BRANDON SARGEANT ’13
CAPTURES NATURE BY DRONE
THE RETURN OF TRAILBLAZERS HOCKEY
WELCOME NEW COACHES AND THE EMMY GOES TO ...
RYAN KIERNAN ’03 WINS AWARD FOR WORK ON “TODAY” SHOW
Fall 2022 Michael S. and Kitty Dukakis Public Policy lecturer Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. (cover, and shown center) poses with students, in MCLA’s Freel Library, prior to his talk on November 17.
James F. Birge, Ph.D.
PRESIDENT
Bernadette Alden
WINTER 2023
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Barbara T. Chaput
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES/PAYROLL OFFICE
Joseph DaSilva
VICE PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
Richard Glejzer, Ph.D.
VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Christopher MacDonald-Dennis, Ed.D.
SENIOR ADVISOR FOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY AND BELONGING
Gina Puc ’07
VICE PRESIDENT FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Jeanette Smith, Ph.D.
VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS
Robert P. Ziomek ’89
VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Managing Editor Kate Gigliotti
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Lead Writer & Editor Francesca Olsen WWW.FRANCESCAOLSEN.COM
Writer Amy Krzanik
CONSTITUENT ENGAGEMENT OFFICER
Design Julie Hammill WWW.HAMMILLDESIGN.COM
The MCLA Magazine is published annually in print and online for alumni and friends of the College. Address changes: alumni@mcla.edu
Brandon
How MCLA’s Degree Completion Program helped Penny Christman ’17 excel in a new career
Meet the new men’s and women’s coaches
This fall, the College completed a yearlong project of collecting oral histories from alumni. All told, we heard from 539 alums who shared stories spanning from class years 1953 through 2021! The Alumni Office will be posting these stories on our social media throughout the year. Thank you to all who participated!
FOLLOW US ONLINE alumni.mcla.edu
I was a nontraditional student when I came to MCLA, and I was in my forties.
I DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE MY LIFE.
—Tom P. Scolforo ’01
I ALWAYS FEEL MCLA IS LIKE A HOME TO ME.”
—Emily Meidenbauer ’17
I MET ONE OF MY LIFELONG FRIENDS in an Outing Club adventure, and I will meet him tomorrow at Pinehurst to play golf 50 years later.”
—David Trainor ’75
MCLA WAS A SPRINGBOARD INTO A SECOND TYPE OF A CAREER THAT I NEVER EXPECTED.”
—Barbara Cappa ’81
MCLA MADE ME LOVE SCHOOL.”
—Kami L. (Lesnick) Astorino ’98
MCLA WAS A FABULOUS EXPERIENCE, AND I WAS 60 WHEN I WALKED ACROSS THE STAGE AND GOT MY DIPLOMA.”
—Andy H. Mick Sr. ’09
THE EDUCATION I RECEIVED AT MCLA REALLY OPENED UP A CAREER PATH FOR ME THAT HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARILY REWARDING, BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY.”
—Dr. David Gerard Grenache ’87
[MCLA] WAS A LIFELINE AT THAT MOMENT AND BECAME A LAUNCHING PAD TO WHERE I AM NOW.”
—Chelsea (Weber) Dollard ’16
MCLA TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE AN EXPANSIVE THINKER, AND IT SPARKED ME TO FIND MY AUTHENTIC SELF.”
—Jennifer Anne (Chenard) Fontaine ’71
THE IDEA OF ALWAYS LOOKING TO THE NEXT STEP AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR OWN SKILL SET IS SOMETHING I DEFINITELY LEARNED AT MCLA.”
—Emily (Wheeler) Beaudry ’05
“I TALK ABOUT MCLA WITH MY SENIORS CONSTANTLY AND TELL THEM WHAT A WONDERFUL SCHOOL IT IS.”
—Paula (Coutroubis) Kaylor ’84
MCLA DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB OF GETTING ME READY [FOR LIFE POST-GRADUATION]. IT IS A HIDDEN GEM.”
—Kathy (Hanlon) Hofmann ’84
MY BIGGEST LIFE LESSON [AT NASC] WAS LEARNING HOW TO FAIL, GET UP THE NEXT MORNING AND TRY AGAIN.”
—Matt Wolfe ’92
IT WAS A SMALL SCHOOL, BUT THE OPPORTUNITIES WERE HUGE.”
—Krista Roche ’08
Gina has had a long career as an educational administrator and is now director of diversity and inclusion at the Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. She’s balanced this work with decades of blues music, playing about 150 shows per year as the leader of Misty Blues, a band that has racked up accolades, label representation, and millions of plays on Spotify.
“In the frenzy of the rest of my life, it’s what grounds me and gets me through,” she said. “It’s always been this part of me that has allowed me to escape some of the less savory things in my mortgage-paying life.”
Gina came to the Berkshires to attend Williams College, graduating in 1990. She grew up in the projects of the South Bronx and was raised by her grandmother, a persistent and hardworking woman who, incidentally, was a singer in her younger days. “When she was a kid, she was touted to be the next Marion Anderson, but I never really heard her sing,” said Gina.
An excellent student, Gina walked a mile and took two buses to get to her middle school each day, and had the chance to attend Wellesley High School in Wellesley, Massachusetts, through the A Better Chance program, where she lived in a house with other scholarship recipients and two “house parents” who were Williams grads earning their Harvard MBAs. “I think Williams was the only college trip we went on, and I was hooked,” she said.
Because of these early experiences, “I felt at some point I needed to give back the opportunities I was afforded in my educational career,” Gina said. This led her to her first job, a teaching assistant position at Hillcrest in Lenox.
While she was at Hillcrest, she won an open mic contest during a night out where her friends double-dared her to sing. Never one to refuse a dare, she took to the stage. That led her to paying gigs all over the region with her first bandmate, Dave Lincoln; she later performed in a band called Cole Connection before getting the opportunity to play a gospel singer in a Williamstown Theatre Festival production of “A Raisin in the Sun.”
She ended up receiving effusive praise for the role and for her voice. With coaxing from her castmate, Tony Award-winning actor Ruben SantiagoHudson, she began to love the blues. She was so inspired that she convinced the other members of Cole Connection to switch up their game and become a blues band. Since then, Misty Blues has released 11 albums, toured internationally, was on the pre-nomination list for two Grammys, and won countless awards.
