community-based preschool programs are receiving $20.3 million in Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI) grants to support their continued efforts to expand access to high-quality affordable preschool. 
 
In Berkshire County:
  • Pittsfield Public Schools was awarded $250,000 
  • North Adams Public Schools was awarded $316,000 
  • Hoosac Valley Regional School District was awarded $1,000,000 
Universal access to preschool is part of Governor Maura Healey's Gateway to Pre-k agenda to make early education and child care more affordable and accessible for all families across Massachusetts.
 
The goal is for children to have access across all cities and towns, starting with Gateway Cities and rural communities.  
 
"Our administration delivered historic investments in early education and child care in our first two budgets, and I’m thrilled to see that funding at work. This funding is providing access to high-quality affordable preschool, lowering costs for families and helping parents stay in or return to the workforce," said Governor Maura Healey. "We are grateful to the Legislature for their partnership in this year’s budget. Our administration is committed to building on these successes and working toward expanding access to child care in more communities, making it more affordable, and ensuring our hardworking providers have the support they need to deliver high-quality care."
 
The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) currently administers CPPI, which establishes a district–wide preschool program across classes in public and community-based early education and care programs, leveling the playing field for kindergarten readiness. Through CPPI funding, participating families can enroll in a preschool classroom at no or low cost. Funding may also be used to provide full day/full year services to families who need it. CPPI further helps communities coordinate, intentionally align, and strengthen curriculum, policies, assessments, professional development and job-embedded supports for educators across settings. This grant program additionally promotes equitable access to special education to ensure full inclusion of children with disabilities across all settings. 
 
Grantees either received funding to continue their planning or implementation of a plan towards achieving universally accessible high-quality preschool. The planning grants support districts in building partnerships with local community-based early education and care programs, developing a leadership team, conducting a needs assessment, and drafting a strategic plan. 
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