The Land Use Director and Town Planner of Lenox got her start learning about nature and landscape in Tim Gore’s class at BCD. After graduating from BCD, Gwen attended the Berkshire School, followed by the Rubenstein School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Vermont. Gwen joined Americorps VISTA in Syracuse and then obtained a Master’s in Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She then returned to the Berkshires for what she thought would be a brief time, when she began her work for the town of Lenox.
What was your favorite class at BCD and why?
Tim Gore’s science class presented early opportunities to connect with place and learn about how nature and the landscape work. I have vivid memories of dissecting owl pellets and putting the little mouse skeletons back together, the egg drop, catching crayfish in the pond.
Why give back to BCD?
I hope that my modest gifts to the School help make the opportunity of a BCD education accessible to students of all incomes and backgrounds.
What plans do you have for the future?
I hope to continue serving the Berkshires through public service or private practice. I hope to raise my own family here in the Berkshires. Lenox will be updating its 1999 Master Plan, and I’ll be participating in the American Planning Association’s national conference in New Orleans, discussing affordable housing in multi-million dollar markets.