After working as a sales rep at General Electric, Gina got a call from an old Williams rugby friend that changed her trajectory. The rugby team was fundamental to her Williams experience, a “motley crew” of women she remains friends with to this day. The friend let her know there was no longer a rugby coach at Williams, and asked if she’d be interested. “I said, okay, I can do anything for a year.” The experience changed her perspective.
“I decided to figure out: ‘How do I work in this community?” she said.
immediately go on to earn her doctorate of education from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. “MCLA was really my foundation in terms of educational administration and ethics,” she said. Twenty-six years and many roles and performances later, she’s still the rugby coach.
She spent eight years as Williams’ associate director of admission, focusing on recruitment for students of color and first-generation students. She then spent several years as associate dean of students before becoming Berkshire campus principal at the Mill Pond School in Richmond, Massachusetts, then principal of Herberg Middle School in Pittsfield. “That was the most eyeopening job I had since I started at Hillcrest,” she said. She was the only adult of color in a school with 30 percent students of color. She worked to highlight microaggressions, to show that disciplinary data indicated that students of color and students with individualized education plans were being disciplined at a much higher rate. “The charts were screaming. We had to look at it and dive deeper. This cannot persist,” she said.
“I’ve done DEI work in every education job I’ve ever had,” she said. “It kind of goes hand in hand. You have to keep in mind: what are you there for? Who do you serve? The students. It’s important to stay focused on serving those students.”
As her career grew, Gina’s community connections strengthened. She spent time as a board member at Hillcrest and at Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter School, as well as at MCLA. She has used Misty Blues as a fundraising vehicle for local music education programs and other causes that are important to her, and when things in her professional life have gotten tough, she’s used music to come back to herself, to push through the important work she’s doing, and to give herself peace. “My day job and music do inform each other in an odd way, even though I’ve always tried to keep them separate.”
SEE A LIST OF SHOWS:
reverbnation.com/mistyblues/shows
This life change spurred her decision to get her master of education degree at MCLA, then
Misty Blues is now working on its 12th album, and Gina hosts a podcast, Queens of the Blues, based on a tribute show she’s been doing for years that highlights female blues artists. It’s her goal to educate people on the origins of the blues, and bring attention to the many women who have
IF YOU LIVE IN THE BERKSHIRES OR LISTEN TO THE BLUES, YOU’VE PROBABLY ALREADY HEARD OF GINA COLEMAN.
MISTY BLUES IS PLAYING ALL OVER THE BERKSHIRES THIS WINTER.
contributed to the field for so many years. “There are a lot of racial themes that come out of the podcast, so I feel it starting to mesh a bit with my DEI work, but it's still a parallel path,” she said. Whether she’s advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Berkshires or playing her cigar box in Birmingham, Alabama, where the Magic City Blues Society hosts Misty Blues every year, Gina is committed to the grind and committed to inspiring others through all the worlds her work touches.
“My whole life has been two steps forward, three steps back. That’s just who I am, the cards that were dealt to me,” she said. “I deal with that. I never roll over.”
Down the street from campus, MCLA alumni are making a major community impact through their work at the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition (NBCC).
Founded in 1986, NBCC works to empower the Northern Berkshire region, raise the quality of life for all residents, and connect, convene, and support all facets of the community. That work takes shape through many programs — from family resources to prevention strategies, youth development, and community connections. It’s deep community work with many intersections, including with the College, whose community routinely collaborates on NBCC work and participates in its programs.
Tim Shiebler ’14 is NBCC’s youth development coordinator; he majored in psychology with a minor in anthropology at MCLA, and stayed in North Adams after moving here for college from Winchendon, Massachusetts. He works directly with the region’s young people as well as convening with other youth development professionals in the area. “I think of it as two parallel tracks — one directly with young people and one at a more community-change level,” he said.
“I see my role as giving young people opportunities to grow in a supportive environment,” Tim said. “It brings me a lot of hope for the future. A big piece of that is what the young people we work with bring to the table. I’m consistently amazed by the art that is made, the conversations we have, the level of depth they have.”
Tim crosses paths with plenty of other MCLA alumni in his work, including NBCC Youth Support Associate Carrisa Sacherski ’15. He said he didn’t originally intend to stay in the area, but felt a true sense of community in the Northern Berkshires
that kept him here, along with many of his college friends. “We were all engaged in building our own community, and also involved in the community at large,” he said. “I think that impacts a lot of MCLA students, and there’s a carryover of that sense of community after graduating.”
Liz Boland ’84, NBCC’s business manager, has been at the coalition since 2005, and has seen it grow into the organization it is today. “I immediately loved working here,” she said.
During the 17 years she’s worked there, she’s seen programs start and grow, including the Friendship Center Food Pantry, the idea for which was sparked by a coalition forum on food insecurity.
“It’s exciting to be part of that process,” she said. “I’m a behind-the-scenes kind of person, but I am supporting the people at NBCC who are out front.”
In addition to keeping track of things like payroll and grant balances, Liz is part of the committee that organizes the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, a collaboration between NBCC and MCLA. “We work with MCLA folks all the time,” she said.
Another alum, Lindsey Rosa ‘21, serves as NBCC’s youth prevention coordinator, and Liz’s sister, MCLA alum Bert Lamb ’79, recently retired as NBCC’s communications coordinator.
Liz grew up in North Adams and said she feels it’s important for local organizations to work with institutions like MCLA. “You have to keep strong connections,” she said. “The MCLA students — they are our future!”
The MCLA communications and media studies major now works as a freelance camera operator and unmanned aircraft systems operator (a drone pilot, in layman’s terms) for The BBC, National Geographic, Netflix, PBS, Disney+ and other leading production companies.
Brandon is also a fourth-generation still photographer, having learned the ropes early from his father, a former Sotheby’s catalog photographer. “He introduced me to the family trade when I was in middle and high school,” Brandon said. “He’d explain stuff like the exposure triangle — the three aspects or factors that contribute to a photograph — but I wasn’t interested at the time.” Even when his father was tasked with photographing a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex skull, Brandon thought only that it was pretty cool, and was otherwise unmoved. “It wasn’t until I realized photography was a fundamental part of cinematography that I became interested. I took a video production course in high school and realized you could control things like how out of focus the background is and how grainy the film looks.”
“When I got to MCLA, I took every photo class I could, including digital photography and photojournalism, and the knowledge from those classes, along with the broadcast journalism classes, contributed most to what I use in my day-to-day work. That’s where I got the basis for my career path.”
