 Literature, Art and Art History and honorary Women’s Studies from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 1992) is an educator, diversity leader & trainer, trained and certified medical and mental health interpreter (AHEC). She is a bilingual, African American educator and community activist/organizer. Gwendolyn is co-founder and Executive Director of Multicultural BRIDGE, a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting cultural competence and integration of diverse groups in Western Massachusetts and beyond. With her background as an educator, she designs curriculum for workplace language classes as well as highly individualized cultural competency training curriculum for groups of all ages and professional, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Her experiences range from corporations, schools, universities, law enforcement, hospitals and more. She has her international certificate (April 2010, April 2011) from NCBI as a diversity leader. She also completed the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI 2010-2011) of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts. Gwendolyn has also served on the Great Barrington Citizen’s Panel for Police Officer and Sergeant Selection (2009-2011).  Currently Gwendolyn serves on the Sustainable Berkshires Consortium, a steering committee of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission planning for Berkshire County 2030. Gwendolyn also serves on The Upper Housatonic Valley Advisory Council of the African American Heritage Trail and is a member of the Women of Color Giving Circle. Additionally, Gwendolyn serves on the Funding Panel and Board of Directors of the Haymarket Peoples Fund, a Boston-based anti-racist, social justice organization serving the New England region. Gwendolyn has been invited to Greylock Federal Credit Union’s advisory board and will begin that appointment just after the start of the year, 2012. On a personal note, Gwendolyn considers herself a mother of diversity. She has raised four children in the Berkshires having met the challenges as a mother of children on the autism spectrum, part of the LGBTQ community, and also biracial in the Berkshires. She advocates for each fervently w hen needed and shares her experience with the community at large. [Governor] Patrick praised the leadership of Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant, BRIDGE’s executive director, calling her a “treasure to Berkshire County and this commonwealth.” “Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” --Martin Luther King, Jr.  |