Freeman Center Welcomes New Board Members

12:54PM / Friday, July 18, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Elizabeth Freeman Center has welcomed Myla Franklin, Laurie Gallagher, Chris MacBeth and Tess Sorrentino to its board of directors.

Franklin is a community leader and grassroots organizer with 10 years of experience in project management, advocacy and relationship building. She is currently the community lending officer at Greylock Federal Credit Union.

Gallagher is an attorney who served as senior counsel for 25 years for GE and SABIC. She has served locally as interim CEO and board chair for Berkshire United Way and as a mentor at 18 Degrees.

MacBeth has more than 35 years of experience working in social services and health care agencies 15 of which were at the Brien Center where she served as president and CEO.

Sorrentino is senior vice president and chief financial officer for Adams Community Bank. A 40 under 40 honoree, she is involved in many Berkshire non-profits, and a past Volunteer of the Year for St. Vincent de Paul Parish and Unico of Pittsfield.

"All four members bring their exceptional skills and their shared passion to advance the mission of the Elizabeth Freeman Center which for the past 50 years, has provided life changing services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault," according to the statement from Leslie Ioffredo, co-president of the board of directors.

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Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:57AM / Friday, October 02, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.

A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments.

“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.

In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work.

The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks.

Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed.

According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.

In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.