After graduation, Brandon moved back home, to Croton-on-Hudson, and took a job as a CVS photo lab supervisor, then became the technology specialist aka “the computer guy” at his former high school. He would take days off to work as a production assistant for local filmmakers, shooting real estate videos, commercials for BMW, and human resources training programs for a banking company in New York City. “I was learning the basic skills that productions feel you should know when they hire you,” Brandon said, “like how to level a tripod, how to wrap cords the correct way.” In between, he would assist fellow MCLA alum Kaite Rosa ’10 on marketing projects she led at Payfactors, and then Axonius.
From one of North America’s most important ecosystems all the way to the Democratic Republic of Congo — along with stints in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska — Brandon Sargeant ’13 has traveled far from his own back yard in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, and it all started with the time he spent in North Adams, Massachusetts.
His first long-term job in the industry was with a local company, Archipelago Films, which was making a giant-screen film (known to most people as IMAX) called “Backyard Wilderness,” shot right in Croton-on-Hudson. The film explores how people, especially younger generations, have become fixated on devices and the digital world, thus taking nature and the beauty of the outside world for granted. “I cold-called them,” Brandon said, “then quit my job at the high school to take on what became a two-and-a-half-year endeavor that introduced me to nature and naturalhistory photography.”
A second IMAX feature, “Wings Over Water,” about North American migratory birds, took about the same amount of time to complete. For “Backyard Wilderness,” Brandon served as assistant camera, and on the second film, worked as a drone pilot, camera operator, and first AC (camera assistant), which put him in charge of focus-pulling and making sure the equipment was functioning.
“For ‘Wings Over Water,’ we had been flying around the country, and then the pandemic struck,” Brandon said. “Since 80 percent of our filming took place in rural North Dakota, and we were only a three-person crew, we starting driving back and forth. It takes four days to get there from New York, driving 12 hours a day.”
“The prairie pothole region, where we were filming, was created when glaciers scraped across the land and made dappled, footballfield-sized depressions, spaced out at regular intervals, which fill with water. Each little pond is its own isolated ecosystem that supports insect life, which in turn supports bird life. It’s
one of the major reasons birds migrate and breed there, and it’s a really important region that’s been neglected and taken advantage of by agriculture and human development. Axolotl salamanders [a critically endangered species], mallards, cranes, flickertail squirrels, and bison all live there.”
After filming on the project was completed, Brandon said other members of the “Wings Over Water” team were scooped up by the BBC, NatGeo, Netflix, and other companies who were in the midst of filming numerous nature projects in North America when the pandemic struck in early 2020. He said most natural-history cinematography is centered in Bristol, UK, home of the BBC, and productions typically hire crews based in that area. But, due to pandemic restrictions, UK-based film crews were not able to travel to the United States, and companies relied more heavily on American crews.
“The pandemic actually worked in my favor,” said Brandon, who joined past co-workers to fill in on projects, the most notable being “America the Beautiful,” which was produced by NatGeo and came out July 4 on Disney+. Sargeant’s work, which is featured in three episodes, focuses on beach mice, snow geese, and bald eagles. Filming of the bald eagle sequence took place in a Missouri wildlife refuge. “People were allowed to hunt all around the refuge, but not inside it, and the geese knew that. They literally flock to the refuge; there might be 2-5 million in there at one time and you feel the wind they generate when they take off together. When they’re in the water, you can’t see the water, only birds. Bald eagles hang out there and feast on the snow geese.”
Although drones aren’t allowed in wildlife refuges, the fact that Brandon holds an FAA license to fly them is an incentive for productions to hire him, he said. “People are starting to expect camera operators to be able to do it. I bring a tiny drone that folds up along on all my jobs now.” He said learning to fly one is easy. “If you can play video games, you can do it,” he said, “but if you want to make money, you need an FAA license.” He said the process
of obtaining one is similar to taking a civil service exam. “You need to know where you’re not allowed to fly it — over large crowds, near airports, around government buildings – and the test questions involve mainly safety aspects and the reading of aeronautical charts.”
The most recent project Brandon has shot is “Extraordinary Birder,” a National Geographic series starring Christian Cooper, the Black science and comics writer — and avid birdwatcher — who was involved in what became known as the “Central Park birdwatching incident” in May 2020. In the series, which debuts this spring, Cooper, whom Brandon calls a “super cool dude,” is followed by a camera crew as he views and describes avian species from around the world. Brandon’s crew, the natural-history unit, films close-ups of what Cooper is seeing, either ahead of time or the following day. Because he holds an FAA license, Brandon serves as the production’s pilot-incommand for its drone operations team.
Since a nature film of this type involves animals, it is seasonal, as there may only be one day a year certain animals exhibit the behavior you need to catch on film. “Since we’re working with nature, and it’s weather and animal dependent, you have to be ready to embrace change and go wherever it is on the planet you need to go, possibly at the very last minute.”
Another big caveat is that animal subjects aren’t great at taking direction. “I wish you could tell the animals what you want them to do, and tell the weather what to do,” Brandon said. “I got into natural-history cinematography because that’s what the people I consider my mentors do, but I’m also interested in the broader cinematography field. I want to try everything and am eager to expand my skill set into other aspects of the field. Yet, when I’m working with people, I wish I were working with animals, and vice versa. The grass is always greener.”
HOW MCLA’S DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM HELPED PENNY CHRISTMAN ’17 EXCEL IN A NEW CAREER
Since earning her bachelor’s degree from MCLA, Penny Christman ’17 has found tremendous satisfaction with her career at General Dynamics — and has received multiple promotions to reflect the passion and skill she has as a program manager.
Penny’s job is to coordinate material procurement and accomplishment of associated tasking for Navy ships being built at different sites, stay in contact with on-site personnel, and make sure everything is moving smoothly through the supply chain, which includes tracking the budget for funded work that needs to be completed during ship availability.
She started at General Dynamics four years ago in a materials job, working on one project element, and was promoted to a project manager role. She was just recently promoted again to program manager. “I knew that, at GD, if you have a good work ethic you can really go places,” she said.
Before starting at General Dynamics, Penny was the accounting manager for the Center for EcoTechnology in Pittsfield, so by the time she was researching how to finish her bachelor’s degree, she had a lot of experience doing detail-oriented work and knew any degree path she decided to take had to be flexible to accommodate her full-time job.
