BCC to Host Berkshire State of Work Summit on June 18

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will host the 2025 Berkshire State of Work Summit, "From Hiring to Thriving: A New Era of Workplace Culture," on Wednesday, June 18 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. 
 
The event, presented by BCC, MassHire, Berkshire Innovation Center, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and 1Berkshire, will take place at BCC's main campus, located at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. 
 
Tickets are $75 and may be purchased at www.berkshirecc.edu/worksummit.
 
The one-day conference will focus on the workforce challenges and opportunities facing Berkshire employers, from attracting the right talent to ensuring their employees flourish in a supportive and dynamic work environment. With three tracks, 15 sessions and more than 40 speakers, the event is expected to draw at least 200 attendees. 
 
Keynote speaker JD Chesloff, president and CEO of Massachusetts Business Roundtable, will provide an overview of the local hiring climate and how employers around the Commonwealth are finding alternative solutions for recruiting, retention and employee work readiness. 
 
Summit Tracks 
 
Recruiting and Retention: Finding it challenging to find qualified job candidates? In this track, discover overlooked sources of workers, how to maximize existing hiring resources and strategies for retaining new hires longer. 
 
Communication and Workplace Culture: Most people leave their jobs because they are unhappy with the workplace culture or a lack of opportunities. In this track, employees discuss what keeps them in their jobs longer. Learn how to minimize distractions from digital communications, make employee communications more effective and create a thriving workplace culture. 
 
Workplace Readiness Skills: While employers might be able to find candidates who have the right "hard skills," some won't thrive in their role due to their lack of "soft skills" or "workplace readiness skills." In this track, learn how to incorporate those skills into your employee training, how to improve employee tech literacy and how to build self-sufficient teams. 
 
To view a full agenda, including speakers and facilitators, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/worksummit
 
About the Keynote Speaker 
As president & CEO of Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR), JD Chesloff is responsible for developing and implementing the Roundtable's agenda on public policy matters. He works collaboratively with opinion leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders in pursuit of the Roundtable's mission to make Massachusetts the most desirable place to live, work and do business and ensure access to a robust, diverse and talented workforce that enhances the Commonwealth's competitiveness in a global economy. 
Chesloff's experience includes serving as chief of staff to the House Committee on Commerce and Labor, among several other governmental positions, as well as assistant to the president at the University of Massachusetts. He joined MBR in 2004. Chesloff serves on the boards of Lever, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation and Science from Scientists, as well as on the advisory boards of ReadyNation, CEO Action for Racial Equity and Mill Town Capital. 
 
About Berkshire Community College?   
Berkshire Community College (BCC), situated on 180 park-like acres, is located four miles from the center of Pittsfield in the heart of the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1960, BCC was the first community college established in the Commonwealth. As a public, fully accredited community college, BCC strives to place higher education within reach of all residents of Berkshire County and beyond, offering associate degree and certificate programs to approximately 2,000 enrolled students per year. The mission of BCC encompasses five core values: integrity and engagement; innovation; diversity and inclusion; service; and sustainability. Visit BCC online at www.berkshirecc.edu

 

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Parole Granted to Pittsfield Man Sentenced for Killing Toddler Son

Staff Reports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A city man serving a life sentence for killing his 2-year-old son 43 years ago has been granted parole. 
 
According to the Boston Globe, the Parole Board on Monday voted to release Richard N. Mayes Jr., 78, to a halfway house.
 
Mayes was charged with beating his son to death in 1983 when he wouldn't eat. The child, Lawrence Richon, had received blows to his head, body, arms and legs. Mayes also told police he'd hit his son four times with a plastic baseball bat. 
 
According to media reports at the time, Mayes tried to resuscitate Lawrence when he later collapsed and cried to police that he did it when arrested. 
 
The boy was taken by life flight to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he died from blood clots in his head. 
 
Mayes was found guilty of second-degree murder by a Superior Court jury and sentenced to life in state prison.
 
According to the Globe, Mayes had been denied parole five times previously but told the board he had been sober for three decades and had not had a disciplinary report in a dozen years. 
 
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