The 1Berkshire team is committed to supporting local businesses in the Berkshires! I’d like to introduce you to our Member Services Coordinators: Stephanie Bosley and our newest addition Abby Powers.
Stephanie has been with 1Berkshire for almost two years and has held a variety of roles within the organization, including membership and serving as the Program Coordinator of the Berkshire Leadership Program.
Stephanie was born and raised in North Adams and considers herself one of Berkshire County’s biggest fans. “One of the reasons that I love working at 1Berkshire is that we have the opportunity to spread the word about the great things happening in the County, there is so much growth in the Berkshires and I love that I have a job where I can help tell people inside and outside of the region about it.”
Stephanie graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Political Science. After graduation, she served a year in AmeriCorps at the former C.O.T.Y youth center in North Adams. “During my AmeriCorps service, I saw how many opportunities there were to become involved in the Berkshires. One of the things that I love about the Berkshires is that everyone is so collaborative. There are many opportunities to become involved in a program or service that you feel passionate about and to connect with others.”
Following her AmeriCorps service, Stephanie attended the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at University of Massachusetts Boston and earned her M.S. in Public Affairs in 2013, she also holds a Grant Writing Certificate from the University of Southern Maine. After completing her Master’s Degree, Stephanie returned to the Berkshires and began working at the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition as the Program Associate for Northern Berkshire Neighbors and UNITY youth development programs. Stephanie has also spent time with the Town of Adams in the Community Development office and the American Cancer Society where she managed Relay for Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events.
Stephanie currently lives in North Adams with her husband Josh Meczywor, a CAD Instructor at McCann Technical School and their dog Striker. Stephanie currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Hoosic River Revival Project. In her spare time, she loves weightlifting at Berkshire Kettlebells, exploring the delicious restaurants #intheberkshires and finding new natural beauty to photograph and enjoy.
Abby is a lifelong Pittsfield resident with a deep love for Berkshire County. After participating in the 2018 Berkshire Leadership Program she felt pulled to focus her career on sharing her passion and excitement for the Berkshires with others. “Participating in the Berkshire Leadership Program showed me so many amazing things I didn’t know were happening in the Berkshires and sparked my interest in focusing my efforts on finding those hidden gems and highlighting them for others!”
Abby graduated from Westfield State College with a degree in Mass Communication. During her senior year, she started interning with New England Educational Institute and transitioned to a full-time role at the company as Conference Coordinator and later Director of Marketing. Through this role, Abby had the opportunity to extensively travel the country hosting educational events with world-renowned speakers but her heart always remained in the Berkshires. “Traveling was so fun but always reinforced for me how much I love it here, that this community will always be home for me and I never want to be far for too long.”
After spending so much time hosting events focused Autism and Asperger’s Abby decided to focus her career in that area joining the College Internship Program where she would spend almost 8 years of her career focusing on program development, recruitment, customer service and team leadership.
In 2014 Abby completed her MBA at MCLA. While working on her degree she paused her work at CIP to join Zogics and work in sales for the wellness and fitness industry. “Working at Zogics taught me a different side of sales, it showed me how to think outside of the box and how to wow customers in an innovative, fun way.”
After completing her MBA Abby returned to CIP as Director of Admissions. “Watching the students grow, learn from their struggles and challenges and celebrate their successes was so exciting. I learned so much about determination and perseverance from the young adults I worked with.”
In June of 2018, right as the Berkshire Leadership Program was wrapping up Abby saw an open position at 1Berkshire and knew it was the position for her. “Participating in a 1Berkshire program was so vital to my growth professionally but also as a member of this community. The positive energy and focus on making the Berkshires even better through the umbrella of efforts at 1Berkshire.”
Abby lives in Pittsfield with her husband, also a lifelong Berkshire resident, and their son Wynn. Their family would not be complete without their four-legged friends, a lab mix named Lilo and two cats that were all adopted from the Berkshire Humane Society. Abby loves crafting, camping, hiking and exploring new outdoor adventures in the Berkshires.