Katy Eiseman, Administrator & Board President. Katy grew up in Hampshire County and has lived in Cummington for over 20 years. She served as the administrator for It Takes a Village in its early years in Cummington, shepherded the Hilltown Land Trust through its initial accreditation process, co-ran the Blue House Café in Haydenville, and served as the board president of the Old Creamery Co-op through the dark days of the Dollar General threat and the pandemic lockdown. She led the formation of the Pipe Line Awareness Network for the Northeast, which helped defeat a proposed natural gas pipeline through the region, and now works as the program manager for the Partnership for Policy Integrity, using data-driven advocacy and litigation to fight for forests, communities, and the climate.
Josh Wachtel, Treasurer. Josh has lived in the Hilltowns for over twenty years and has called Cummington home for most of them; he now serves as Cummington’s Town Moderator. Josh is a performing musician and a core staff member at North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens. He organized a Hilltown Community Resiliency Summit in 2013 that arose from the local Sustainability Group, and has been supportive of many projects that have grown from these efforts. Josh also works for Building a New Reality, drawing from his background in restorative practices to foster community empowerment.
Martin Schotz, Clerk. Marty is a recently retired physician who has been living in Cummington for the past ten years. He is a student of Nonviolent Communication and is active in the community on issues of justice, democracy and peace. He is a coordinator for the JFK Peace Speech Committee,and is a board member of the Traprock Center for Peace. He is a jazz drummer.
Lincoln Fishman, Board Member. Lincoln spent fifteen years farming in Worthington, Mass, before moving into his current role leading Momentum Ag. He brings practical local experience, his perspective as the director of a nonprofit, and an understanding of agriculture to his board service.
Rosemary Wessel, Board Member. Residing in Cummington with her spouse since 2002, Rosemary is a local artist, graphic designer and craftsperson. For the last 12 years – since organizing the first community meeting with Katy to fight the Kinder Morgan NED pipeline – she’s worked with Berkshire Environmental Action Team on climate and energy issues, taking on fossil fuel infrastructure and advocating for efficiency and clean energy alternatives. When she’s not working, she can be found in her garden or greenhouse.
