Faculty Spotlights

When Gina Foley, BCC Associate Professor of Life Sciences, grew up on the Long Island town of Bay Shore, New York, hiking and outdoor exploration were not part of her everyday life. She likely didn't envision herself one day living in the green surrounds of Berkshire County, and even less likely pictured herself teaching biology.

When Laurie Vilord decided to change course in her career, she tackled it with gusto, earning a Medical Coding Certificate and a Health Information Management (HIM) Certificate from BCC in just one year. "I don't really recommend that, but I'm kind of an overachiever," she laughs.

Marsha Estabrook-Adams grew up in the bucolic town of Malden Bridge in Columbia County, NY and graduated from New Lebanon High School. After high school graduation, she spent a few years doing office work for engineering companies. But in the late 1980s, when she found herself unemployed, she used the opportunity to make a career change and enter the field of Health Information Management (HIM).

It was the summer of 1982, and Tom Carey was headed to Hillcrest Hospital in Pittsfield. There was only one problem: He was lost. In an era before GPS and cellphones, Tom followed the blue hospital signs, but they led him to Berkshire Medical Center. He stopped in, figuring he'd ask for directions, but as fate would have it, he met the director of respiratory care. One thing led to another, and Tom began his career at BCC that November, nearly 39 years ago.

Kari Dupuis, advises the BCC Human Services Club, is starting a campus wide mentoring initiative called Make Dreams Real, and is developing an Addiction Recovery conference on campus.