MCLA’s Degree Completion Program met that need for her — she was able to attend evening classes, and move through her classes in a cohort model with other adults who wanted to take the next step in their careers. She had taken some community college classes already and needed to finish some core requirements to earn a degree in business administration. She was able to hone her public speaking skills, learn new frameworks for working collaboratively, and connect with her professors and the other local professionals in her classes.
“The thing I took away from it, most of all, was the confidence having that degree gave me,” she said. “It was nice to be studying with a group of adults — it was great to talk through the real-world things we have all gone through and understand. The applicability was nice.”
She continued to work full time while finishing her degree. “It worked well, and it was life-changing for me,” she said. “I would never have had this job without it.”
Penny loves her job, both the work and the relationships she’s building with people all over the U.S. “I think I’m a relationship person,” she said. “One of the reasons I try to do my job so well is there are men and women — our children, our parents — on those ships. They are all people with faces and names, and I do everything I can to make sure they have what they need. That is the biggest mission impact I can make.”
THE THING I TOOK AWAY FROM IT, MOST OF ALL, WAS THE CONFIDENCE HAVING THAT DEGREE GAVE ME.”
—Penny Christman ’17
He comes to MCLA following seven seasons as the head coach at Division I Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut, where he built the foundation for its ice hockey program. Prior to that, Heath was a graduate assistant coach at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. His coaching career began at South Dakota State University (SDSU), where the team he helped build competed in three national tournaments. The Cokato, Minnesota, native is a 2004 and 2006 graduate of SDSU and received his master’s degree in sports and recreation management from New England College in 2015.
“This will be the third hockey program I’ve built,” Heath said. “When I was playing for South Dakota State, I had female friends who also wanted to play. I helped them create a women’s ice hockey team and together we got it approved, with the stipulation that they had to have a coach. They put my name down. I was already coaching high school girls’ hockey, so after adding the SDSU women’s team to my schedule, I was at the rink seven hours a day. I had a lightbulb moment where I realized I could do this as a career.”
Heath will spend his first year at MCLA recruiting his team, traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada. “Every weekend in October there are showcases,” he said, “in Detroit, Dallas, Ontario; women’s hockey has grown so much in the seven years that I’ve been involved with it.” He said that, since MCLA has a high academic standing, he will be able draw players from prep schools as well
as public schools. “This opens up a whole new world of players, as a lot of Massachusetts players don’t want to leave the state, and Canadian players often want to come to the U.S.”
It will make creating a diverse team easier for Heath, who seeks players from various regions. “The styles of hockey played on the East Coast, in Canada, and in Minnesota, for instance, are all different. I want my players to experience players from all of those regions. That’s why I typically don’t recruit a ton of players from the same team in the same year.” This also avoids introducing a pre-formed clique to the team, he said. “The culture you’re creating is a massive thing, especially the first year because you’re really setting the tone. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t have mutual respect, you don’t have anything.”
As a former sociology major, part of what Heath said he does well is evaluate people and their character. “The hockey part is easy,” he said. “I’ve played since I was 2 years old and coached for the last 18 years. But I also have the ability to see these players as people.”
He’s looking forward to introducing his full team to the North Adams community and said he loves how eager they are for hockey’s return. “It’s an exciting time and I’m happy to be here. The 2023-24 season will be here in the blink of an eye.”
WHILE THE WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY TEAM WILL BE NEW TO MCLA, ITS HEAD COACH, HEATH ISAACSON, IS NOT NEW TO BUILDING A TEAM FROM SCRATCH.Heath Isaacson is spending his first year at MCLA recruiting Trailblazers for the 202324 Women’s Ice Hockey Team.
Although Jeremiah Ketts was only recently hired to spearhead the program’s resurgence, he can already sense that yearning when he wears his MCLA Trailblazers gear around town. “People see it and ask who I am, and they’re excited about the return of hockey,” he said. “I think once the program gets started, we’ll have a good draw from the town and local cities.”
Jeremiah comes to MCLA following six years as the top assistant ice hockey coach at UMass-Dartmouth. He said it was a great experience and that MCLA has a similar feel. “On my MCLA tour, I got to meet a lot of people who were very welcoming and sincere.” Both UMass and MCLA are in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), so Jeremiah said he’s seen the way the league operates and knows it includes many successful players and coaches.
From September to March, Jeremiah will be traveling to recruit new and transfer students for MCLA’s hockey program relaunch. “Since we have no returning players, I will look to add players who are or have been captains of their teams,” he said. “We’re looking for leaders, but we’re looking for good people first. These new players will be building our culture and laying the foundation for future Trailblazers. We’re building a brotherhood and it starts with this first class.”
He said trust and accountability are two of the most important aspects of building a winning team. “No one is perfect, but if they’re good people and good students, the hockey will take care of itself. Culture ultimately drives the bus,” he said. “It’s cliché, but you won’t be successful without it.”
Jeremiah, a native of Foristell, Missouri, attended Johnson and Wales University (JWU) from 20082012 and is one of the most accomplished players in the school’s history, with 64 goals and 101 assists. In his sophomore season, he helped the JWU Wildcats reach the ECAC Northeast final for the first time. He is a two-time AHCA All-American and was twice named ECAC Northeast Player of the Year. He also enjoyed a professional career for several years after graduating, signing with the Reading Royals of the ECHL (at the
time, an affiliate of the Boston Bruins), and spending time with the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL, the Pensacola Ice Flyers, and the Peoria Rivermen of the SPHL.
As accomplished as he is on the ice, Jeremiah knows a good education will take you even further. “The fact that MCLA is one of the top 10 public liberal arts colleges was import to me,” he said. “When I’m recruiting, I want to be able to sell a good education. They won’t be playing hockey forever; they’re going to have to work and that piece of paper is going to mean a lot.”
He said the size of the College was also a draw. “I was particularly looking for a smaller school. Students have an excellent experience in smaller classes, and a more intimate relationship with professors, staff, and coaches,” he said. Joining a school that is making improvements in its athletics department and facilities was also something he saw as a huge plus. “It’s important not to be stagnant, because if you’re not getting better, you’re probably getting worse.”
Jeremiah said he could tell this area was special the first time he laid eyes on it, and he’s excited to get the men’s hockey program back up and running, with the support of local fans. “With support from our students, faculty, alumni, and surrounding fans, we’re going to build a true ‘home-ice advantage.’”
EVER SINCE THE MEN’S ICE HOCKEY PROGRAM ENDED IN 2002, THERE HAS BEEN A YEARNING FROM LOCALS, ALUMNI, AND THE COLLEGE FOR ITS REVIVAL.
