Dr. John D. Lloyd, Interim Executive Director

Dr. Lloyd is an accomplished executive with over two decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector. He is the principal of Agile Consulting Group, a management consulting practice that offers a wide range of strategic management services, including assessment and evaluation, financial management, fundraising, board development, and training/facilitation, all tailored to nonprofit organizations in the Northeast region.  Additionally, through strategic partnerships, Dr. Lloyd provides interim executive director services, as well as executive search and transition services to nonprofit organizations. Beyond his consulting work, Dr. Lloyd is an adjunct faculty member at Bentley University, where he teaches strategic management, human dynamics in organizations, and leads the capstone course for the undergraduate honors program.  A Massachusetts native, Dr. Lloyd holds a Doctorate in Organizational Learning and Development from University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Bentley University, and a Bachelor of Science from Plymouth State University.

Jesslyn Katherine, Operations and Communication Coordinator

Jesslyn has cross-sector experience across government, education, advocacy, fundraising in Indonesia and the United States. She supports program operations, stakeholder coordination, and strategic communications at KADIN Indonesia, and previously worked with the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime & Investment Affairs on policy and institutional initiatives. She also oversees institutional operations at Indonesia Patisserie School and serves as Secretary of the Synod of Gereja Reformed Kharismatik Indonesia (GRKI), contributing to organizational governance and coordination. She previously served as a legislative candidate, leading grassroots engagement and public communications. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston University and a dual MPA–MA from New York University.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD EMERITUS

Dr. Marcus P. Smith, DFC History and Interpretative Fellow 2025-2026

Dr. Smith is a historic preservationist, public historian, and Ph.D. candidate in Afro-American Studies and Public History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His work centers on preserving and interpreting historically African-American communities and heritage sites through community-driven approaches. He is the founder of the Black Grassroots Heritage Preservation Network, a national platform that uplifts Black-led preservation projects. His scholarship and public history work have been recognized by leading organizations including the National Council on Public History and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. At the Du Bois Freedom Center, Marcus has supported programming and interpretation initiatives since 2023. He also served as a docent at the W. E. B. Du Bois National Historic Site and Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church. In 2024, he was named a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellow and a Graduate Research Fellow at the W. E. B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst, where he studies Du Bois’s role as a public historian.

Johnathan Speer, Chair of the Board

Johnathan is a doctoral student in Transformative Leadership at Northeastern University who has been teaching for 16 years, and is currently a Grade Level Chair at JCMS IB school in Montgomery, Alabama. The former Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion at Berkshire School, where he was also a member of the English and History faculty, John specializes in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on social justice pedagogy and leadership frameworks. He has served as a curriculum specialist and coach in Asheville, Atlanta, and Seattle independent schools for many years.

Beth Carlson, Treasurer

Beth is the Executive Director of Berkshire Community Land Trust (BCLT). A former partner in Silo Media, a design firm specializing in graphics, websites, and video production, she has worked with multiple nonprofits on events, fundraising, and campaigns, including BCLT’s Farmsteads for Farmers Initiative. She served for several years as president of the board of Dewey Memorial Hall in Sheffield, and is credited with leading the team that brought about the revival of the historic space. Her music production credits include Warm Up the Winter (Construct), TapRoot Sessions, and the Oldtone Roots Music Festival.

Dan Bolognani, Ex-Officio

Dan is the Executive Director of the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, a system within the National Park Service. Housatonic Heritage’s initiatives include the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail, the W. E. B. Du Bois National Historic Site initiative, the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center at Berkshire Community College, and Reclaiming Our Local Heritage.

Sharon Mathieu, Board Member

Sharon is the Manager of Curriculum & Instruction, Commonwealth of Massachusetts - MADOC. Ms. Mathieu is a highly skilled education manager with a proven ability to execute projects that align with business goals and priorities, and has a successful background leading people, scheduling tasks, and exceeding expectations in fast-paced, progressive, deadline-driven environments. She has a deep knowledge of education and operation management acquired during 22 years of hands-on experience managing the full project cycle, including identifying risks, requirements, analyzing , stakeholder relations, collaboration, deliverables, quality, and reporting.

Wray Gunn, Sr., President Emeritus,

Wray was a trustee of the Clinton A. M. E. Zion Church, which he attended for more than 70 years. A fifth-generation descendant of Agrippa Hull, his family roots in the Berkshires date back to the Revolutionary War. Wray retired from Pfizer Industrials after a 40-year career as an analytical chemist. He currently serves on the board of the Olga Dunn Dance Company and is a member of the W.E.B. Du Bois National Historic Site Working Committee, Friends of the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite, and the advisory council of the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail.

Cora Portnoff, Director Emeritus,

Cora is a former teacher of the hearing impaired, was a longtime member of the Clinton A. M. E. Church, where she was involved in various church activities with the late Reverend Esther Dozier, the Church’s first female pastor. She has served on the board of the Olga Dunn Dance Company for more than 30 years and is a member of the W.E.B. Du Bois National Historic Site Working Committee.