MountainOne Celebrates Graduates of the Emerging Leaders Program

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. —  MountainOne announced that eight of its rising Mountaineers have graduated from the company's Emerging Leaders Program (ELP).

The ELP is a cornerstone of MountainOne's commitment to developing talent within the organization. Over the course of the 2024 program, this group of Mountaineers enhanced their leadership skills, while also taking on projects that created tangible business impact, and helped each participant build confidence and competency along this path. 

This year's cohort included the following eight Mountaineers:

• Alyson Lesure, Claims Representative & Branch Support Supervisor (Insurance)
• Betsy Kapner, VP, Marketing Manager (Marketing)
• Erik Ray, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
• Erin Galvin, Community Banking Officer (Community Banking)
• Jessica Andrews, AVP, Deposit Compliance Officer & Fraud Administration Officer (Risk Management)
• Kyle Shepard, Operations Analyst (Operations)
• Paula Malloy, AVP, Assistant Controller (Accounting)
• Ryan Belanger, Network & Systems Officer (IT)

The ELP consists of two phases: the first focuses on leadership training and self-discovery, and the second involves actionable activities to address high-priority projects that explore new possibilities for MountainOne.

Participants were split into two groups, with one team focusing on the impact of chat platforms and their potential to streamline workflows and enhance collaboration. The second team created a sustainable Social Media Ambassadorship Program, an initiative aimed at empowering employees to actively support MountainOne's brand on social platforms.

The groups presented their final projects to the executive and senior leadership team in November. At this time, a commencement ceremony was held to recognize the growth and achievements of this cohort of emerging leaders. 

"The Emerging Leaders Program is about more than just building leadership skills—it's about giving our employees the tools, confidence and opportunity to make a real impact," said Beth Petropulos, SVP, Senior Human Resources Officer. "This year's graduates tackled meaningful challenges with creativity and focus, delivering results that will have a lasting impact on our organization. It's exciting to see the talent and potential we have within MountainOne, and I'm very proud of each participant for their hard work and dedication."

North Adams, Partners Celebrate $17.3M in Federal Money Toward Bike Path

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
01:11PM / Friday, January 10, 2025

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, wearing an MCLA scarf, announces the funding for the project design and planning at City Hall on Friday morning. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It's been 26 years since the concept of a Connecticut to Vermont bike trail was first proposed — and 130 since a proposal was put forward for a path between North Adams and Williamstown. 

 

Those dreams took another step forward on Friday with the announcement of $17.3 million in federal funding for the "Adventure to Ashuwillticook Trail," a 9.3-section from the Mohican Path at Williamstown's Spruces to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. 

 

"This is a major success because it connects Williamstown and Adams and North Adams," said U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, who was instrumental in obtaining the funding as chairman of Ways and Means Committee. "It's a big deal, and we're going to hear from experts, but I want to thank the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Great work on this. I can be helpful to you, for sure, as Eddie and Elizabeth were [U.S. Sens. Markey and Warren], but I can't be helpful to you unless you have a good product, and you had a good product."

 

The grant award is the result of a collaborative effort involving Berkshire Funding Focus, a government funding initiative of the BRPC, along with Adams, North Adams and Williamstown, Mass MoCA and the Tourists resort through which the bike path will run. BRPC is the lead agent and will coordinate the partnership and manage the grant award over the course of the four-year process.

 

Neal was joined at City Hall by Mayor Jennifer Macksey, state Sen. Paul Mark, state Rep. John Barrett III, BRPC Executive Director Tom Matuszko, Mass MoCA Director Kristy Edmunds and Benjamin Svenson and Eric Kerns, of the Tourists resort. 

 

Macksey explained why spending $17 million on bike path planning was important, in the same way she had to her 93-year-old mother. 

 

"She said, 'we need water improvements. We need bridges fixed. Why are you building this bike path? And we had a conversation about economic development. We had a conversation about recreation. We had a conversation about wellness in the community," the mayor said. "But most importantly, we had a conversation that our communities cannot be siloed anymore, that we have to connect them, and this is the way of the future."