WITH THE SUPPORT FROM OUR STUDENTS, FACULTY, ALUMNI AND SURROUNDING FANS, WE’RE GOING TO BUILD A TRUE ‘HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE.’”
—Jeremiah Ketts, MCLA Men’s Ice Hockey Head CoachJeremiah Ketts joins MCLA as the new Men’s Ice Hockey coach.
“And the Emmy Award goes to … Ryan Kiernan ’03!”
The English communication major with a broadcast media concentration used his MCLA degree as the springboard to a 19-year career at NBC in Washington, D.C. This fall, his hard work behind the scenes paid off when Ryan and his team won the 2021-2022 News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement.
Originally from New Jersey, both Ryan and his brother (Dan Kiernan ’98) came to MCLA to play ice hockey. “I wanted to play at a high level,” he said, “but I also enjoyed being at a small school.” In 2019, Ryan was inducted into the MCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. “At work, I like to be behind the scenes, but you typically don’t get recognition for doing a great TV transmission, so I enjoyed the recognition of the Hall of Fame induction.”
Ryan said attending a smaller college allowed him to thrive. “Knowing that I wasn’t just a number was better for my education; I could get the help I needed. Professors Joe Ebeware and Peter Gentile made me feel comfortable moving forward in my chosen line of work. Having good mentors made learning exciting and enjoyable; they were the catalysts.”
At NBC, Ryan said he started in the equipment room, which grew into a job in crew support and ordering equipment. He then began working in the microwave and satellite trucks. Along the way, he became responsible for building the transmission pool, which is the area outside the White House set up for journalists. “We basically built a portable newsroom, where we’d supply internet so journalists could conduct research,” he said.
“I then got into audio work in the field,” he said. “I now have a hand in everything except camera: I do maintenance work, in-house work, and work at the Capitol, the Pentagon, and the White House. I’m a
Jack of all trades, and it keeps me really busy because technology changes so fast.”
Ryan and his team of around 20 people won their Emmy Award for an episode of the “Today” show in which Jenna Bush Hager skydived live on camera with a member of the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights parachute squad. “My job was in the satellite truck, where two of us were taking the feeds from six different shots to make sure the crews, the audio guy, the transmission guy, and everyone else had all the feeds they needed in New York and on the ground.”
The dive was a tribute to Bush Hager’s late grandfather, former president George Bush Sr., on what would have been his 97th birthday. The live broadcast featured her in the plane, pre-jump, as well as in the air, as she spoke to the show’s co-hosts, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. “We practiced it,” Ryan said, “but when you’re live, there can be so many points of failure: the camera, the mic in her ear, the satellite feed.”
Emmy win aside, Ryan said applying at NBC was the best decision he ever made. “It doesn’t feel like working; it’s fun.”
IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE WORKING; IT’S FUN.”
—RYAN KIERNAN ’03
Dr. Jean Clarke-Mitchell ‘00, a member of both the MCLA Board of Trustees and the MCLA Foundation Board of Directors, participated in a mentor-chaperoned service-learning trip to Accra, Ghana, this summer with the Rites of Passage and Empowerment (R.O.P.E.) program. The program offers mentoring focused on offering students opportunities for academic, cultural, and travel experiences locally and internationally.
Jean has been a senior mentor and engagement coordinator for R.O.P.E. for several years and helps facilitate service-learning trips, as well as visits to colleges such as the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) for mentees. She is an assistant professor of social work at Lesley University and served on boards for Rockfort Moving Forward, Western Massachusetts and Albany Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and Massachusetts Women of Color Network, Inc.
In July, a group of 24 young female students of color and their mentors spent 10 days in Accra, where they visited slave castles and dungeons, the museum and burial site of W.E.B. Du Bois, and the Good Shepherd Community School and Orphanage, where the group provided books and other supplies brought from America.
The group spent three days at Good Shepherd, where Jean taught science and English lessons. “On one of the days, members of the group went shopping and bought much-needed supplies and games for the students,” Jean said. “The experience was profound in many ways. Some of the students have never traveled abroad or experienced that kind of poverty in the United States. Visiting the slaves’ quarters at Cape Coast and thinking of their experiences has been life-changing for me. I have a completely new appreciation and gratitude for my ancestors, in particular the females.”
R.O.P.E. and Good Shepherd plan to continue with collaborations to sponsor as many students there as possible. Jean departed the school
visit with the commitment to sponsor seven female students. She began her support of “her seven” by funding their project to get the school a bulletin board.
“That was the most exciting piece for me. I will follow them through their schooling as much as I can,” she said.
Jean has participated in other R.O.P.E servicelearning trips and has led groups to Durban, South Africa. She conducted presentations on healthy relationships and self-care in Jamaica, and continues to affect positive change at home by teaching social work full-time to develop effective practitioners.
R.O.P.E. was founded in 2010 by community activist, diversity trainer, and MCLA alumna and former board trustee Dr. Shirley Edgerton.
I HAVE A COMPLETELY NEW APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE FOR MY ANCESTORS, IN PARTICULAR THE FEMALES.”
—Dr. Jean Clarke-Mitchell ’00
The MCLA Alumni Association honors distinguished alumni and friends who have made outstanding contributions in public or community service or in service to the College. Congratulations to each of our distinguished honorees!
In recognition of a graduate of the last 15 years from the College who has shown significant growth in their chosen profession as well as a commitment to supporting and serving as a role model to current and future students.
After graduating from MCLA, J. Cottle went on to earn his master’s degree in education from Lesley University. He is an educator, arts administrator, musician, writer and advocate, as well as the founder and executive director of Dunamis, a nonprofit that supports creatives of color. He also serves as the creative director of Petrichor, a band composed of MCLA Allegrettos alums.
In his career, J. has worked as an arts educator at the Boston Arts Academy, Dorchester Academy, the Boston University and Malden Public Schools Reach for the Stars Academy, and more. He has supported and advanced the work of MassVOTE, Boston Arts Academy, Berklee College of Music, and the Community Music Center of Boston. He is a 2019 National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow, and serves on the boards of The Flavor Continues, the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice, and the Tisch College Community Partnerships Committee. J.’s work explores the intersection of art, equity, civic engagement, transformative growth, and joy.
In recognition of a K-16 educator and alumnus/na who has shown dedication to the service and development of students and the profession, as well as a commitment to innovative classroom practices, programming, extracurricular activities, and/or community work.
