Gwendolyn VanSant
CEO and Founding Director

Gwendolyn VanSant is a trainer & facilitator in diversity leadership, cultural competence and coalition building for justice and equity. She is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founding Director of Multicultural BRIDGE and contributes to several teams across the region to promote safety, equity and trust in communities and workplaces. Gwendolyn has worked with corporations, schools, colleges and universities, law enforcement, hospitals, teaching and leadership institutes, and more.  In addition to designing cultural competence trainings, Gwendolyn is a frequent speaker and long-time activist deeply rooted in racial justice, gender equity and positive psychology. 

Most recently her work in honoring Dr. W.E. B. Du Bois has taken centerfold as co-curator and co-designer of the Du Bois 150th birthday festival commissioned by the Town of Great Barrington. In spring 2017, Gwendolyn spearheaded the county-wide campaign and coalition "Not in the Berkshires" and, in partnership, stewarded the crafting and passing of her town’s Trust Policy, a step towards a statewide Safe Community Act. In 2016, Gwendolyn served as the Founding Director of Equity and Inclusion at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, her alma mater. In 2015/2016 she was recognized as a “Berkshire Trendsetter” finalist and was named one of her county’s most dedicated and creative social entrepreneurs by Berkshire Magazine. In 2018 she is recognized as an Unsung Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. in 2020, Gwendolyn received an award on behalf of BRIDGE from MCLA winning the Presidents Medallion and in 2019 she was recognized as the Woman of Year in Achievement by Berkshire Business and Professional Women. She also  is a reactivation and annual member of the Berkshire County Branch of the NAACP. and has served on the African American Heritage Trail.

---

JV Hampton-VanSant (they/them pronouns) has worked with BRIDGE in many capacities since 2008. Originally, they would help at events during summer breaks from college. Since their college internship days JV stay connected to their hometown. They have helped design, coordinate and run the BRIDGE Summer Educational Programs at Hevreh since 2011 . On their own high school and college campus, JV was a youth organizer and leader for LGBTQ education and events. Since graduating from Lesley University in 2012 with a B.A. in Holistic Psychology and minor in Expressive Arts Therapy, They have worked as a part of the administrative team as well as the primary youth leadership trainer and IT coordinator. JV received their diversity training certification from the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) in the summer of 2012 and Best Youth Worker in 2016. JV is also the host of 3 podcasts, an actor and voice actor, writer and children’s book author working to encourage kids to actively engage with the world around them and make positive choice around diversity, environmentalism, and leadership. JV has co-designed the positive education program, Happiness Toolbox, that BRIDGE hosts as a summer program and in and out of school time activities. JV is the primary architect behind our online programing in 2020 of New Pathways and Happiness Toolbox as well as our training program pivot.

JV Hampton-VanSant
IT Director and Digital STrategist

DIGITAL Strategist and IT Director/ Youth and LGBTQ Advisor to Staff & Education Team /  Facilitator & Trainer

---

Emily Allen Williams has worked in academia since 1990 in various capacities as professor, department chair, dean, and provost. She started her career as a professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, where she taught and conducted research for thirteen years. She later spent time at the University of the West Indies (Mona Campus, Kingston) on a Fulbright Fellowship where she completed research on a book publication while lecturing on West Indian Poetry. Her most recent appointments were at the University of the Virgin Islands, Texas Southern University, and Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Prior to her work in the academy, Williams worked for a decade in the arts as a grants director and arts program manager for the City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs and the State of Georgia Council for the Arts.

Williams holds a Ph.D. in Humanities (Caribbean and British Cultural Studies and Literature) from Clark Atlanta University and a Master of Arts degree in Linguistics and Literature from Virginia Commonwealth University. She received a Certificate in Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) from Harvard University.

Williams has published six books with two additional works currently under contract. She has written numerous articles and reviews for peer-reviewed scholarly journals.

She is now the Vice President of Academic Affairs at University Of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Emily Williams, Ph.D

Special Projects 

---

Stephanie Wright, M.Ed. has been with Multicultural BRIDGE for about nine years. She became acquainted with the organization through cultural dinners, dances, and talks given at The Dewey Hall in Sheffield. She is the granddaughter of Minnie Golden who lived to be 104 years of age in Sheffield. Her family goes back in the archives in Sheffield to the mid 1880’s. Stephanie is a second career changer going back to school receiving a Masters of Education and getting certified and licensed to teach Middle School English in 2011. She is employed in the Southern Berkshire Regional School District as a Permanent Substitute Teacher and working with elementary students has been her mainstay. For almost two years she has been teaching grades 2-6 in various schools in Berkshire County. She enjoys teaching Cultural Literacy in our summer program and believes with the positive experiences coming from these various classes, students have made progress in treating their peers with compassion and empathy. Stephanie brings an enthusiasm to her classes that are infectious and her students respond in kind. Through a fertile partnership, Stephanie is trained by RISE of Kripalu to bring resilience to BRIDGE constituents and youth to promote resilience at work, home, school and in community.

