Nieto-Mattei becomes majority owner of Berkshire Design
NORTHAMPTON — Berkshire Design Group has announced that Principal and Registered Landscape Architect Carlos Nieto-Mattei has transitioned into the role of majority owner of the firm. This milestone marks a major evolution for the award-winning regional landscape architecture, civil engineering and land surveying practice.
Nieto-Mattei, who has served as a key partner and leader within the firm, brings more than 21 years of industry experience to his new role as majority stakeholder. Known for his depth of design talent, project management expertise and passion for sustainable design, Nieto-Mattei has spearheaded numerous commercial, municipal and institutional projects throughout the region. His leadership will drive the firm’s continued commitment to innovative, sustainable designs that engage the land and robust community collaboration.
“Taking on majority ownership of Berkshire Design Group is both an honor and an exciting next step,” said Nieto-Mattei.
Under Nieto-Mattei’s leadership, the Northampton-based firm will continue to deliver its core integrated services, maintaining its signature collaborative environment where landscape architects, civil engineers, and surveyors work side-by-side to deliver seamless project execution.
Brewster named LEADS fellow
GREENFIELD — Tara Brewster, vice president of business development and director of philanthropy at Greenfield Savings Bank, has been selected for inclusion in the inaugural cohort of LEADS fellows in the Pioneer Valley.
She joins 48 other local leaders in a group that includes CEOs, industry executives and college presidents from Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. They will gather once a month for nine months, learning from Harvard Business School faculty in a growing, statewide program.
The goal of the work is training cross-sector leaders who can help address a wide range of issues, including housing, workforce development and mental health, in a regional and statewide approach.
Brewster holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and government from Smith College.
She has received roughly a dozen regional awards for her community service. United Way of Hampshire County lauded her with the Kay Sheehan Spirit of the Community Award in 2021, and BusinessWest included her in the 40 Under Forty Class of 2009 and named her a Difference Maker in 2022 and a Woman of Impact in 2025.
Founded in 2018 as a pilot in Lawrence, in collaboration with the Lawrence Partnership, the Alliance for Business Leadership and professors from Harvard Business School, LEADS has expanded to other regions in the state.
The program combines academic rigor with experiential learning opportunities. When Brewster completes the fellowship, she will join a network of over 250 leaders equipped to accelerate, deepen and broaden system change solutions across Massachusetts.
HCC names dean of division of Integrative and Applied Learning
HOLYOKE — Irma Medina of Springfield, an alum and 22-year employee of Holyoke Community College, has been named the inaugural dean of the HCC division of Integrative and Applied Learning.
“For more than two decades, Irma has served HCC with dedication and distinction, championing student success, equity, belonging, and experiential learning,” said Jessica Nicklin, HCC provost and vice president of academic and student affairs. “This is an important leadership role, and I’m delighted to make this announcement.”
Medina, the daughter of a seamstress, was a single mom and working full time as a secretary when she enrolled in night classes at HCC in 1997, taking a bus to college every day from her home in Springfield’s North End. She is a graduate of Springfield’s High School of Commerce, where her best class was typing, she said, and her ambition at the time merely to get a better paying secretarial job.
Later, Medina transferred from HCC to Mount Holyoke College on a Frances Perkins scholarship. She graduated in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in urban politics and a minor in history. She soon returned to HCC as an academic advisor for the TRIO program, and two years later became the inaugural coordinator of what was then a new transfer program called Pathways, which she led as coordinator for the next 17 years.
In 2023, she was named director of Integrated Learning, overseeing a complement of linked programs that includes Pathways, Honors, Learning Communities, Community Based Learning, and Academic Internships.
This summer, Integrated Learning was elevated to become its own academic division under the new title of Integrated and Applied Learning, with Medina as its first dean.
Eversource named to TIME’s Best list
BOSTON — In recognition of its continued commitment to employees, operational excellence and long-term sustainability for customers, Eversource has been named to TIME’s list of America’s Best Companies for 2026, a prestigious annual ranking presented by TIME and Statista that recognizes organizations based on employee satisfaction, financial performance and sustainability transparency that benefits customers.
The TIME America’s Best Companies 2026 ranking, presented in collaboration with Statista, evaluated companies across three key areas: employee satisfaction, financial performance and sustainability transparency. Employee satisfaction was measured through surveys of approximately 217,000 employees at U.S. companies over the past three years, while financial performance and sustainability transparency were assessed using a range of publicly available business and environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. The 1,000 highest-scoring companies earned a place on this year’s list.
This latest recognition adds to Eversource’s growing list of national honors for its customer-focused corporate responsibility, workplace excellence and sustainability, including being named one of Newsweek’s America’s Most Trustworthy Companies for 2026, one of Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2026 and a VETS Indexes 5 Star Employer for 2026.