Shaniqua Choice is a full-time history instructor and teacher mentor at Community Charter School of Cambridge, just outside the city of Boston. She is also a member of the school’s Equity Working Group and the facilitator of its Critical Friends Group, where teachers look deliberately at their pedagogy practices. For the 2022-2023 school year, she wrote and facilitated a professional development program on educational equity and led a focus group on building stronger relationships with students to achieve equity goals.
At MCLA, where she graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in history, she serves as a guest lecturer in social justice education. She focuses on microaggressions, gearing her programming toward the white, rural residents of Berkshire County, and utilizing Restorative Justice norms to create a safe and engaging space to take risks.
Shaniqua, who also holds a master’s degree in effective teaching from the Sposato Graduate School of Education in Boston, gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, on September 1 of this year.
In recognition of a K-16 educator and alumnus/na who has shown dedication to the service and development of students and the profession, as well as a commitment to innovative classroom practices, programming, extracurricular activities, and/or community work.
After earning his undergraduate degree in history with a concentration in political science from North Adams State College, Stephen Simo ’90 went on to earn a master’s degree in education from Northeastern University, followed by a doctorate in Educational Leadership in Higher Education from Johnson & Wales University.
Since 2016, Stephen has served as the assistant dean of students at the University of Rhode Island. Prior to that, he served as the University’s director of Greek affairs as well as the coordinator of its Center for Student Leadership Development. Prior to that, Stephen served as the assistant director of the Office of Student Organizations and Leadership at Southern New Hampshire University.
For almost three decades, he has worked in the field of higher education, engaging directly with students through his work, serving as an advisor, a leadership development organizer, a teacher, and a mentor. He is an expert on Greek life, adventure programming, nonprofit management and community service, and has never stopped learning. He has sought out professional training on anti-racism, veterans’ affairs, legal issues, Title IX, crisis preparedness, budgets and finance, facility management, and more.
In honor of a retired a K-16 educator and alumnus/na who spent their career dedicated to the education and development of students and the profession.
Claire Shea has more than 35 years of experience in a wide range of teaching, administrative, and consulting responsibilities in both public and private secondary and higher education settings.
After graduating from North Adams State College with a bachelor’s degree in education, Claire went on to earn a master’s degree in English from Wesleyan University, and certificates from both Wesleyan and the University of Connecticut. She has taught English in high schools in New York state, Massachusetts, and Arizona, and worked as an administrator at Wesleyan University before returning to teach English and lead English teachers in the Middletown, Connecticut Public Schools for 26 years, always with special attention to issues of diversity, access, and inclusion.
Since retiring from Middletown, she has had a sustained interest in helping first-generation students from diverse backgrounds or underrepresented populations access and navigate the college selection and application process, and steering them toward scholarship opportunities. She has acted as a consultant for Amherst College, Green Street Arts Center at Wesleyan, Watertown Public Schools, and, most recently the Manchester, Connecticut School District, creating a mentoring program (Imagine College) for firstgeneration college-bound students.
In honor of an alumnus/na who has demonstrated a record of service to their local community or to the world at large.
Mikaelle Olivier was an active member of both the STEM and arts communities during her time at MCLA. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology, in 2015, she moved to Connecticut to teach secondary science at Hartford Public High School while pursuing her master’s degree in education at Johns Hopkins University. As an educator, Mikaelle volunteered to train and support incoming first-year science teachers on data-driven decision making and how to incorporate social and emotional learning into their pedagogy as educators in underserved communities. While on the job, she co-founded the Outstanding Women in Leadership Society, where she provided female-identifying students with community service, leadership, and professional development opportunities, and led them in the creation of their own service projects.
Mikaelle went on to complete the Leadership for Educational Equity Public Policy Fellowship at the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, working as a strategic planning associate and project management associate. Working in state government solidified her interest in policy
and advocacy work as a means of moving the needle toward educational equity, and she moved into a position as an outreach director for the nonprofit Educators for Excellence. She is now a talent partner at Achievement First, a network of non-profit K-12 public charter schools. Mikaelle has served as a volunteer advisor for several organizations including HOSA (future health care professionals), was active with the Blue Hills Civic Association and the Greater Hartford NAACP, and was a mentor for My Brother’s Keeper and the Boys & Girls Club. Most recently, she supplied free technical assistance to persons of color and women-owned businesses in the greater Hartford area in applying for payroll protection programs throughout the pandemic. She also served as the lead coordinator at her church’s food pantry ministry and music fellowship. Currently, her activism takes the form of organizing and lobbying for equitable education policies that will positively impact her community and the state of public education as a whole.
In recognition of an alumnus/na who has demonstrated a history of professional or community achievement and leadership.
Rebbecca Cohen graduated from MCLA with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2004, the Berkshire Leadership Program in 2016, and earned her master’s degrees from Southern New Hampshire University in both business administration with a concentration in healthcare administration, and organizational leadership, in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
Rebbecca is the operational excellence manager of external quality assurance at Moderna Therapeutics. Prior to that, she was the senior manager of operations and quality excellence at Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing in Lee, the director of human relations and compliance at Tunnel City Transport in North Adams, the operations manager at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire, and a chemistry instructor in the North Adams Public Schools.
She served as a North Adams City Councilor from 2017-2019, and as a member of the Berkshire Leadership Program Steering Committee, North Adams Community Economic Advisory Board, Louison House Board of Directors, and the Northern Berkshire United Way Allocations Committee. She has also served as Vice Chair of the North Adams Democratic City Committee and as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
She is passionate about healthcare and the need for ethical transparency in leadership positions. Along with playing an active role in her community, she is raising two children who drive her motivation to accomplish her mission of serving and inspiring others in today’s world.
When Andy Cambi ’20 started working for the City of Pittsfield Health Department, he knew he wanted to advance in his career. With hard work, mentorship, encouragement, and an MCLA degree, he did — and is now the city’s director of public health.
The Pittsfield Board of Health unanimously approved Andy’s promotion to director at the end of 2021. He had already been in the role on an interim basis after the previous director, Gina Armstrong, recommended him when she departed in the fall of that year.
Gina encouraged him to seek out training, attend meetings to learn the ins and outs of public health and community outreach, and advance his career. “A big reason for my success is that the City of Pittsfield provided an environment to foster that,” he said. “I was able to see the full lens of public health. Through those opportunities, I realized I had a passion for public service.”
