The Berkshire 25
The Berkshire 25
Julia Kaplan moved to the Berkshires in 2011 to focus on her photography and make a difference, following a 27-year career in commercial real estate investment, development, and management in New Jersey. Living in Pittsfield, she has gifted her work to cultural venues and nonprofits, including Barrington Stage, Berkshire International Film Festival, Shakespeare & Company, Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, and The Authors Guild Foundation. Julia founded Concierge Gardener, creating custom medicinal gardens, does event photography, and is a supporter of Walking Our Talk, an organization that provides support and connection for women in the Berkshires.“ Julia is a huge champion of the arts,” says Kelley Vickery, founder and artistic director of the Berkshire International Film Festival.“ She is a gem in our community!”
Maud
Mandel has been president of Williams College since 2018. She has engaged the Williams community in articulating a vision for the college’ s future. She helped Williams become the first school in the nation to launch an all-grant financial aid program and has created strategic academic initiatives to prepare students for a changing world. As an advocate for educational innovation, President Mandel has led the charge in designing and building the Williams College Museum of Art, now underway. She supports interdisciplinary programs such as Williams Global Scholars and the Winter Study program and, as an accomplished historian, she teaches as frequently as her schedule allows. Her board memberships include Williamstown Theatre Festival, MASS MoCA, and the Clark Art Institute.“ Maud’ s inspiring and visionary leadership has made a profound impact on the entire field of higher education, not only at Williams College, but also at the Clark Art Institute,” says Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director at the Clark.
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MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE August Fall 2025 2025
Janis Martinson,
executive director of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center since 2020, guided the venerated venue out of a lockdown and into a steady schedule of world-class live performances. Under her leadership, the Mahaiwe has expanded partnerships with local organizations like Berkshire International Film Festival and Volunteers in Medicine, which helped create Mahaiwe ' s Spanish-language Community Advisory Network that offers free Spanish-language film screenings and live performances. Janis’ s commitment to education and community plays out through school field trips, in-school residencies, and Mahaiwe’ s Education and Community Engagement Committee. She’ s been instrumental in opening the Indigo Room next to the Mahaiwe, expanding their mission to attract a broader audience. She serves on Berkshire Arts and Culture Alliance, advocating for the economic, tourism, and infrastructure needs of arts and culture organizations, and was a founding member of the Pay Equity Coalition of Berkshire and Columbia Counties.“ Janis’ s committment to community shines through multiple initiatives,“ says Mahaiwe Board Chair Margaret Deutsch.“ Partnering with SCAN, CATA, and the opening of the Indigo Room are just a few examples.“
Julie Michaels and Ari Zorn have been co-chairs of the W. E. B. Du Bois Sculpture Project since April 2022. On July 19, a statue of DuBois was unveiled in front of the Mason Library in Great Barrington amid new stone benches and steps, and a huge crowd. Julie started the sculpture project after the death of Freke Vuijst, whose idea it was for a Du Bois statue in Great Barrington. A resident of Housatonic, Julie is passionate about her community. She is a writer, editor, partner in Spence and Sanders Communications, and former board chair of Berkshire Grown. Ari founded Friends of Smiley’ s Pond in Egremont, is an advisory council member of the Massachusetts Environmental Justice Council, vice president of Berkshires Community Empowerment Foundation, and sits on the boards of Berkshire Natural Resources Council, 1Berkshire, and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. He is vice president
of Blackshires, a community-owned empowerment platform, and owner of Devine Retail Cannabis and Zorn Fitness, both in South Egremont.“ Julie and Ari are proof that when you lead with heart, change happens,” says State Representative Leigh Davis.“ Through the W. E. B. Du Bois sculpture project, they’ ve given our community a renewed pride in its rich Black history— one that resonates across the Commonwealth and beyond state lines.”
Shawn Mille is president of the board for the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention( BCSP), and program associate at CATA( Community Access to the Arts). He organizes BCSP events and fund raisers, broadens connections across diverse Berkshire organizations, including Berkshire Black Economic Council, Berkshire Pride, AIRY( Arts in Recovery for Youth), and Susan B. Anthony House, and expands outreach to underserved communities. Shawn is a Berkshire Pride volunteer, underwriter of the CATA Gala, team captain for Austen Riggs Center and BCSP teams of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention( AFSP) Out of the Darkness Community Walks, and graduate of 1Bekshire Leadership Program.“ Shawn is an all-around thoughtful, effective, and positive leader,” says Elizabeth Heller, vice president of BCSP.“ If there is anyone who can be described as creating a diverse, meaningful, and spirited Berkshires, it’ s Shawn.”
Katherine
Miller founded Lee Community Gardens in 2021 to help address food insecurity by creating vegetable gardens for people, and native wildflower gardens for at-risk pollinators. Partnering with nonprofits like Greenagers, businesses like the College Internship Program, and local churches, she and her team cultivate and deliver fresh produce to senior housing in Lee and transform roadside borders into pollinator pathways. Katherine is an active member of the Lee Greener Gateway Committee and serves on the Lee Parks and Recreation Committee. A graduate of the Permaculture Women’ s Guild, and a certified pollinator steward through UMass Extension, Katherine designs landscapes that nurture the entire community— plants, animals, and people.