Berkshire Workforce Board Elects New Board Officers

08:49AM / Friday, July 19, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. MassHire's Berkshire Workforce Board recapped successes of FY24, honored individuals and elected Board Officers for FY25 during its annual Board Meeting.

The Board of Directors of the MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board (BWB) convened virtually at the BWB Annual Board Meeting on June 6, 2024, to discuss workforce strategies and reflect on the successes of the past year.

Elected Board Officers for FY25:

President/Chairperson: David Moresi, Moresi & Associates
Vice President: Michael Taylor, City of Pittsfield
Vice President: Christopher Smith, Hillcrest Educational Centers
Treasurer: James Brosnan, Northern Berkshire Vocational School District
Assistant Treasurer: Beth Petropulos, MountainOne
Youth Council Co-Chairs: Bryan House, 18 Degrees, Doug McNally, FrostHollow Associates
Secretary: Chelsea Tyer, Mativ/Neenah
At-Large: Albert Ingegni, Salisbury Estate

The BWB recognized the following individuals for their tireless commitment toward enhancing the region's skilled workforce:

Monique Blake, Miraval Resort – Board Member of the Year. Monique has dedicated her time providing numerous career readiness opportunities for Berkshire County youth including hosting internships, summer work experiences and participating in career fairs. She is a member of the BWB's Youth Council and is committed to building the future workforce pipeline within the region's Hospitality sector.
Kristina Farina, Monument Mt. Regional High School – Educator of the Year. Throughout the past five years serving as Principal, Kristi has led the development of an integrated career readiness system at Monument and has helped to enhance internship opportunities and career pathways to ensure all students have necessary career development upon graduating from high school.
Chelsea Tyer & Glen Reinhold, Mativ – Manufacturer of the Year. Mativ is committed to enhancing the current and future workforce pipelines in Manufacturing. This year, Mativ's employees volunteered their time at career fairs, hosted workplace tours, participated in career speaker series, attended job fairs, supported new hires with On-the-Job training funds and supported the BWB's efforts with Manufacturing Month.

In FY24, together with its regional partners and the MassHire Berkshire Career Center, the BWB provided over 3,000 youth in grades K-12 with an array of career awareness, exploration and immersion experiences, worked with 800 Berkshire County businesses in supporting their workforce needs, and implemented eleven Modified and seven Certified Nursing Assistant training programs for 142 individuals embarking on a career in the Healthcare sector. Additional programs, services and accomplishments can be found at www.masshireberkshire.com.

BWB staff and Board Members recognized outgoing Chair, Eva Sheridan, for her steadfast and strong leadership the past eight years.

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Pittsfield ARPA Funds Have Year-End Expiration Date

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:20AM / Thursday, January 15, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — American Rescue Fund Act monies must be spent by the end of the year, and Pittsfield is already close.

In 2021, the city was awarded a historic amount of money — $40,602,779 — in federal remediation funds for the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the end of September 2025, more than $37 million had been expended, and 90 percent of the 84 awarded projects were complete.

Special Project Manager Gina Armstrong updated the City Council on the ARPA funds during its first meeting of the new term on Tuesday.

As of September 2025, the $4.7 million allocated for public health and COVID-19 response has been fully expended. Additionally, $22.7 million of the $24.9 million allocated for negative economic impacts has been expended, and nearly all of the infrastructure funds, more than $5.8 million, have been expended.

Less than $3 million of the $3.7 million allocated for revenue replacement has been spent, along with about $873,00 of the $1.1 million allocated for administration.

Armstrong noted that in the last quarter, "Quite a bit more has been done in the areas of the housing projects." In 2022, then-Mayor Linda Tyer allocated $8.6 million in ARPA funds for affordable housing initiatives, and the community is eager for those additional units to come online.

Nine supportive units at the Zion Lutheran Church on First Street received more than $1.5 million in ARPA funds, the 7,700-square-foot housing resource center in the basement received more than $4.6 million, and the Westside Legends' home construction project saw more than $361,000 for two single-family homes on South Church Street and Daniels Avenue.

"This is just about complete, and I believe that people who are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness will be able to take these apartments in the very near future," Armstrong said, noting the supportive units and resource center that had a ribbon-cutting in late 2025.