Stephanie Wright

Community, Family and Client Engagement Coordinator, Happiness Toolbox Coordinator and People of Color Caucus Lead for TRJ & E and Lead Educator for School-based clients

---

​

Elie Yeo, is from the Ivory Coast and a proud father of two young girls. He has non-profit experience in the Ivory Coast and studied for business administration certification and to be a certified public accountant both in the US and the Ivory Coast. Elie has supported BRIDGE in bilingual/bicultural presentations with connection to the labor force rooted in our local African immigrant community in our training programs as well as outreach to constituents in community outreach.

Elie Yeo
business and Finance Director

---

Silvia Soria, sister of long-time BRIDGE Advisory member Maria Soria of Women to Women, has collaborated with BRIDGE on several multicultural presentations since 2011. Since 2015, Silvia has served in the professional capacity as the Women to Women facilitator and bilingual outreach team member. Silvia is trained in the financial industry and currently is an employee at the Elizabeth Freeman Center. ​​Through a fertile partnership, Silvia is trained by RISE of Kripalu to bring resilience to BRIDGE constituents to promote resilience at work, home and in community. She is a proud immigrant from Ecuador.

Silvia Soria

Women To Women Facilitator

---

MayA RichArds
Program DIrector

Maya Richards is Berkshire native who left her hometown of Pittsfield after high school to continue her studies and travel. She received a B.A degree in Communication Studies with a concentration in Public Advocacy, a B.A degree in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Resolution and minor in Political Science from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. During her time living in Boston, she spent time traveling and working with grass-roots organizations in Bali, Indonesia, studying disarmament diplomacy and conflict resolution at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and studying legal studies in Madrid, Spain. Maya returned to the Berkshires looking for opportunities to give back to the community she grew up in and has since received certifications in yoga teaching, home herbalism practice and mindful outdoor leadership. She joined BRIDGE in the Summer of 2020 and has taken on the role of Program Director for Sustainability & Justice  programming.

---

Aseante Renee
Strategic Partnerships

Aseante Renee is a therapist and communications strategist with over 13 years experience in social-cause marketing, facilitation, and culturally inclusive community engagement work across the nation. Much of her work engages the intersections of social justice, healing, wellness, therapy, and entrepreneurship. Previously Aseante served as the Director of Communications for Common Justice, a nonprofit developing and advancing solutions to violence that transform the lives of those harmed and foster racial equity without relying on incarceration. Prior to joining Common Justice, Aseante was a policy advisor with the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice where she led the operationalizing of reconciliation work between communities of color and local law enforcement in six pilot cities,. Currently she is principal and owner of Axon Group, Inc. and serves on the BRIDGE team for facilitation and strategic partnership stewardship for BRIDGE.

---

BRIDGE has a core team (above) and several additional staff that join as facilitators, trainers, educators and language access staff in interpretation, translation and bilingual support. BRIDGE is rooted in community engagement and has been inspired by the many volunteers that share their time and talent with us on special projects and daily office support. Get to know some who are listed here and know there are many more who contribute on a regular basis. We consider ourselves a BRIDGE family and invite you to join us.

Sign up for our newsletter as we begin to highlight the many hands that keep the important work led by the protected classes of "minority" and women moving ahead with fervor.

BRIDGE Team

Gwendolyn VanSant, CEO and Founding Director & Curriculum Lead for Training and Education and Equity and Inclusion Team Lead | gwendolyn.hvs@multiculturalbridge.org
Maya Richards, Program Director & Coordinator of Justice and Sustainability Programs | maya.richards@multiculturalbridge.org
Elie Yeo, Business and Finance Director | elie@multiculturalbridge.org
JV Hampton-VanSant, Digital Strategist/IT Director and Youth & LGBTQ Advisor  | jv@multiculturalbridge.org
Stephanie Wright, M.Ed., Family, Client and Community Engagement Coordinator & Happiness Toolbox and People of Color Caucus Coordinator | stephanie@multiculturalbridge.org
Silvia Soria, Women to Women Coordinator and Bilingual Outreach | silvia@multiculturalbridge.org
Talya Taliaferro, Community Navigator and Administrative Support | talya@multiculturalbridge.org
Colleen Goewey, Community Navigator and Program Support | colleen@multiculturalbridge.org
Donjea Smith, Community Navigator and Program Support | donjea.smith@multiculturalbridge.org (new email!)
Bridgett Williams, Inclusive Leadership Cohort & Project Management and Scheduling | adminsupport@multiculturalbridge.org

