Northampton Chamber welcomes new board members
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) welcomed seven new members to its board of directors during its first meeting of 2026.
The newly members are:
Ella Nathanael Alkiewicz, of Northampton, is founder and owner of Ella Alk Inuk LLC, located on Main Street in Northampton. As a commissioned artist, published author, and Main Street business owner, Alkiewicz brings a blend of creative and entrepreneurial experience, as well as a strong commitment to inclusive economic participation.
Michael Brown, of Northampton, is a financial planner with The Davis Financial Group in Hadley. Brown brings extensive board and nonprofit leadership experience, strong financial expertise, and long-standing involvement with chambers of commerce.
Cheyenne Burnham, of Florence, serves as public engagement manager for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Chicopee. With a background in food security and hands-on expertise in fundraising, event coordination, budgeting, and volunteer management, Burnham is particularly interested in economic development initiatives that strengthen community impact and resilience.
Jeffrey Hoess-Brooks, of Chicopee, is owner and realtor at HB Real Estate, with offices in Northampton, Chicopee, and Wilbraham. Hoess-Brooks joins the board with deep experience in marketing, finance, customer relations, tourism, and hospitality, along with vast knowledge of the regional real estate market.
Catherine Reed, of Belchertown, is executive director of operations at Cooley Dickinson Hospital where she has overseen major operational initiatives including clinical systems integration, urgent care expansion, and critical COVID-19 response programs. S
Mark M. Tajima, of Pelham, is owner and partner at B. Alpha Construction LLC in Chicopee. With a strong background in construction and entrepreneurial management, Tajima’s expertise includes sales and marketing, strategic planning, fundraising, and product development and expansion.
Isaac Weiner, of Sunderland, is co-owner/operator of Familiars Coffee and Tea in Northampton and Florence Pie Bar in Florence. Known for his visionary leadership and collaborative spirit, Weiner enhances GNCC’s capacity to foster coalitions and gain alignment on community-centered business development, downtown activation, and economic growth.
Paragus IT names Garcia a VP
Paragus IT, an IT services firm for small- to medium-sized businesses, welcomes Robyn Garcia as vice president of security and compliance.
Garcia brings more than 20 years of experience across IT operations, cybersecurity, compliance, and infrastructure leadership in both public and private sector environments. In her new role, she will oversee Paragus’s security and compliance strategy, helping clients navigate increasingly complex regulatory, risk, and governance requirements —including frameworks such as CMMC and HIPAA — while advancing the company’s own internal security posture.
As one of her first initiatives, Garcia will lead Paragus through its CMMC Level 2 certification, reinforcing the company’s commitment to meeting the highest standards for security and compliance in support of government contractors and regulated organizations.
Most recently, Garcia served as director of operations at ArcLight IT, where she led companywide operations, strategic planning, and process improvements to drive efficiency and scale.
New development director at Berkshire United Way
PITTSFIELD – Berkshire United Way (BUW) welcomes Jennifer Baril as the new director of development.
Baril has over 25 years of fundraising experience designing and implementing programs for community service, education and health care organizations. Previous positions include director of fund development for Health Equity Solutions, senior director of fundraising for the Center for Human Development, senior major gift officer at Western New England University, philanthropy officer at Baystate Health, director of development for Girls Inc. of Holyoke, and at Smith College as assistant director of the alumnae fund followed by major gifts officer.
She currently serves as president of Holyoke’s only free after-school program, Homework House board of directors, and previously served with Volunteers in Service to America in Los Angeles.
Baril earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her master’s degree from UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management.