Gwendolyn VanSantCEO & Founding Director
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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 gender equity and positive psychology. Since 2012 Gwendolyn has served as an appointed official on the Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women.
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. Gwendolyn is on the board of UU Mass Action Network and is a reactivation and annual member of the Berkshire County Bank of the NAACP. |
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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.
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JV Hampton-VanSantOperations, Infrastructure, and Design Director
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Dr. Emily Williams, Ph.DSpecial Projects Director
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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. |
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Stephanie Wright has been with Multicultural BRIDGE for about seven 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.
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Stephanie WrightEducator & Facilitator
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Elie Yeo |
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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 support staff. 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.
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Silvia SoriaWomen To Women Facilitator
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Vanessa LeGrandeExecutive Assistant/Office Administrator
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Luke PryJMAProgram Coordinator
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BRIDGE has a small core staff (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.
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.
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Tracy Johnson is the accounts and office support volunteer. 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.
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Tracy JohnsonVolunteer: Accounts Support and Office
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Jeffrey Lowenstein
BRIDGE Facilitator & Spanish Translator and Volunteer
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Jeff Lowenstein works with BRIDGE in several capacities. After leaving BRIDGE in the executive assistant role for a more robust community organizer role at his other non-profit job, Jeff transitioned to working as a translator, facilitator and at times he join us as a volunteer for office operations. Also, from his community organizing role at BIO Jeff works on coalitions in partnership with BRIDGE.
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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.
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Lily Swartz EllisVolunteer Development Co-coordinator
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Alina HsuVolunteer Project Manager
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"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."
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