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Bard College Alum to Speak at Simon's Rock Final Commencement

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Chloe Demrovsky, class of 2001, will address graduates at the 56th commencement ceremony of Bard College at Simon's Rock on Saturday, May 17, at 11 a.m. 
 
The ceremony will be held on the Blodgett Lawn. Additional seating will be available in the McConnell Theater. The event will be live-streamed for those unable to attend in person. Seating will be on a first-come basis. More information here.
 
Demrovsky is an experienced executive leader with a career advising Fortune 100 companies, startups, consortia, and government on all aspects of emergency management. Recognized for her forward-thinking approach, she leverages present market fundamentals and technological innovation to drive transformation across industries. 
 
She is currently Executive in Residence in Global Business and Economy at New York University, where she oversees research on topics from geoeconomics and weaponized interdependence to emerging advanced technologies and cryptocurrency. She is also the founder of Edgewood Insights, an advisory firm at the nexus of risk and resilience. 
 
From 2017 to 2024, she was the president and CEO of Disaster Recovery Institute International, the global leader in operational resilience and business continuity training and credentialing after having served since 2014 as executive director. Under her leadership, the institute doubled in size to support over 20,000 certified professionals in operational risk, business continuity and cyber resilience across more than 110 countries, including at 95 percent of Fortune 100 and 60 percent of Global 2000 companies. 
 
She provided training services primarily for financial services, technology, healthcare, government, and consulting. She built strategic partnerships and represented the brand in important forums including ISO Technical Committee 292 for Societal Security and Resilience and annual research with Harvard University's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.
 
As a senior Forbes contributor, Demrovsky's insights have been featured across major media outlets like Fox News, CBS News, CNBC, Newsmax, News Nation, CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, and Sky News. She's also been a source for leading publications, including The Financial Times, AP, BBC, USA Today, and ABC News. She has presented at more than 150 events on five continents and briefed government bodies such as Congress, the European Commission, and the United Nations. In 2024, she served on the FEMA National Advisory Council, evidencing her impact and recognition in her field.
 
Demrovsky's affiliations reflect her dedication to global and community engagement. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Crain's New York 2023 Notable Leader, and holds fellowships with the U.S.-Japan Foundation, the French-American Foundation and the British-American Project. Her work has been recognized with current board appointments at the French-American Foundation as vice chair of the Executive Committee and Tier 1 automotive supplier OPmobility's (EPA: POM) Global Advisory Board and previously at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Global ARISE private sector partnerships board (2020-23) and vice chair of the Board of Oversees at Bard College at Simon's Rock from 2019-24. 
 
She holds a bachelor of arts summa cum laude from Bard College at Simon's Rock and a master of science with distinction in global affairs: international business, economics and development from new York University.
 
Fluent in four languages and a world traveler with visits to more than 55 countries, Demrovsky resides in New York with her husband and family.
 
Simon's Rock looks forward to honoring this year's graduating students. This will be the last commencement held at the Great Barrington campus, which will close this year and shift to Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

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Berkshire South Sees $1M Earmark for Expansion

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.— The Berkshire South Regional Community Center was earmarked for more than $1 million to expand its north wing. 

On Thursday, Congressman Richard Neal sat with Executive Director Jenise Lucey, board members, and other staff at the center to see how those dollars will help expand childcare, among other areas.  He announced a $1,015,000 earmark for the project. 

"As you can see, we are really, really busy and really busting at the seams," Lucey said while showing the congressman plans. 

"So your advocacy to make this happen, so that we can really move on to the next steps and serve our community, couldn't be better timed, and we're just so grateful for your support." 

The 6,000-square-foot addition will add about 20 spaces for infant and toddler care and increase the 40,000-square-foot building by about 15 percent.  It will also allow BCRCC to expand its fitness center, upgrade its HVAC system, and relocate administrative offices. 

BCRCC sees about 200,000 visitors per year and is licensed to welcome 100 summer campers, running a nine-week program during working hours.  Childcare programming runs year-round, with the center serving about 240 youth annually. 

Open since 2002, the community center will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary.  The allocation was made through Congressionally Directed Spending from the Rural Housing Service with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Neal said that childcare was one of the biggest issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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