BRIDGE Education & Training Team
Gwendolyn VanSant, Staff Lead
Maya Richards
Aseante Renee, Strategic Partnerships | aseante@multiculturalbridge.org
Carmen Silva-Baker, Applied Positive Psychology | maricarmen@multiculturalbridge.org
Dr. Emily Williams, Special Projects | emily@multiculturalbridge.org
JV Hampton-VanSant, Youth and LGBTQ
Stephanie Wright, M.Ed., Education

BRIDGE Engagement Team
Maya Richards, Staff Lead
Stephanie Wright
Silvia Soria
Colleen Goewey
Talya Taliaferro
Donjea Smith

BRIDGE Board
We also want to welcome our 2021 Board of Directors!
Jeff Lowenstein
Rev. Sloan Letman IV
Elizabeth Adams
Alexis Claytor
MaryAnn Norris
Gabriela Cruz
Erica Barreto
Veronica Jacobson Fenton, Esq.
Steve Glick
Gwendolyn VanSant, Founding Director
And we are confirming a few at large members and leadership roles...stay tuned!

Core Volunteers
Sara Mugridge, Volunteer Coordination & Accountability Coordinating Co-Lead | sara@multiculturalbridge.org
Dan Nielson and Louis Graff, Mens Caucus for Racial Justice Leads | dan.n@multiculturalbridge.org
Karen Clark and Rachel Duvall, White Caucus for Racial Justice Leads | Rachel@multiculturalbridge.org
Estela Ortiz, Bilingual Outreach and Engagement Support - Spanish

Accountability Team
Gwendolyn VanSant, staff/board
Maya Richards, staff
Stephanie Wright,  M.Ed., staff and POC Caucus
Jeff Lowenstein, board/staff
Rev. Sloan Letman IV, board
Veronica Fenton, JD and M.Ed,  board
Sara Mugridge, Coordinating
Stacy Parsons, Race Task Force
Jasmine Dejackome, Race Task Force
Lily Swartz, Development Co-Chair
Dan Nielson, PhD, TRJ-South and Mens Caucus
Louis Graff, TRJ-South and Mens Caucus
Curtis Mraz, Coordinating
Karen Clark, White Caucus
Rachel Duvall, White Caucus

Accountability Coordinating Team
Maya Richards, Lead Staff
Stephanie Wright, staff and POC and Happiness Toolbox Engagement
Silvia Soria, staff and W2W Engagement and Bilingual Outreach
Colleen Goewey, staff/community navigators and SSS Engagement/Southern Berkshire Outreach
Talya Taliaferro, staff/community navigators and SSS Engagement/ Central Berkshire Outreach
Donjea Smith, staff/community navigators and No. Berk Engagement/Outreach
Sara Mugridge, Co-Lead Volunteer of AC
Curtis Mraz, Co-Lead Volunteer
Tracy Johnson, Office Support volunteer
Olivia VanSant, Rideshare and SSS Delivery Route Coordination
Lily Swartz, TRJ and Development Co-Chair
Sam VanSant, Development Co-Chair
Alina Hsu, TRJ/Not in Our County
Louis Graff, Not in Our County
Stacy Parsons, Race Task Force and SPIRIT-North Berkshire
Jasmine DeJackome, Race Task Force
Gwendolyn VanSant, Supervising Staff
plus any staff & accountability members

And we have dozens of volunteers, activists and allies powering up forward towards equity and justice! Join us!

​

---

Tracy Johnson is the internal office support volunteer to the Engagement Team and CEO.  Tracy enjoys helping behind the scenes, learning about and supporting BRIDGE's racial justice work in her community.  Her family enjoys traveling internationally with their extended family, a total of 12 people. tracy@multiculturalbridge.org

Tracy Johnson

Volunteer: Office and Program Support and Member of Accountability Coordinating Team

---

Lily Swartz Ellis is a Volunteer Development Co-Coordinator at BRIDGE. She is also a member of Accountability and helps to facilitate the TRJ White Caucus. Lily first became involved with BRIDGE in 2016 through the Towards Racial Justice and Equity and the Berkshires meetings and the Great Barrington Trust Policy campaign. In her professional life, Lily works as a digital communications strategist for nonprofits, and is honored and excited to share and grow her skills with BRIDGE. ​lily@multiculturalbridge.org

Lily Swartz Ellis

Volunteer Development Co-coordinator and Member of Accountability Team

---

Alina Hsu

Volunteer on Systems Project Management and Justice and Sustainability Programs and member of Accountability Team

​"My family is biracial and multiethnic, and we are diverse in lots of other ways as well.  I have always believed that diversity enriches and injustice harms us all, and that systemic injustice is especially damaging.  BRIDGE works to help us recognize and use our richness to promote equity, community, growth, and healing. I'm proud to volunteer at BRIDGE." alina@multiculturalbridge.org