Team BIC

The Berkshire Immigrant Center team includes many bilingual staff members, volunteers, and board members who are culturally sensitive and thoroughly understand the needs and challenges faced by the communities it serves.

Melissa Canavan (Executive Director)

Melissa joined Team BIC in May, 2023. Born and raised in southern California, she is the child of immigrants from Mexico. She pursued her love of dance as an undergraduate at California State University, Long Beach and first came to the Berkshires in 2015 to intern at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket. Melissa stayed in the region, working first at the Pillow, then at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, where she was the Advancement Manager and head of the Spanish-language Community Advisory Network, which has broadened the diversity of the theater’s cultural offerings and audiences.

She has a Masters of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University, and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from University of South Florida. Melissa is an active volunteer with Latinas413, a group committed to empowering Latina women in Berkshire County. She lives with her husband in West Stockbridge, and stays engaged with her love of dance as founder and artistic director of her own dance company, the Melissa Martinez Project. director@berkshireic.org

Lorena Dus (Director of Client and Community Services) 

Lorena joined BIC in September of 2017 after moving to the United States from Ireland. She is a native of Venezuela and has a degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Human Rights. From a very young age she started working for non-profit organizations where she devotedly helped indigenous people, refugees, displaced people and children at risk. She has volunteered with the UNHCR, One Young World, the Irish Red Cross, Oxfam International and CLINIC (for the Estamos Unidos Asylum Project).

Lorena is a bilingual Notary Public and a graduate of the Berkshire Leadership program and the Pittsfield Citizens Academy (both in 2022). She is currently serving on the board of directors of the Literacy Network of South Berkshire and the Elizabeth Freeman Center. She is also part of the Steering Committee for the Berkshire Leadership Program and serves on the Berkshire Natural Resources Council DEIAB Committee.

She has received the 2019 "Super Staffer" award by the NonProfit Center of the Berkshires, a 2020 “40 Under Forty” award by Berkshire Community College and a 2023 "Under 40 Change-Maker" by 1Berkshire. lorena@berkshireic.org

Ashly Alvis (Case Worker)

Ashly was born in Colombia and has lived in the Berkshires since 2019. During her time in Colombia, she studied at the National Apprenticeship Service and graduated as a Technician in Financial Institution Operations in 2018. With an innate passion for community work and promoting cultural diversity, she graduated from Berkshire Community College in 2022 as a Mental Health worker. Before joining the Berkshire Immigrant Center, she worked as a legal assistant at a law firm and completed a one-year internship at Berkshire County ARC, where she worked directly with children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Ashly’s training and experience provide her with a deep understanding of the mental health, economic, and resource needs and challenges of immigrants and refugees, enabling her to provide comprehensive support to those in need. She is fluent in English and Spanish, allowing her to effectively communicate with a wide range of people and provide support services in the language that is most comfortable and accessible for them. She is a committed and passionate leader who works tirelessly to ensure that immigrants and refugees feel welcome and supported in the Berkshires. ashly@berkshireic.org

Ivan Victoriano (Intake Coordinator)

Originally from Mexico, Ivan has been living in the Berkshires since the age of 12. He was granted DACA status in June of 2012 under the Obama administration. Since then, Ivan has been working numerous jobs and has contributed to his local community.

In November of 2017, Ivan was chosen to be an honorary guest speaker for “Health Law Advocates 22nd Annual Benefit Breakfast” in Boston, where he met Michael Dukakis former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic nominee for president. secretary@berkshireic.org

Sheryl Lechner (Development Director)

Sheryl joined BIC in May 2017. She is excited to be working on behalf of Berkshire immigrants and the cultural diversity of our community.

