Board of Trustees
Gina Puc, Chair
Ms. Puc is the Vice-President for Strategic Initiatives at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She has worked for over a decade as a college admissions officer, promoting access to higher education. She also serves on other boards and committees in the community. Ms. Puc lives in North Adams, MA.
Catherine McKeen, Vice Chair
Dr. McKeen is a visiting faculty member in the Society, Culture & Thought department at Bennington College. She has over 20 years of teaching experience and has served in college administrative roles including as Associate Provost and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Southern Vermont College and as Associate Dean at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Dr. McKeen is currently co-editing a volume on women and ancient Greek philosophy with Routledge Press, to be published in 2023. She lives in Williamstown, MA.
Fred Puddester, Treasurer
Mr. Puddester is the former Vice President for Finance & Administration and Treasurer for Williams College. He has over 40 years of budget management and finance experience, including serving as Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management for the State of Maryland and senior roles at Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Puddester serves on numerous Williams College committees and lives in Williamstown, MA.
Steve Simon, Secretary
Mr. Simon has over 30 years of experience in the magazine and newsstand industry. Serving as the first manager of the Newsstand Division of Borders Books and Music, he has gone on to create other business ventures inside of the magazine industry. Mr. Simon also serves on other boards and committees in the Berkshires' community. He lives in Williamstown, MA.
George Ambriz
Mr. George R. Ambriz is the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs/Director of SUCCESS at Berkshire Community College and has been employed with BCC since June 2018. He has worked in higher education for nearly 20 years spanning from the West Coast to the East Coast. Mr. Ambriz has a wealth of knowledge in areas within Student Affairs and has worked at Hispanic Serving Institutions and Minority Serving Institutions. He currently resides in Clifton Park, NY, and is fluent in Spanish.
Tom Bernard
Mr. Bernard is the President and CEO of Berkshire United Way. For the past 18 years, he has worked with various cultural, higher education, and public service institutions in Berkshire County and Western Massachusetts. He has experience in development and institutional advancement, governance, finance and administration, strategic planning, economic development, communications, K-12 education, and community philanthropy. Mr. Bernard lives in North Adams, MA.
Keith Finan
Mr. Finan is the former Head of Operations & Chief Financial Officer at Deerfield Academy following 25 years as Associate Provost at Williams College. He has extensive experience in finance, operations, and organizational planning at schools and non-profits. Mr. Finan lives in Williamstown with his wife, Laurie.
Alison Bost
Ms. Bost is the former Deputy General Counsel of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. She has over 23 years of experience as a lawyer representing clients in various matters, including litigation, appeals, labor and employment matters, and legal ethics and professional responsibility matters. She also served for many years on her firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, including as Vice-Chair. Alison currently also serves on the Board of Child Care of the Berkshires, Inc. She lives in Williamstown, MA.
Marcel Kouame
Ms. Kouame is an experienced computer scientist and information security auditor within the financial services industry. She began her career at a New York City-based foreign exchange trading platform where she was charged with internal audit engagements and tending to the organization's yearly SAS-70 engagement. Since then and during the last 15 years, Ms. Kouame has worked as an information security auditor focused on databases, distributed ledger technologies, networking, and software development, with specialized expertise in cloud engineering, platform architecture, and systems administration. Ms. Kouame has served within AVP, managerial, and VP capacities primarily for financial institutions - including Thomson Reuters FX, NY Life, and BNY Mellon.
Over the years, Ms. Kouame has been engaged in and fulfilled by volunteer work mentoring young professionals and underprivileged youth in the tri-state area. Ms. Kouame is a proud BART parent and lives in Pittsfield, MA.
Kelli Kozak
Ms. Kozak is the Director of Conferences & Campus Events at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in North Adams. She has over 25 years of marketing and events management expertise as well as a deep commitment to her hometown in the Berkshires. She previously served as the VP of Community Engagement for MountainOne Bank. Kozak is a Corporator for MCLA, a long-time BART volunteer, and a proud BART parent. She holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in History and American Studies from Skidmore College. She lives in Cheshire with her husband Brad and their two sons.
Yina Moore
Ms. Moore is the Founder and Executive Director of Adams Theater, which is currently under development to become a multi-functional performing arts center that plays a key role in revitalizing downtown Adams, MA. She has a unique professional experience that combines nearly two decades of work at investment banks, architectural firms, and non-profit organizations. Yina was a Director of the Fixed Income Strategy Team at Credit Suisse in New York City before obtaining a Master of Architecture Degree from Harvard University. Working predominantly in the Berkshires, Yina is passionate about the interdisciplinary work between economic development, design, and cultural development.