MountainOne Celebrates Graduates of the Emerging Leaders Program

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. —  MountainOne announced that eight of its rising Mountaineers have graduated from the company's Emerging Leaders Program (ELP).

The ELP is a cornerstone of MountainOne's commitment to developing talent within the organization. Over the course of the 2024 program, this group of Mountaineers enhanced their leadership skills, while also taking on projects that created tangible business impact, and helped each participant build confidence and competency along this path. 

This year's cohort included the following eight Mountaineers:

• Alyson Lesure, Claims Representative & Branch Support Supervisor (Insurance)
• Betsy Kapner, VP, Marketing Manager (Marketing)
• Erik Ray, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
• Erin Galvin, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
• Jessica Andrews, AVP, Deposit Compliance Officer & Fraud Administration Officer (Risk Management)
• Kyle Shepard, Operations Analyst (Operations)
• Paula Malloy, AVP, Assistant Controller (Accounting)
• Ryan Belanger, Network & Systems Officer (IT)

The ELP consists of two phases: the first focuses on leadership training and self-discovery, and the second involves actionable activities to address high-priority projects that explore new possibilities for MountainOne.

Participants were split into two groups, with one team focusing on the impact of chat platforms and their potential to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration. The second team created a sustainable Social Media Ambassadorship Program, an initiative aimed at empowering employees to actively support MountainOne's brand on social platforms.

The groups presented their final projects to the executive and senior leadership team in November. At this time, a commencement ceremony was held to recognize the growth and achievements of this cohort of emerging leaders. 

"The Emerging Leaders Program is about more than just building leadership skills—it's about giving our employees the tools, confidence and opportunity to make a real impact," said Beth Petropulos, SVP, Senior Human Resources Officer. "This year's graduates tackled meaningful challenges with creativity and focus, delivering results that will have a lasting impact on our organization. It's exciting to see the talent and potential we have within MountainOne, and I'm very proud of each participant for their hard work and dedication."

Vermont National Guard Members Depart From North Adams

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
04:20PM / Friday, June 05, 2026

About 50 people waved flags to the see the Guardsmen off on their bus. The members were staying in North Adams because of a lack of hotel rooms in Bennington, Vt.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Residents came together Friday to see some Vermont National Guard members off.

 

The American Legion Riders organized a send off for a group of 75 or so Guard members who were staying at Hotel Downstreet.

 

"We are going to escort them to the Bennington Armory," Riders President Mike Lewis said. "They are going to gear up there, and then I am not sure where they are going. I don’t even know if they are all going to the same place."

 

Fifty or so people met in the Hotel Downstreet parking lot to show their appreciation. They waved flags and held signs. A bagpiper was also present.

 

The Riders contacted the Fire Department who helped organize the send off. North Adams Police cruisers and Northern Berkshire EMS were also on site to help see the bus off.

 

Lewis said there was not enough rooms in Bennington for the National Guard members. He added because of the trend to use vacant hotel rooms as low-income housing, the group had to look toward North Adams.

 

It's not clear where these Guard were off to, but about 500 members of 3-172 Infantry Battalion were expected to go to the Middle East with U.S. Central Command. According to Vermont Digger, this deployment was scheduled prior to the strikes on Iran.