Sheryl served as Capital Campaign Manager for the Stockbridge Bowl Association on its $2.8 million “Save Stockbridge Bowl” fundraising effort. She previously was Outreach Coordinator for Berkshire Grown, supporting farmers in the greater Berkshires region; and was a longtime journalist, writing for newspapers and magazines, and co-authoring two nonfiction books. She has lived in the Berkshires since 1993. sheryl@berkshireic.org

Beth Stomberg (Development Assistant) 

Beth joined us in February of 2024 as Development Assistant, eager to help support BIC’s mission of advocating for the rights of all immigrants. She holds a J.D. from Georgetown University and is a certified Family Law Mediator.

Prior to joining BIC, Beth worked as a Litigation Attorney in the areas of family law, residential real estate and insurance matters. As a Family Law Mediator, she provided conflict resolution support to families in crisis due to divorce or child custody disputes. More recently, Beth worked at Williams College supporting the growth and success of the College’s Alumnae Affairs and Development Departments.

Beth has held numerous volunteer positions fundraising for equal access to education, promoting drug and alcohol abuse prevention and working to help individuals overcome food insecurity issues. She believes passionately that volunteer service to one’s community is an essential component of good citizenship and an effective way to help improve the world we live in. beth@berkshireic.org

Jennifer Smith (Education Director) 

Jennifer Smith holds a BA in English from the University of New Hampshire and has been teaching English as a Second Language for over 30 years. From 1991-1993, she lived and worked in Myjava, Slovakia where she was hired to teach English to department directors in the town’s factory. Upon returning to the U.S, Jen settled in Boston and worked with immigrants as both a teacher and an advocate. She has taught ESOL to a wide array of populations and in a variety of settings, including Public Housing developments in Cambridge, the Suffolk County Jail and House of Corrections in Boston and the Veronica Smith Senior Center in Brighton. She was ESOL Coordinator for the Adult Education program at the Jackson Mann Community Center in Allston for 16 years before moving to the Berkshires and joining BIC in 2010. jennifer@berkshireic.org

Emma Lezberg (Community Education Coordinator)

Emma is a Pittsfield native and graduate of Williams College, where she majored in Critical Theory, learned Spanish, and did experiential coursework in settings from Chiapas, Mexico to our own Berkshire County House of Corrections. She has published on immigrant narratives, investigated migrant farmworkers' experiences, and taught students in several local elementary, middle, and high schools.

Emmas has served BIC clients over the past 5 years, working first as an intern, then as an full-time Case Worker. Now, she is focused on collaborating with local school systems and colleges to help them better serve the immigrant community. She brings to this role not only her legal expertise, but also the skills she is currently developing as a PhD student at Harvard School of Education, where she researches how best to support undocumented and liminal-status students through U.S. higher education. She feels fortunate to be developing new skills at Harvard and utilizing them to serve this community she loves in new ways. emma@berkshireic.org

Hilary Greene (Volunteer Case Worker and former Director) 

Hillary holds a Bachelors degree in Soviet and Russian Studies and is a fluent Russian speaker. Hilary spent several years working in public relations in St. Petersburg, Russia and then worked as Program Manager of The National Young Composers Competition at Williams College prior to joining the staff of the Jewish Federation in 1997. hilary@berkshireic.org

Charles Bonenti (Volunteer Coordinator) 

Charles is a retired Berkshire Eagle desk editor, freelance writer, and longtime advocate for affordable housing, historic preservation, and services to low-income neighborhoods.

A graduate of Hamilton College with a B.A. degree in art, he joined BIC in early 2017 and assumed responsibility for coordinating BIC volunteers in 2018. He headed a BIC team hosting Afghan evacuees in Berkshire County and directs volunteer participation in events like naturalization ceremonies, business expos, and festivals. volunteer@berkshireic.org

Isabelle Kaplan (Long-Term Volunteer) 

Isabelle is a French native and helps with the francophone speaking clients of the BIC, translating documents or interpreting at interviews.  She helps at functions and assists whoever needs assistance.

Isabelle was a professor of French before she retired.  She has lived in the Berkshires for 10 years and was happy to discover the Immigrant Center which became her cause of choice!

To connect with a member of the BIC Team for assistance, please Contact Us.

BIC team photos by Ryan Cowdrey