Kelly has over 30 years of experience in development and fundraising, and has held leadership positions at Volunteers in Medicine, Berkshire Country Day School, Indian Moutain School, Kripalu and, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation since moving to the Berkshires in 2001. She currently serves as the Director of Development at Community Health & Wellness Center, a federally qualified health center with sites in North Canaan, Winsted and Torrington, CT.
Kelly was first introduced to Berkshire Pulse when her daughter, Emma, began dancing at age 5. During Emma’s time at Pulse, Kelly served on the board for several years. She then took a 10-year break before returning in 2024.
Kelly resides in Sheffield with her husband, Ken, and Emma, when she is not away at college.
Melissa was born and raised in southern California and pursued dance as an undergraduate at California State University, Long Beach. She first came to the Berkshires in 2015 to intern at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket. After her internship, she decided to stay in the region, working first at the Pillow, then at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. Currently, Melissa serves as the Executive Director of the Berkshire Immigrant Center in Pittsfield. She holds a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University. In addition to her professional work, Melissa volunteers with Latinas413, a group dedicated to empowering Latina women in Berkshire County, and continues to nurture her passion for dance by performing in local choreographers works and as the founder and artistic director of her own dance company, the Melissa Martinez Project.
Joan has over 40 years of nonprofit leadership experience in executive positions
at metropolitan nonprofits, development positions at local and national levels,
and volunteer chairs of national and community level boards, committees, and
initiatives. Joan capped a 27-year career at Planned Parenthood affiliates in
NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia, where she served as President/CEO, by serving
as senior vice president at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Prior to
Planned Parenthood, Joan served as a professional in higher education
administration at Syracuse, Boston, and Brandeis Universities.
As principal of Noble Work Consulting from 2007-2025 Joan has helped
nonprofits build capacity in governance, strategic planning, development, and
organizational effectiveness. She assisted women’s health, cultural, human
service, advocacy, and educational institutions in Berkshire County, New York
State, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
In her fourth career, Joan is a professional actor and trained at Shakespeare &
Co and the Michael Chekhov School. She has appeared on stage in Berkshire
County, New York State and Vermont.
Joan has been dancing with Berkshire Pulse for over 10 years, primarily in
modern dance, but she has also sampled numerous other modes, especially
classes that focus on building strength and balance and highly recommends
them. Her connection to Pulse is deep, health-enhancing, and spiritual. She was
delighted that stepping away from consulting and being asked to join the Pulse
board and serve as board president coincided.
An entrepreneur, radical innovator, SUPERSTORYTELLER and motivator with 27 years of experience in visual computing technologies, complex software technologies, content creation, entertainment venues and production and business modeling that enable insights, solutions and strategies for leadership at the CEO level.
Dr. Jerome F. Errico is a Board Certified Chiropractic Physician practicing in Lenox, Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a doctoral degree in chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College; a master’s degree in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and is certified in hypnotherapy from the American Hypnosis Association. Dr. Errico is also a Consulting Gerson Physician, having studied the Gerson Therapy for nutritional oncology under Charlotte Gerson at the Gerson Institute in San Diego, California.
Charles Ferris has been a practicing attorney in Massachusetts and New York for 35 years. After graduating from St. John’s School of Law he served as a law clerk to the Justices of the New York Supreme Court. He then served as a Litigation Associate in the New York City offices of Weil Gotshal & Manges, where he represented major corporations, banks and brokerage companies in complex lawsuits throughout the United States. Following that position he served as Assistant General Counsel to Bank Hapoalim where he was responsible for a large portfolio of commercial loan transactions and in-house litigation and labor law matters. He then served as Counsel to Sotheby’s and Sotheby’s International Realty, before opening his own practice in Berkshire County in 1993.
He obtained a Masters of Law (LL.M.) from New York University, and has taught law courses at New York School of Law and Western New England School of Law. He has served as a member of Great Barrington Rotary since 1995, and has been a member of its Board of Directors, Fund Raising Committee and Scholarship Committee for more than 10 years. He was a founding member and former Chairman of the Eagle Fund, which raises money for grants that foster academic excellence and enhanced educational experiences in the Southern Berkshire School District as well as a Grant Committee member of the Janet Fund, a privately endowed fund which provided funds for projects in the Southern Berkshire School District. Since 2008 he has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Berkshire Pulse, a not-for-profit corporation in Great Barrington which provides dance and performing arts classes for children and adults.
Laurie Freedman began her dance training as student and later as assistant to renown modern dancer Jane Dudley. Laurie earned a BA in dance from Bennington College and MFA in Dance, Arts Administration, and Video-Production from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Laurie was invited to Israel to join the prestigious Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv. She lived Israel for 18 years, performing and touring with the company, as well as creating original choreography and teaching dance for performing arts venues throughout the country.
Upon returning to the USA, Laurie was invited to direct the dance program at the Millbrook School. She later developed a digital video program for the arts department, served as technical director of the theater and interim director of the school’s Holbrook Art Center. Laurie has received various grants and awards for her work in dance and video production. She serves on the Board of Directors of Berkshire Pulse and CTSBTV.
Claudia M. Gold, MD is a pediatrician and writer who practiced pediatrics for over 20 years and now specializes in early relational health. She has over 3 decades of clinical experience in a wide variety of communities and currently as an infant-parent consultant at Volunteers in Medicine, Berkshires. She was on the faculty of the UMass fellowship in Early Relational Health for ten years. Her new book is Getting to Know You: Lessons in Early Relational Health from Infants and Caregivers ( Teachers College Press, March 2025.) In addition to 3 other books she co-authored, with renowned infant researcher Ed Tronick, The Power of Discord: Why the Ups and Downs in Relationships are the Secret to Building Intimacy, Resilience, and Trust ( Little, Brown Spark 2020). Dr. Gold speaks frequently to a variety of audiences including parents and professionals both in the US and around the world.
Amy holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Drew University. Prior to moving to the Berkshires, she held numerous positions in theatre and television in New York City and Los Angeles. Notable companies include: Ellen Novack Casting, The Vineyard Theatre (Three Tall Women moved to Broadway in 1994), Classic Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, CBS Morning News, Evening News with Dan Rather, and 60 Minutes. Most of her television work was on The Late Show with David Letterman, where she was an Assistant Director and Stage Manager for several years. Los Angeles credits include Friends, The X-Files, The Drew Carey Show, and others. She is most proud of her credit as Mother to Katherine and Spencer, who are now both away at school courageously pursuing their dreams. Amy lives in Great Barrington with her husband Bruce and their naughty cat Tasha.
Marta Kirsis has spent her career at the intersection of media, technology, and the consumer. She is known for translating audience insights into global strategies that drive engagement, revenue growth, and scalable best practices that position organizations for sustainable, profitable growth. Most recently, she served as VP of Streaming Strategy for Paramount Global, where she led initiatives that established Paramount+ as the fastest-growing SVOD service since its launch and PlutoTV as the most widely distributed FAST service.
Previously, Marta was VP of Analytics for Viacom Digital Studios, where her work helped propel the Studio to #1 on Tubular’s Media & Entertainment charts within two years of launch. She was also part of the team behind the successful positioning and launch of Yellowstone. Marta began her career at MTV Networks in Research, focused on measurement and analytics of the evolving cable tv landscape.
She holds a B.A. from Colgate University and is a graduate of the Wharton School. A longtime Berkshires resident, Marta first connected with Berkshire Pulse when she began taking dance classes to prepare for a cultural performance in Latvia. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing, pickleball, and gardening.
