Arthur M. Peisner, Chairman

Chairman of the Board, Vistage Michigan, Inc.; executive coach and consultant working with owners, CEOs, and senior executives of small and mid-sized firms. Formerly, Vice President, International for Ideal Toy Corporation; Vice President, General Mills and President of Fundimensions Division; President and CEO, Lionel Trains, Inc. BS, Syracuse University; MBA, Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Ellen B. Rowntree, MD, Vice Chair

Having achieved her MD at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Rowntree is a Diplomat on the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a member of the American Psychiatric and Psychoanalytic Associations. Formerly she served as: Associate Attending Psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, Training and Supervising Analyst at Columbia Center for Psychoanalytic Research, and Lecturer at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. She is now retired from a private psychiatry and psychoanalysis practice.

Daniel Burke, Treasurer

A Certified Public Accountant with a BS from Fairfield University, Dan is the Vice President of Finance and Controller at Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd.  Formerly, he was Treasurer of the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.  He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants.

The Rev. Elizabeth Goodman, Secretary

Rev. Liz Goodman has been a member of the board since 2007, and she is grateful to be a part of this effort for justice, and individual and community health. The settled pastor of the United Church of Christ congregation in Monterey, MA, she is also a contributor to Journal for Preachers and has a collection of sermons published by Wipf & Stock Press entitled Breaking and Entering: Unexpected Sermons for an Unfinished World. She lives in Lenox, MA with her husband and their two sons. In her free time, she rows, takes care of her pack of terriers, volunteers at the county house of corrections teaching poetry to inmates, and is not shy about karaoke.

Denyse Adler

Denyse has devoted her entire professional career to designing and implementing programs to promote good healthcare and wellness. She has served as a consultant assisting healthcare and educational organizations to meet compelling individual and community health needs. She served as Director of the Palliative Care Institute of Calvary Hospital, Associate Director of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and Chair of the Psychosocial Advisory Group of the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research. She has published and presented on health delivery issues throughout the country. As an active member of the VIM Board, she is also Editor of the VIM VOICES newsletter and serves as a member of the Operations and Communications Committees.

Steven T. Bernstein

Steve has a passion for business and has enjoyed a nearly fifty year career in the international logistics business.  Having graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in accounting and economics, Steve launched a career that led to the founding of the Bernstein Group of Companies.  He sold his companies in 1998 to UTi Worldwide Inc. with over 400 offices in 59 countries.  Steve stayed with UTi for 13 years, as Global Vice President for Customs and Compliance, assisting in taking the company public.  He remains active in the industry and consults through S. Bernstein Consulting, LLC. A long-term advocate for local healthcare initiatives, Steve is the former President of the Theresa Grotta Center for Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey.

Jeffrey W. Blake, MD, FACC

Board Member Emeritus., Dr. Blake earned both his BA and MD at Columbia University. He was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Cardiovascular Disease and was a Fellow at the American College of Cardiology. He has served as Director of Nuclear Cardiology at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY; and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York Medical College.

Michael Citrin, Esq.

Michael is a partner in the law firm of Drury, Patz & Citrin, LLP, of Canaan, Connecticut, and currently practices in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Over the years, he has worked in law offices in Detroit and New York City. As a local attorney, he has counseled a number of non-profits in the community. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the University of Detroit School of Law. Michael lives in Great Barrington with his wife and three children.

Robert C. Davenport, MD

Dr. Davenport is a retired family physician. He practiced with the National Health Service Corp in Hamilton, NY from 1979-1981, following residency at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, FL. He then practiced in Valatie, NY from 1981-2010. From 2010 until his retirement at the end of 2014, he was a PCP with Berkshire Faculty Services, associated with Berkshire Medical Center.

In addition to volunteering at VIM Berkshires he serves as VIM’s part-time medical director. He also continues to volunteer as a preceptor for the Berkshire Medical Center internal medicine residency out-patient clinic. About his work at VIM, he notes, “I find that volunteering at VIM has been extremely fulfilling, as it has allowed me to continue utilizing the nearly 40 years of knowledge and skills that I acquired over the years to a group of individuals who are in need of care and appreciative of the services VIM provides for them.”

Lawrence S. Hazzard

Lawrence S. “Larry” Hazzard is Vice President, Head of Disability Product, for The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Larry joined the company in April 2007 as Vice President, Product & Marketing, to serve as the head of the Multi-Life DI and Long Term Care Insurance lines. He came to Guardian from MassMutual Financial Group in Enfield, Conn., where he was vice president of the company’s US Insurance Group Product Portfolio Strategy and Life Marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business/Psychology from Albright College in Reading, Pa., and an MBA in Marketing Management from the State University of New York at Albany.

Alice Lustig

Formerly the Chief Operating and Financial Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Alice’s previous experience includes serving as Executive Vice President at The Rockefeller University and as Chief Business and Administrative Officer and Department Manager in Princeton University’s Department of Molecular Biology. With a background in academia, research, and healthcare and experience in education and training in finance, management, and leadership, Alice currently provides consulting and advisory services to not-for-profit organizations, including VIM Berkshires.

