BCC Announces New Staff Members, Promotions

04:21PM / Saturday, April 26, 2025Print Story | Email Story

Budzn and Quadrozzi

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces the addition of two new staff members and two promotions.

New staff

Mary Budzn joins BCC as Alumni Relations and Philanthropy Manager. Originally from Cincinnati, OH, she earned her bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre arts from Boston University. A Lenox resident, she has lived in the Berkshires since 2018, when she moved to the area to work for Shakespeare & Company’s training department, which led to her career in development. Most recently, she worked for Bard College at Simon’s Rock in various roles, including Advancement Services Associate, Annual Giving Manager, student advisor and adjunct teacher. At BCC, she will focus on supporting the Alumni Association and creating opportunities for meaningful alumni engagement. From an early age, Budzn has been passionate about singing and acting, and she values being a part of the rich and caring community of artists in the Berkshires. Her hobbies include Irish studies, poetry, traditional Chinese medicine and antiquing.

Darcy Quadrozzi joins BCC as Administrative Assistant II for Humanities, Behavioral & Social Sciences. With 25 years of experience, she arrives from Guardian, a life insurance company. There, she held several different roles, including Senior Learning Specialist and New Business Supervisor. She lives in Pittsfield with her husband Dave and two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, watching movies, going to the theater and dancing. Darcy also loves going on Maine vacations with her husband, watching the Boston Celtics with her son Liam and going to listen to her son Owen’s band play.

Promotions

Alicia Ginsberg is now Director of EEC Career Pathways Grant/Initiatives. She had been the Senior Special Program Coordinator - Early Childhood Career Pathway Grant Coordinator. She joined BCC in 2019.

Jonathan Herforth is now a Maintainer II. He had been a Maintainer I since joining BCC in May 2023.

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Healey Files Legislation to Suspend Gas Tax

06:33PM / Wednesday, September 23, 2026

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday filed legislation to lower costs at the gas pump, when buying concert and sports tickets, and on electric bills, while also making investments to strengthen health care, maternal health, food assistance and public safety.

The legislation includes Healey's proposal to suspend the state gas tax for two months. The war in Iran has driven up prices over 50 percent since February. It also includes her Great Divide Act, which caps ticket resale prices and fees and bans speculative tickets, as well as $2.25 million to strengthen postpartum care and mental health support for mothers and families across Massachusetts.

The bill includes changes to how utility companies purchase electricity for customers on basic service, which is estimated to save ratepayers $610 million, as well as $41.5 million for the Department of Transitional Assistance for caseworkers and technological upgrades to help people stay enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) despite President Donald Trump's cuts.

The legislation also provides critical funding for MassHealth, public safety and other state services. In total, it will enable the state to close Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) with a balanced budget by appropriating $2.24 billion in gross spending, at a net cost to the state of $1.46 billion after revenue offsets.

"While President Trump is driving up costs with his war and tariffs, in Massachusetts, we're doing everything we can to make life more affordable for people and businesses," said Healey in a statement. "This budget will lower costs at the gas pump, when buying concert and sports tickets, and on energy bills, while also making sure families can continue to access the health care, food assistance and services they rely on."

If passed, the legislation would suspend the state's 24-cent-per-gallon gas tax for two months, providing immediate relief for residents and truckers. The law will require gas stations to lower prices to reflect the suspended tax and ensure that drivers see the savings at the pump. The estimated $120 million in revenue will be replaced with a portion of unbudgeted, surplus fiscal year 2027 Fair Share surtax collections. For reference, in FY26 there was nearly $1 billion in Fair Share surplus funds available. This means that no ongoing or planned transportation projects financed through the Commonwealth Transportation Fund will be impacted. The Commonwealth will also remain compliant with its CTF bond obligations.

Great Divide Act

The Great Divide Act caps the resale price of concert tickets at 110 percent of the price of the face value of the original ticket. It also limits the service fees and charges that can be imposed by ticket resellers like StubHub and SeatGeek to no more than 10 percent of the total price of the ticket for resale. It prohibits the sale of speculative tickets, which are tickets that are not in the possession of the seller when they are listed for sale. Finally, it implements additional consumer protections measures, including prohibiting the use of deceptive websites by ticket resellers and misleading consumers about the availability of tickets.

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