About

A newcomer to the Berkshires, Charlie Catacalos (they/them) grew up in Maryland, right outside of D.C. After attending Temple University in Philadelphia, they spent half a year working in the Adirondacks. They eventually found their way to North Adams, where they have been living for about a year. Charlie is the Exhibitions Research and Content Editor at the Berkshire Museum and enjoys their job of learning new things and sharing with others. Charlie is an avid musician and spends most of their free time working on new music and playing with their 15-year-old cat, Percy.

Jason Vivori is a lifelong resident of Berkshire County with a passion for community service that began as a teenager when he volunteered weekly at St. Stephen’s Table to provide free meals to those in need. Jason has been involved with Berkshire Stonewall since 1997, and was a member of GLUB Club, the Coalition’s first youth group.
Jason remained an active volunteer with Berkshire Stonewall throughout his 20s, whether it be organizing the afternoon tea at the annual festival, organizing the kitchen for monthly potlucks, or assisting in the setup and takedown for numerous other events hosted by the Coalition. Jason joined the Berkshire Stonewall board of directors in 2008, serving briefly as vice president before stepping into the role of president in December 2009. He served in that role until November 2021 when he moved into the newly-created position of Chair, separate from the continuing office of President.
Jason’s commitment to community engagement has included numerous additional volunteer and professional endeavors. In 2003 Jason joined the Berkshire Museum as a volunteer. He later became an employee and has served the Museum in several professional roles; in 2016 he moved into his current position as collections manager. He also served on the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade Committee for a number of years. Looking toward the future, Jason is interested in local history with a focus on capturing the stories of marginalized and underrepresented communities.

Ray Garnett is a bisexual and transgender man who lives in West Stockbridge. Ray was born and raised in Chapel Hill, NC, then attended and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. Ray worked as a first-grade teacher for six years before he moved to the Berkshires to live and work with family in 2014. On moving to the Berkshires, he looked for a similar group to the Trans Discussion Group he attended in Chapel Hill, but couldn’t find anything in the Berkshires. So, he created Berkshire Trans Group, a peer group which has meetings in Pittsfield, North Adams, and online. Ray, together with his aunt Bonnie Benson and Ripley, the store cat, owns and runs Yellow House Books in Great Barrington. Ray is an active member at his congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire, in Housatonic. In his free time, Ray also enjoys making books and learning Scottish Country Dance.

Brian Mikesell (he/him/his) has worked in libraries for more than 30 years, starting as a student in his university library, then working in a variety of positions in libraries. Before becoming the director of the Alumni Library at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in 2010, he worked at the St. John’s University Libraries, New York University’s Bobst Library, and Indiana University’s Lilly Library and Main Library. After moving to the Berkshires more than 20 years ago, he developed his passion for plants by studying garden design and, most recently, therapeutic horticulture. His interest in plants also connects to nearly 20 years as a practitioner of Ikenobo ikebana. When not in the garden or at the library, he is the “first gentleman” of Bard College at Simon’s Rock, where his husband is the Provost and founder of the Bard Queer Leadership Program. Having served on several area non-profit boards over the years, he is excited to give back to the LGBTQ+ community as a member of the boards of both BSCC and Queer Men of the Berkshires.

India (she/her) is a lesbian and very happy to be on the BSCC board! She lives in North Adams, MA and moved to the area only two years ago from Phoenix, Arizona. India works in apparel design in Vermont. She is passionate about hanging out, listening to audiobooks, acting, her cats, feeling wonder in nature, connecting with the community and writing in the third person!

Ephraim Alexander Schwartz is an openly transgender man who lives in the heart of the Berkshires. He prefers interviewing YOU for the Berkshire Queer History Project – contact him at Ephraim@berkshirestonewall.org to make it happen!
When he’s not chasing down local history, Ephraim can be found at various book clubs, workshops, in the words across the site and emails, and fine-tuning behind the scenes.