Berkshire Natural Resources Council Names Kathleen Smolinski Director of Community Engagement

LENOX, MA – Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC) is pleased to announce the promotion of Kathleen Smolinski to Director of Community Engagement. Smolinski previously served as the Assistant Director of Fundraising and Community Engagement, and her appointment marks a strategic transition as Community Engagement officially expands into a dedicated department with direct senior-level leadership.

Smolinski brings 11 years of experience in non-profit administration and development to the role. She joined BNRC in May 2022, where she played a pivotal role in strengthening organizational outreach and donor relations. Prior to her time at BNRC, Smolinski built a background in strategic development, partner collaboration, and community-centered programming. 
 

“Kathleen has helped transform the way BNRC thinks about community engagement—not as something separate from conservation, but as one of the ways we accomplish it,” said BNRC President Jenny Hansell. “She is a thoughtful, creative leader, and I’m delighted to have her leading this work.”
 

In her new position, Smolinski will lead BNRC’s public-facing initiatives, deepening relationships across the county, and broadening public access to nature. Her focus centers on ensuring that BNRC’s core work, conserving landscapes, protecting wildlife corridors, and maintaining spaces for public recreation, is reaching the Berkshire community.
 

Smolinski expressed enthusiasm for leading the department. “I look forward to building upon the profound land conservation and stewardship work that my colleagues engage in throughout Berkshire County and deepening BNRC's relationship with our community and partners,” said Smolinski.
 

Smolinski’s appointment underscores BNRC’s continued commitment to expanding community partnerships, strengthening regional coalitions, and ensuring that conservation efforts serve every corner of Berkshire County.

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Established in 1967, Berkshire Natural Resources Council is a nationally accredited land trust that conserves and cares for Berkshire lands, waters, and wildlife, and connects people with nature for a more vibrant, shared future. 
 

BNRC conserves land, protects wildlife and habitat, supports local farmers, expands climate resilience, actively cares for over 27,000 acres, and provides free access to the Berkshire outdoors for everybody—thanks to the help of donors and volunteers.

This land, and all the present-day Berkshires, are the ancestral homeland of the Mohican people who were forcefully displaced to Wisconsin by European colonization. These lands continue to be of great significance to the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation today. To learn more, visit mohican.com.