BCC 40 Under 40 Winners to be Honored

01:24PM / Wednesday, February 04, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC), together with partners 1Berkshire and Mill Town Foundation, will honor the winners of its annual 40 Under Forty Awards on Wednesday, March 18 at 5 p.m. in the Robert Boland Theater, located on the main campus at 1350 West Street.

Tickets are $40 per person (free for award winners and one guest per winner) and may be purchased online at www.berkshirecc.edu/40-tix. Proceeds benefit support Workforce and Community Education programs at BCC, addressing immediate needs and helping to build a lasting endowment.

According to a press release:

40 Under Forty celebrates talented people in the Berkshires, under the age of 40, who have a deep dedication to improving the quality of life for those living and working in our community. Nominees, who hail from throughout Berkshire County, are eligible for the award through their professional work and how it makes a difference, their personal commitment to their community, or other efforts to improve the quality of life for those living and working the Berkshires.

Mill Town Foundation will promote purposeful giving by funding each 40 Under Forty Award winner with $1,000 to re-grant to an eligible Berkshire-based nonprofit organization.

The winners, along with their non-profit of choice to receive the $1,000 funding, are:

Lilia Baker, Volunteers in Medicine, donating to ViM Berkshires
Jillian Bamford, On Pointe Barre & Fitness Studio, donating to No Paws Left Behind
Haley Barbieri, Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion and Museum / Shakespeare & Company, donating to Lenox Library Association
Patrick Becker, General Dynamics Mission Systems, donating to Craneville Elementary - PTO
Deirdre Bird, Dri Umbrellas, donating to The Denise Kaley Fund for Berkshire County Women with Cancer at BTCF
Miranda Bona, Fuss & O'Neill, Inc., donating to Jacks Galore
Amanda Carpenter, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, donating to Youth Center Inc.
Lindsay Cornwell, Second Street Second Chances, Inc. / Berkshire County Sheriff's Office, donating to Elizabeth Freeman Center
AJ Cote, Food Pantries of the Capital District, donating to Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc.
Charlotte (Linden) Crane, Berkshire Community College, donating to CBRSD - Wahconah Regional High School CPR program
Jessie Downer, Lamacchia Realty, donating to Strong Little Souls
Michael Duffy, Pittsfield Public Schools – Taconic, donating to Temple Anshe Amunim
Devan Gardner, Greylock Federal Credit Union, donating to Berkshire Lyric
Christa Gariepy, Berkshire Health Systems, donating Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires (the Seed Room)
Alexander Hernandez, Berkshire Medical Center, Somos Berkshires, donating to Katunemo Arts and Healing (Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. as its fiscal sponsor)
Hilary Houldsworth, Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc., donating to Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc.
Keytoria Jenkins, United States Postal Service and Keys with Keytoria, donating to Choices Mentoring Initiative
Tom Jorgenson, Berkshire Athenaeum, donating to Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County
Amanda Lardizabal, Berkshire Community College, donating to Berkshire Humane Society
Emma Lenski, Berkshire Pride / Collaborative Endeavors, LLC / Indie Readery & Records, donating to Berkshire Pride
Molly Lovejoy, Railroad Street Youth Project, donating to Railroad Street Youth Project
Kaitlyn Maloy, Berkshire Medical Center, donating to Berkshire Health Systems Nursing Residency
Sheetal Manerkar, Berkshire Medical Center, donating to Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc.
Zachary Marcotte, Berkshire Money Management, donating to Berkshire Humane Society (Community Cat Program)
Stephanie Maselli, Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School, donating to Williamstown Youth Center
Charell McFarland, Community First Therapy and Consulting, LLC, donating to R.O.P.E (Rites of Passage & Empowerment Inc)
Molly Merrihew, WAM Theatre, donating to Latinas413
Travis Mille, ConvenientMD Urgent Care, donating to BFAIR
Octavio Miranda Nallin, Amici Berkshires, donating to Litnet
Kaitlyn Moresi, BFAIR, donating to Love of T Foundation
Kaci Nowicki, Greylock Federal Credit Union, donating to Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention
Katherine Oberwager, Baystate Medical Center, donating to Pediatric Developmental Center
Erik Ray, MountainOne Bank, donating to Youth Center Inc.
Nicholas Russo, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, donating to Zion Lutheran Church
Brianna Sabato, Pittsfield Public Schools, donating to Berkshire Running Foundation
Alyssa Sakowski, Berkshire County Head Start, donating to Berkshire County Head Start
Sierra Shehemi, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, donating to MS Support Foundation
Brittany Sumner, Berkshire ABA, donating to Families Like Ours (FLO)
Austin White, County Ambulance, donating to Emergency Medical Service Committee of Berkshire County
Emily Zelenovic, Law Office of Emily Zelenovic, donating to Construct Inc.

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Companion Corner: Princess at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
02:17PM / Wednesday, August 05, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is an energetic girl waiting to find her new home at the Berkshire Humane Society.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Princess is a six year old shepherd mix that has been at the shelter for just over a month.

Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Princess.

"She's very social, very friendly. When you're out walking her, she just wants to go say hi to every single new person. Loves to make new friends. She's a lot of fun. She's very active. She's very spunky. She's very playful, and she's going to need a very very active family who's going to do a lot with her."

But Princess is no stranger to the shelter. She was a puppy five years ago and got adopted quickly, but now she needs a new family to take care of her.

"She was adopted out fairly quickly as a young puppy. She's been in the same home for the past five years. Unfortunately, they were moving out of state somewhere," Olivieri said. "They could not take her with them, so she ended up coming as a return to shelter, and she came back to stay with us."

Princess needs to go to a home as the only animal or with other male dogs that are her size or bigger.

"Her perfect home would be kids eight and up. No cats. No small animals. She has quite a prey drive. She could go to a home with another dog around her size or larger, preferably a male dog. She does a little bit better with male dogs, and she's looking for a home where people are home quite a bit, so that she's not left alone for too long. She has some separation anxiety," Olivieri said.

She also needs a very active home that can let her use her energy every day, as she is very rambunctious. Especially with playing with her favorite toy, the flirt pole.

"She could use a home where people are going to give her a lot of attention and more than just a few walks a day; she's going to need lots of exercise, lots of playtime, lots of mental stimulation," Olivieri said. "She likes to learn, so someone who would be willing to take her to training classes or work on some training with her, as well as hikes, getting out and about, doing new things, different things. She is very athletic. She'd excel at things like agility, some dog sports. Just someone who is really going to want to engage and do a lot of different kinds of activities with her."

Once you let her get her energy out, she is a cuddler who wouldn't mind being held like a baby from time to time.

"She's very sweet. She's very cuddly. She's very affectionate, but she is not a couch potato. She will stay on that couch with you for a little bit, and then she's ready to go off and do something else. So she's very busy. She's very active," Olivieri said. "Once all of her exercise needs are met during the day, she will settle down nicely, and she will want to be right by your side, cuddle with you at night on the couch, sleep with you."

Princess is very healthy but does experience some anxiety and is not fully potty trained and might have the occasional accident.

"She does have a little bit of anxiety, so she is on some medication for it right now," Olivieri said. "So a lot of structure, a lot of outlets, and familiarity, getting used to a new routine and everything is gonna be really good for her. I mean, she's just lovely. Like I said, she's very social. She likes to play with other dogs. She likes to meet new people."

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