BNRC Welcomes New Board Members
Four new members join BNRC Board of Directors
Ari Zorn
Ari has over 25 years of experience as a small business owner and is the first Black cannabis license holder in the Berkshires. He is the Vice President and Founder of Friends of Smiley’s Pond, Blackshires Community Empowerment, and serves on the board of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team. Ari also serves as Vice Chair of the DuBois Sculpture Project, Assistant Land Steward for the Egremont Land Trust, and was co-founder of the Sessions Youth Empowerment Program.
Robert Cundall
Following a career in finance and operations with for-profits, as well as with non-profits in the visual and performing arts, Bob settled in Lenox with his husband Dan. He received a BS from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, and currently serves on the board of Kids in Need of Defense and on The Nature Conservancy’s NY State Leadership Council. He is particularly interested in wetlands and in protecting wildlife habitat and migration corridors.
F. Sydney Smithers
Syd Smithers was a real estate attorney in Berkshire County for 52 years. He also previously served on the BNRC board for 10 years and is thrilled to be rejoining the group in 2024. Syd has also been a board member for the Trustees of Reservations, serving as their Board Chair for six years. He and his wife Mundi reside in Vermont.
Elena Traister
Elena, a tenured professor of environmental studies at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, is rejoining the BNRC Board after a year sabbatical. She and her husband live in North Adams with their young sons. She began her environmental career as a BNRC Rice Fellow in 2001 and earned her PhD in 2011.