He knew he needed a bachelor’s degree to advance, and found out about MCLA’s Degree Completion Program while researching online. He liked that it gave him the opportunity to attend classes after work (right across the street from
City Hall, in fact, at MCLA-Pittsfield). Barb Emanuel, director of programs for MCLA’s Division of Graduate and Continuing Education, helped him through the application process. “I got a response right away,” he said. “Even now, Barb will check in with me. She was very helpful in getting me through each year.”
While earning his degree in leadership and business, he took the classes Managing Workplace Diversity and The Power of Persuasion, which he says have helped him communicate more effectively when he’s presenting at meetings. “Learning those skills in a class setting prepared me for that. Now that it’s real life, it kind of flows out easily,” he said. Andy said he loves working with city residents and business owners on things such as rental housing inspections and restaurant safety regulations, two important Health Department responsibilities that keep the population safe. “It gives me so much pride to be able to help a new member of the community who wants to open a restaurant, but has no restaurant experience,” he said. “I can walk them through the process.” He said it is rewarding to help someone who has
saved up for many years to accomplish their dream with a little guidance.
Local newspapers have noted Andy’s commitment to making sure everyone in the community can understand and interact with public health messaging. As a Spanish speaker who moved to the Berkshires as a child, he knows that Pittsfield has a diverse population that should have equitable access to this information. “I understand the challenges of someone coming here from another country and not being able to speak English,” he said. “I want to be aware of that — not just with Spanish but any other languages spoken within the city.”
Now that COVID restrictions are lifting, Andy said his goals for the year are to fully staff his department, address employee stress and exhaustion brought on by the pandemic, and seek out new professional development opportunities for his team. Public health is now at the front of people’s minds, and he wants to take advantage of that to advance the work of the department. “I want to share a positive outlook on whatever we are going through,” he said.
Lisa Mendel has been creating her own stained glass pieces for 25 years, and she’s taught hundreds of people how to do the same. Still, “I would have told you before all this that I wasn’t really artistic,” she said. “But it’s led to so many other artistic avenues for me.”
Mendel’s Stained Glass was a fixture in the Northern Berkshires even before Lisa opened her storefront space on East Hoosac Street in Adams earlier this year. She used to offer classes in a basement shop, and as an arts and business teacher at Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown, she’s been teaching stained glass for decades. “I run into students who say, ‘I still have that tulip!’ or parents who tell me, ‘I still have that Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift my kid made in your class!’” she said.
As a child, Lisa first fell in love with stained glass at church (her mother, an Irish immigrant, regularly took her to Catholic Mass), where she appreciated the way the light filtered through the tall windows. In her late 20s, she signed up for a class and was hooked. The small iris she made there remains her favorite piece to this day.
Lisa grew up in the Berkshires and attended MCLA for undergrad, then went back for her master’s degree once she started working at Mount Greylock. She then secured her art teacher certification in order to take over the stained glass class from a retiring teacher. “It’s definitely something I love,” she said. “Whether I’m at school or teaching a class on my own, these are classes where you should have fun, be creative, talk to the people next to you. It’s great to help people learn a new skill and see them problem-solving.”
Many of her students start with the notion that glass is somehow stained by hand, which is a common misconception, Lisa said. It’s really about learning how to cut glass without shattering it, then piecing it together, mostly using a pattern. “It’s kind of like a coloring book,” she said. “Most of the patterns are based on nature, and there are lots of abstract patterns. There are thousands to pick from.”
Lisa said she’s happy to see the storefront embraced by the community. Her classes are often sold out, and she’s also begun offering private classes for work groups and parties. When she opened the doors in February 2022,
the Adams Select Board held a special ribboncutting, thanking her for her commitment to the downtown area.
People interested in learning how to create their own pieces can sign up for a single night class that offers “just enough where you can try it out,” Lisa said. If you’re looking to go deeper, she also offers a four-week class. “A lot of people sign up for a second or third class,” she said. She also offers occasional classes through local organizations like North Adams’ ROOTS Teen Center and the Adams Youth Center.
As the holiday season approaches, Lisa is planning two-hour ornament-making classes she can bring to private holiday parties and other events. She also wants to welcome guest artists to her storefront for other workshops, like wreath making. Even with a busy teaching and real estate career, “I see a lot more of that happening,” she said.
IT’S GREAT TO HELP PEOPLE LEARN A NEW SKILL AND SEE THEM PROBLEM-SOLVING.”
—Lisa Mendel
CLARISE ANNETTE BROOKS ’01
“EXCUSE ME WHILE I LIVE MY LIFE” Stillwater River Publications
CASEY POTTS ’18
“HAWTHORNE’S LEGACY, VOLUME 1: PORTRAIT OF A BALLPLAYER” Independently published
JORDAN DEGAETANO ’20
“IN BETWEEN DREAMS: A PANDEMIC DREAM STUDY AND ART PROJECT” Kindle Direct Publishing
ERIN HERLIHY-ALBRIGHT ’98
“ARE YOU F’ING KIDDING ME? MY JOURNEY THROUGH MULTIPLE CANCERS” Amazon digital platform
If you’re an author and would like to see your book listed in a future publication, or know of an alumni author with a recently published work, please contact alumni@mcla.edu.
TOM RIMER ’06
“MALEVOLENT NEVERS” Shadow Spark Publishing
DR. CATHERINE RYMSHA ’06
“STUNNING” The Leadership Decision
ERNESTO BURDEN ’94
“SLATE” PlaidSwede Press
DISCOVER MCLA AUTHORS Visit www.indiebound.org to order one of this issue’s featured books.
CORINNE ROMMENEY ’11
“ACCIDENTAL MARRIAGE”
Independently published
LINDSAY (GREEN) MALOOTIAN ’13
“PURPOSEFUL DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROCESSES” DIO Press
KEITH VINCENT ’92
“THE MIRACLE’S CURSE” Independently published
CHRISTY BUTLER ’89
“CONNECTICUT DESTINATIONS: AN EXPLORER’S GUIDE TO WATERFALLS, BOULDERS, AND POINTS OF INTEREST FOR CONNECTICUT”
Independently published
there’s a place to explore who they are in the fantasy and role-playing community,” said Kelli.
Parts of the book were inspired by Live Action Role Playing (LARPing) characters Kelli had been writing about for a long time. “When I was querying and sending books out to agents four or five years ago, there wasn’t a tremendous amount of this nerdy fiction out,” she said, “but now there is.”
