Meet Our Leadership Team

I am a community activist, the president of the Berkshire County Branch NAACP since 2015, and Chair of the Freedom Fund Committee, an Executive Committee member of the New England Area Conference (NEAC) NAACP, and I serve on its Education Committee. I am vice-chair of the Clinton Church Restoration Project. I serve on the Pittsfield Licensing Board, the Pittsfield School Committee, the Pittsfield 4 Freedom Coalition, the Greylock Community Development Advisory Board, the Railroad Street Youth Project Board (RSYP) in Great Barrington, the Steering Committee of the WEB. Du Bois Educational Series, also in Great Barrington.

I am a veteran of the United States Army, completing my tour of duty in 1966. I am a graduate of the class of 1968 from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). And from 1972 – to 1986, I held positions of instructor and administrator at the CIA. 1987 – 1990 Chef-owner, Wendell House Bistro Pittsfield, MA; 1997 – 1999 Executive Director, Christian Center, Pittsfield, Ma.; 1990 – 2000 Chef-owner Catering By Design; 2000 – 2003 Food Service Manager BSO, Boston Ma.; 2003 – 2010 Director of Food Service/Culinary/Hospitality – Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth, Canaan, NY.

The Berkshire Eagle feature me in their Executive Spotlight Series in 2020. Berkshire Magazine recognized me as one of “Berkshire 25” (Most Dedicated, Most Creative, Most Influential person of 2018. In the 1990s, I received Berkshire Center for Families and Children’s – Outstanding Volunteer Award; and was named by the South Advocate as Pittsfield’s M.V.P (Most Valuable Person). 1977 I was a Culinary Team member. We won five (5) Gold Medals at an International Culinary Competition in Basel Switzerland; and received the Diploma of Honor from the Societe Culinaire Philanthropique; in 1973, received the Culinary Teachers Association – Recognition Award.

I am MAPP Certified – (Massachusetts Approach To Partnerships In Parenting)

Dr. Alana Harte is an educator, activist, and writer. She has been in education for 20 years and is currently the head of the Pine Cobble School in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She is also an equity consultant and qualitative researcher with the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and previously served as the Vice President of the Rutland Area NAACP in Vermont. Through each of these roles, Dr. Harte focuses on leading schools, municipalities, and companies to establish and sustain equitable hiring and training practices.

Diane Wortis is a professional fundraiser and nonprofit administrator with a lifelong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. She has participated in the NAACP Berkshire Branch’s White Learning Circle program multiple times and encourages others to enroll.

She grew up in the Central Square area of Cambridge, MA; spent her college years in the East Village of NYC; lived in Somerville, MA for the next twenty years; and moved to the Berkshires in 2002. Diane and her husband, Joe Bozza, raised their children, Jared and Rachel, in Great Barrington and now live in Sheffield, MA.

With a BA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MBA from Simmons College’s School of Management, Diane can often be found at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA, where she works as Director of Advancement. When not working, Diane is attempting to learn Spanish, maintains an Ashtanga yoga practice, and enjoys reading, gardening, birdwatching, and spending time with friends and family.

In 2015 after 21 years of employment she retired from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services as the Director of the Berkshire Service Group. She currently serves on the 18 Degrees Human Services Agency Board, City of Pittsfield Preservation Committee, and other task forces.

Shirley is the founder of the Women of Color Giving Circle of the Berkshires and The Rites of Passage and Empowerment program. The mission of R.O.P.E. is to celebrate and honor the entry of adolescent girls into womanhood and provide them with the skills and knowledge that they need to be successful, independent, and responsible women! It is designed to help them discover their voice and support all components of personal development. Two primary projects of R.O.P.E are college tours locally, in neighboring states, and to Historical Black College and Universities. The second is international service-learning projects in South and West Africa.

Shirley Edgerton earned a M.Ed from MCLA in 2004 and has been recognized for her community work with an honorary Doctorate of Humanity from The College of Our Lady of the Elms, May 2017 and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 2018.

He is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he was recognized as the top computer science graduate.  He received his M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, where his thesis focused on machine learning and expert systems. He is an entrepreneur who leverages his background in computer science, technology, business and the law to advise startup companies.  In addition to advising startups, he has spent time acquiring and growing companies. 

Her freelance career took root after she moved to the Berkshires with her husband, Tom, to raise their two young children. She spends her days telling stories, with beautiful typography and imagery, from her home office in Pittsfield. She works with many nonprofits in the region, including the NAACP Berkshire County Branch.