About Us

Ken Cheeseman is a full time Becket resident, an actor who was a Senior Artist-in-Residence at Emerson College for 17 years, a guest lecturer for several colleges and universities and now teaches privately for the World Economic Forum and the Obama Foundation at Columbia University and at the Linklater International Voice Center in Orkney, Scotland. Ken has been seen off-Broadway in Scapin, Dr. Faustus, The Cherry Orchard and Amphitryon (Classic Stage Company), The Master Builder (Brooklyn Academy of Music), King Lear (La Mama ETC, Actors Shakespeare Project), A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Measure for Measure (Shakespeare in the Park/Public Theatre). Film and TV credits include: Shutter Island, Mystic River, Leaves of Grass, Joy, Next Stop Wonderland, Big Night, Monk, Law and Order, The Time Traveling Bong, Defending Jacob and the award-winning HBO series Olive Kitteridge. He recently finished filming a romantic comedy starring Emma Roberts, About Fate, in which he plays her Dad. He was seen this past summer at Shakespeare and Co. in debbie tucker green’s play hang, which ran from Sept. 19th to Oct. 3rd.

Partnering with individuals, leaders, teams and groups to build resilience, address challenges and develop

insights and tools for life mastery. Personal development geek! Main interests in positive psychology, emotional intelligence and personal sustainability.

PROACTIVE MERCHANDISING EXECUTIVE WITH MULTIFUNCTIONAL BACKGROUND AND HANDS-ON MANAGEMENT STYLE. SOLID EXPERTISE IN PLANNING, BUDGETING, ANALYSIS, COST CONTAINMENT, ASSORTMENT PLANNING, TREND IDENTIFICATION AND PROBLEM SOLVING.

Ann is a former editor for Time Inc. magazines in New York (Fortune), Hong Kong (Asiasweek) and London (Time). She has also taught journalism in the Global Business Journalism Program at Tsinghua University in Beijing and at Sciences-Po in Paris. She is an advisory board member of the American Library in Paris, a frequent conference moderator, and she continues to freelance for various publications.

Amy has spent a career as a criminal defense lawyer in the South Bronx, and after moving to Becket full time in 2019, she’s phasing out to very part time. She’s a classically trained violinist, but has been playing blues, rock, bluegrass, spiritual, and roots music for the last 20 years. Playing here, she’s adding a lot more bluegrass! She looks forward to serving on the Board and working with all the talent and energies of the wonderful people in these hills.

Colin grew up on a family farm as a third generation wool grower in Western Australia managing 3000 Merino sheep. Viticulture was introduced to the business and wine production soon followed. Wine soon became a major focus of the enterprise until the sale of the business in the mid 90s. 

Having always had interest in home renovation and carpentry, Colin honed his building skills on multiple investment homes, successfully re-selling them for profit.  He also ran a facilities maintenance company in Melbourne before moving to the US in 2007. Finding the wine bug hard to shake, Colin opened up and managed a wine and whisky bar in NY, converting an old furniture store into a hip and popular local bar. Live music was an important part of the business and more than 1000 gigs were hosted over seven years of ownership. After selling the business in 2019, Colin discovered the Berkshires and moved to Becket for a simpler and quieter life. Soon after, he picked up his carpentry tools and has been busy working with local homeowners on projects, both big and small. 

Paula is a professional Actor and Voice teacher currently residing full time in Becket, MA. In Fall of 2020 she was awarded the honor of Professor Emerita at Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre where she was Associate Professor, taught for 24 years and served as Head of the BFA Acting program. She is currently teaching voice, acting, improvisation and storytelling privately and through Kristin Linklater Voice Centre, Orkney Scotland. Additional Teaching Credits: The Global Leadership Fellows at The World Economic Forum - Columbia University, Emerson College, University of Massachusetts, Wheaton College,Trinity Rep Conservatory, Shakespeare & Company, Actors' Shakespeare Project, Vineyard Playhouse, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Festa Di Teatro Ecologico - Stromboli, Italy. Acting Credits: American Repertory Theatre, PTP/ NYC, La Mama, etc. NYC, New Rep, Olney Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, LA Women's Shakespeare, Actors' Shakespeare Project, Company of Women, Boston Playwrights, Nora Theatre, Gloucester Stage, Charles Playhouse, Festa Di Teatro Ecologico, Italy. She is in the documentary "Giving Voice: An Actor's Journey with Kristin Linklater." Member: Actor's Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild , Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Jim is Professor Emeritus with Boston University's College of Fine Arts. He served as a professor and as director of the BU School of Theatre from 2002 - 2018. He also served as artistic director of the Boston region's New Repertory Theatre from 2012 - 2018. Petosa has directed Tom Stoppard and André Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at NYC's Town Hall and the operas Carmen (Peter Brook adaptation) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat among others. PTP/NYC credits include Monster, Spatter Pattern, A Question of Mercy, Therese Raquin, Somewhere in the Pacific, Marisol, Dog Plays, Statements After an Arrest, Good, Brecht on Brecht, among others. He also served as Artistic Director for the Olney Theatre Center, where directing credits include Democracy, Brooklyn Boy, Copenhagen, The Laramie Project, Art, The Miracle Worker, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Theatre J’s Collected Stories (received a Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Direction), and Look! We Have Come Through! (Charles MacArthur New Play nomination, Co-created with Carole Graham Lehman). A member of the Actor’s Equity Association and the Society of Directors and Choreographers, Petosa is the current President of Stage Source, the New England association of theatre organizations and practitioners. He teaches acting and directs for the Boston University Opera Institute.