Matthew B. Mandel, MD

Following many years as an anesthesiologist in Boston and Holyoke, Massachusetts, Matt has sat on and is presently active on the boards of non-profit organizations in human service, professional, and arts domains. He is a founding board member of VIM Berkshires and received awards from the Massachusetts Medical Society in 2012 and the American Medical Association in 2013 as the Volunteer Physician of the Year.

Robert L.W. McGraw

Robert L.W. McGraw, aka Robin, is the President of Black Rock Foundation and the Vice President of the Donald C. McGraw Foundation. After a long tenure as a private school teacher and coach, Mr. McGraw spent sixteen years as a Paramedic, the last seven of those as a Tactical Paramedic with the MSP SERT Team. For the past four years he has been a Deputy Sheriff in Berkshire County focused on the opioid epidemic.
A committed community servant, Mr. McGraw chairs the BOT of Hospice Care in the Berkshires and Berkshire Education and Correction Services. He is a member of the Boards of Berkshire Healthcare Systems, Mystic Seaport Museum and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is a member of the Emergency Services Committee of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Advisory Board of Dana Farber Cancer Institute. A former Board member to several private schools, he continues to serve as a Advancement Advisor to Berkshire School. He resides in South County with his wife Buzz.

Nancy Fernandez Mills

Nancy Fernandez Mills, CHC, RYT is a Certified Health Coach and Registered Yoga Teacher. She provides nutrition counseling and teaches stress management and yoga to VIM patients as well as to private clients. Nancy is the host of Berkshire Wellness Radio, a podcast showcasing health care professionals and other healers in the Berkshires. Nancy’s extensive media background includes several years as a Correspondent and Producer for NBC News. She also co-founded Lifecycle Productions, Inc., an award-winning video production company based in Boston.

Steven Picheny

A Board Member Emeritus, Mr. Picheny was formerly President of Stepic Medical, a high-tech medical sales, marketing and distribution firm. With a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University, he is a member of the National Board of Trustees Union for Reform Judaism, and an Engineering Entrepreneur in Residence at Northeastern University. Mr. Picheny is on the board of numerous companies and not-for-profit organizations both locally and nationally.

Thomas J. Sakshaug, DDS

Dr. Sakshaug joined VIM’s Board of Trustees in 2017, after 10 years of volunteering at both VIM’s dental clinic as well as his own Pittsfield office. He earned his DDS at CWRU School of Dentistry, and in 2016, he was named Mass Dental Society’s William McKenna Volunteer Hero. Besides his work for VIM, Dr. Sakshaug has served as the Vice Chair of the Pittsfield Conservation Commission, a member of the Pittsfield Municipal Airport Commission and the Campaign Manager for Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer. He enjoys hiking and volunteering for Housatonic River and other community clean-ups.

Jane L. Salamon

Vice President of Policy and Procedure for Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty in Long Island, NY. She became President of the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island in 2004. She currently sits on the New York State Association of Realtors Professional Standards Committee, the Multiple Listing Committee and the Committee for Fair Housing and Cultural Diversity.

Jessie Schoonmaker

A Board Member Emeritus, Jessie is retired from her position of Senior Vice President of Lee Bank. A native of Sheffield, MA, she currently resides in Pittsfield.

Susan W. Shoval

Susan’s primary area of professional involvement is financial and commercial real estate investments. In 1982, she co-founded GUARD Insurance Group, specializing in workers’ compensation, and now owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Susan currently serves as a director of Highmark (a PA Blue Cross/Blue Shield Company) and of Highmark Health, and she has served in various positions on many not-for-profit boards.

She is a member of the Committee of 200 (a professional organization of preeminent women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders throughout the country). She has received significant and varied public recognition that has emphasized both her success in business and with her community, including the Governor’s Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania Award, awarded in October of 2008.

Marion A. Simon

Dr. Simon holds an Ed.D. from the University of Rochester, a Masters in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA from Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences.  She taught high school history, was a founder of the Child Care Council of Rochester, NY and was one of the founders of Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires.  She was on the boards of the Barrington Stage Company and the Berkshire United Way.  She currently serves on the board of Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires and the Norman Rockwell Museum, where she chairs the Education Committee.

Before retiring, Dr. Simon was a consultant in development and philanthropy, working with small social service agencies and start-up community-based groups, as well as major research universities. Her staff experiences include the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Rochester’s William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration, the George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  She also taught development at Manhattanville College and was a presenter at workshops.

Paul Smilow, MD

A Board Member Emeritus, Dr. Smilow received his B.A. from Washington & Jefferson College and his M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine; he was a Public Health Service Fellow in Pathology and completed a mixed pediatric-medical internship at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester. Former positions include:  Public Health Service Officer and Resident in Pathology at New England Deaconess Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Co-Director of Laboratories and Professor of Clinical Pathology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and University Hospital. He is now retired.