To circumvent this, Kelli took a “zero-percent nerdy” character — a woman with a serious job who needs to learn how to live again — and made her the protagonist. This allowed Kelli to then introduce a cast of very nerdy characters without scaring off readers who don’t run in those circles.
Kelli was part of the first official class of the newly renamed MCLA, beginning her freshman year in 1997. She majored in English and went on to earn a master’s degree in theater from Kent State as well as a master’s degree in fiction from Bennington College. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Kelli came to North Adams to study and said she “found a home in the English and theater departments.” She found a literal home, as well; she still resides in her adopted town of North Adams.
Next up for the author will be two self-published books inspired by her love of theater, along with a purely fantasy novel.
Kelli Newby ‘01 published her first book in February of last year, but you might not have known unless she told you the news herself. That’s because “The Good Girl’s Guide to Fantasy and Adventure” was written under her pen name, Evi Kline.
Most romance authors use pen names, Kelli said, along with a lot of writers who teach. “You lose that name recognition, but you get a little more privacy,” she noted.
The former MCLA visiting professor, who is now part of the arts faculty at Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School (BART) in Adams, Massachusetts, said her novel is not strictly a romance, but more of a women’s fiction novel with a central romance.
Whereas big-name writers tend not to step outside of established customs of the genre that made them famous, Kelli’s novel includes a central romance but doesn’t follow romance conventions.
“The Good Girl’s Guide” focuses on a corporate lawyer named Meg who begins to use a fantasy novel as a self-help guide. The twist? The novel was written by the woman her husband left her for. “It’s about someone moving into the world of fandom and geek or nerd culture, and discovering
Deciding to self-publish the novel allowed Kelli to untether her story from any one category. “If you’re working between genres, which I tend to do, you can self-publish it without being forced to slot it into any one genre.” She said there are other advantages to self-publishing, as well. “It used to be seen as a vanity project to self-publish, but it’s now a very real artistic and business model.”
“You get to control your cover and choose the editor who works best with you, but there’s a lot of legwork getting it on different platforms, so there’s a tradeoff,” she said. “Publishing is a tough field to get into right now, with many of the bigger companies consolidating. There are indie presses everywhere, which is great, but they sometimes publish only one or two books a year.”
“I always advised my students that writing and publishing were different creatures,” Kelli said. “That if they loved writing, to write, and hold on to the joy of that. But now, with self-publishing, you really can write simply because you love it.”
LEARN MORE: bit.ly/MCLAgood
NOW, WITH SELF-PUBLISHING, YOU REALLY CAN WRITE SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU LOVE IT.”
—Kelli Newby ’01
Tell us what 1970s campus activity is taking place in this photo by emailing alumni@ mcla.edu and be entered to win your choice of NASC or MCLA gear!
Sandra L. Magill ’73 is living the dream as a retired English teacher and Navy Captain, splitting time between MA, ME, and FL.
Jeffrey M. Brown ’85 has been living in Toronto for 20 years, “like the States but a bit kinder and gentler.” A lay leader in Toronto’s large Jewish community, Jeffrey has been instrumental in creating meaningful JewishMuslim relationships, particularly in the area of shared community security threats. He is a tax partner with Fuller Landau LLP, a midsized Toronto CPA firm. U.S. CPAs interested in opportunities in Toronto should feel free to reach out at jbrown@fullerllp.com
Jeff Zablatsky ’90 promoted non-profit organizations through business networking groups during COVID, along with fundraising events this past year. You can reach him at MassConnections@yahoo.com
Skip Perham ’92 is an instructor of marketing and sports marketing in the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University in Boston. In October 2021, he launched the Amplification Avenue Podcast, which examines the amplifying properties of sports and the growing intersection of sports business, media, and society. Skip is married to Julie (Sullivan) Perham ’92 and they reside on the South Shore with their two children.
Jennifer Huberdeau ’00 was awarded the Rabkin Foundation’s Art Criticism Award in May 2021. The award, given to eight art critics from around the United States, comes with a $50,000 prize. She became The Berkshire Eagle’s Features Editor in July 2021.
Timothy W. Herene ’03, M.Ed. ’13 has been teaching since he graduated from MCLA with his master’s degree. “I teach special education at Hillcrest Educational Centers. I love it!”
Dan P. Farrell ’12 recently started working for the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Immigrations services, as a software engineer. He is currently working on developing software to speed up and streamline the refugee and asylum application process.
Dina Guiel Lampiasi ’13 writes: “Things are going well for me. I received an MPA/ MPP from Northeastern in 2016. I am now the chief of operations at the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office and I am also a Pittsfield, MA City Councilor. I love my career and MCLA made it all possible!”
YOUR CLASSMATES WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOU!
VIEW OR SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE bit.ly/MCLAclassnote or email your Class Note to alumni@mcla.edu
Lynn C. McEnaney ’14 started a new position as the business analyst/program manager for the city of Cambridge, MA Community Development Department.
Samantha Giffen ’18 recently earned a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Salem State University. During this time, she worked in the Center for Civic Engagement and Office of Inclusive Excellence at Salem State, as well as the Office of Student Engagement at Smith College.
Mitchell Chapman ’18 was awarded first place for best commentary at the New England Newspaper and Press Association’s Better Newspaper Competition for his column “Addressing America’s ugly duality.” In March, he was promoted to weekend news editor of The Berkshire Eagle.
Congratulations to the following faculty members on their retirements from the College in 2021 and 2022:
Susan Edgerton, Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Studies
Deborah Foss, Ph.D., Psychology
Albert Donald Hyers, Ph.D., Environmental Studies
David M. Levine, Ph.D., Chemistry
Mark Miller, Ph.D., English Communications
Nancy Ovitsky, Ph.D., Business Administration
We invite you to join us for these upcoming events:
APRIL 1, 2023
Sam Gomez 5K Charity Road Race
APRIL 22, 2023
Alumni + Student Cornhole Tournament
APRIL 27–28, 2023
#MCLAGives
MAY 12–14, 2023
Commencement
with Golden Graduates and 50-year Reunion Events
OCTOBER 20–21, 2023
Homecoming Weekend
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND ADDITIONAL ALUMNI EVENTS, VISIT alumni.mcla.edu/events
Elections: February 1, 2023 – March 15, 2023
Results Announced: April 2023
LEARN MORE AT ALUMNI.MCLA.EDU/ALUMNI-ASSOCIATION