Deborah has spent her career serving the Disability Community – as a sign language interpreter, an administrator in the Office of Disability Services on college campuses and most recently as the Director of Development & Communications for American Friends of ALYN Hospital. ALYN is a pediatric rehabilitation facility in Jerusalem for children with both congenital and acquired physical disabilities (www.alynus.org).

Currently, Deborah volunteers with Adaptive Sports New England, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing participation in sports among New England youth and adults who have visual or mobility impairments (www.adaptivesportsne.org).

From a young age, having grown up outside of New York City, Deborah has always had access to museums, theatres, music venues and vast community spaces. Akin to her passion for providing access to sports to children with disabilities, she believes all forms of the arts should be accessible as well to anyone in the community who wishes to enjoy them. The inherent joy in creating and experiencing the arts benefits all those who are exposed. Deborah shares BAC’s vision to connect the community “through art and cultural experiences”!

Deborah holds an MA in International Affairs as well as an MA in Disability Studies.

When not in Becket, she lives in Boston with her husband, David Levenfeld. Together they have seven children, two granddaughters (so far) and four granddogs!

Marianne is a distinguished figure in the brand and packaging design industry, known for her roles as an educator, designer, author, and consultant. With over thirty years of experience as a design professor, she served as the first Chair of the newly formed Communication Design Pathways Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. In this capacity, Marianne led the Associate in Applied Science degree program in Communication Design and the Bachelor of Fine Arts programs in Advertising Design, Graphic Design, Packaging Design, and Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design. Prior to that position, Marianne spent twenty-two years as the head of the Packaging Design Department at FIT, where she led the only BFA program of its kind in the United States. She was instrumental in advancing the program’s goals and fostering academic-industry connections, with alumni holding leadership positions in companies such as Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, and Estée Lauder, as well as global branding agencies.

She is the co-author of two influential books: Packaging Design: Successful Product Branding from Concept to Shelf (Wiley) and Really Good Packaging Design (Rockport), has contributed numerous articles to both professional and general journals and served as a juror and speaker at global design conferences and competitions. Marianne’s expertise has been recognized internationally, with invitations to teach in Cuba, Jamaica, France, and Italy. She has also led study abroad programs to Amsterdam, London, Paris, and Edinburgh, providing students with insights into the global consumer brand market.

Marianne’s passion for design is deeply intertwined with her appreciation for diverse cultures. She believes that understanding cultural values is crucial for creating impactful and meaningful designs. This passion drives her to explore designers’ perspectives and processes, fostering connections between all forms of visual communication. Marianne is always eager to expand her own learning experiences and broaden her creative horizons.

Sheila Shechtman is a pioneering entrepreneur, product developer and merchandising innovator with over three decades of notable accomplishments in the gourmet food, spa, gift giving and chocolate manufacturing industries. Sheila’s career began in the specialty food and brand extending retail and corporate arenas with the establishment of a unique retail food emporium modeled after the award-winning Dean & DeLuca in NYC, called Nanshe’s. Debuting with fanfare in the eighties, the initial store opened in West Hartford CT and was acclaimed as the first of its kind in suburban markets nationwide.

The following decade Sheila founded Giftcorp,Inc. a highly differentiated gourmet food and brand extending gift basket company. During that period, she created a synergistic direct selling model which served Fortune 1000 companies and industry specific channels; Included were wholesale gift lines, online retailers and brick and mortar national chains. Long standing clients included as 1800flowers, FTD, Costco, Neiman Marcus, Saks 5th Avenue and more.

In 2012, Giftcorp merged with American Gourmet Group where Sheila became Chief Executive Officer, a principal and an owner of its flagship business, Hebert Candies, an award winning chocolate manufacturer located in Shrewsbury, MA. Her focus was on rebuilding and expanding the company’s brand, gaining a national presence while positioning the enterprise for long term growth and stability. This was achieved through product category integration, new distribution channels, and market expansion by offering exclusive products and private label initiatives.

At the same time, Sheila launched a new company, Gifted Expressions, offering gourmet food and spa gifts becoming a leading Supplier in the promotional products and branding industry, achieving the highest rating in that industry.

Concurrently, Sheila developed a business model that fueled exponential growth in the gourmet food and spa categories. With an aggressive and integrative growth strategy and trade channel expansion she reengineered sales processes, developed product and packaging innovations and enhanced manufacturing and distribution systems. Rigorous focus on cost containment, stock keeping unit reassortments, quality controls, pricing, and promotional strategies resulted in accomplishing turnarounds leading to sustainable profitability. During this period, Sheila also created a private label division and achieved SQF Level 3 Certification and enabled the company to start exporting overseas.

Following her accomplishments at American Gourmet, Sheila consulted with a number of national companies including Edible Arrangement before assuming a senior role at Gemline Inc., a leader in the promotional products marketplace. In both positions she developed and successfully launched new divisions in the non-perishable food gift industry. Following these divisional build outs, she was recruited to become Chief Operating Office of MarieBelle Sweets headquartered in New York a luxury chocolatier who manufactured and distributed custom-made confections online and to the company’s retail stores in New York City and Japan. Her responsibilities focused on establishing an organizational structure, re-tooling the manufacturing process, and merchandising, all of which led to the company being recognized as a premiere brand serving national and international enterprises.

A graduate of Skidmore College, Sheila was named Woman Business Leader of the Year in Connecticut and awarded numerous industry accolades during her career.

Sheila with her husband, Dick, live in Avon, CT and for the past 40 years has spent much of their spare time in their Berkshire home in West Stockbridge, MA.