Staff & Governance

Mary Berle grew up in Stockbridge and spent many afternoons traveling the world through reading while perched on a window bench in the Stockbridge Library. She attended elementary school at The Stockbridge Plain School, which is now our town offices. After graduating from Harvard College, and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Mary became a researcher, writer, and project director for national education projects at TERC, a math and science education research and development firm.  She returned to Stockbridge to raise her own children and worked in many roles with the Berkshire Hills Regional School District, including principal of Muddy Brook Elementary School for 13 years .

Since 2018 Mary has served as the Chief Educator at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge where she leads public operations, the Museum’s work to realize its strong commitment to equity and justice, public programming, and community collaborations. In the last year Mary has also taken on responsibility for her mother’s farm, Lila’s Mountain Farm LLC, one of the largest sheep farms in New England.

As a lifelong patron of libraries, Ashley Buckley-Wright’s first stop after moving to the Berkshires in 2017 was the Stockbridge Library where she and her family of three signed up for their library cards. Their part-time residence quickly became a full-time home, and Ashley, her son, and husband now reside year round in Lee where they care for a registered historic house, battle invasive vines in their yard, and fill their shelves with an ever increasing collection of books.

Ashley has spent much of her career in the arts at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Christie’s Auction House in NYC, and the Royal Academy in London. She currently helps manage a consulting firm that specializes in philanthropy.

Raised in the Catskills, Ashley is an avid reader, traveler, cook, and Anglophile. Her very favorite question is “What book are you reading now?”

Ed Lane’s first visit to the Berkshires was in 1969 and has returned often over the years.  His first weekend home, a log cabin in Otis, came along in the early 80’s and was followed by places in Housatonic, Lenox and Stockbridge where he now lives fulltime with his wife Barbara (a former Stockbridge library board member herself).  Ed is a retired actuary (working with large corporations and public sector organizations on pension plan design, financing and investments) who found that retirement offered opportunities to reinvent and do new things, so he began an investment management practice in 2008 (still going strong), returned to school in 2015 for an MBA so that he could teach and subsequently taught finance and economics at SUNY New Paltz, The College of St. Rose and at the University at Albany for 8 years, ending in 2022.

“Libraries have a special place in my heart as my daughter is the head librarian in Gardiner, New York.  I’ve seen the exciting ways in which libraries have also reinvented themselves to become community centers and I look forward to working with the Stockbridge Library in the years to come.”

Ed Lane

Jorja Marsden has served as Stockbridge Town Administrator , Stockbridge Assistant Treasurer, Assistant Tax Collector, Stockbridge Town Clerk, and Parking Clerk.

She has also served as a volunteer in various community institutions including St. Paul’s Church in Stockbridge, Stockbridge Historic Preservation Commission, Stockbridge Finance Committee, Stockbridge Historic Committee and currently serves on the Board of the Norman Rockwell Museum, Riverbrook, Kiwanis Club of Lee , and as an AARP Tax Aide Volunteer.

Rosemary O’Brien grew up in Housatonic. Her introduction to the local public library was the summer reading program. To her delight, she learned that she could borrow (almost) as many books as she wanted. Thus began a lifelong love of reading and books.

After graduation from Monument Mountain, she obtained a B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering and lived and worked in the greater Boston area. As a licensed professional engineer (environmental engineering), she designed pollution abatement systems for chemical, petrochemical, and various manufacturing plants. Retiring in 2016, she volunteered with several organizations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and spent considerable time hiking and XC skiing in the White Mountains.

Rosemary and her husband Tim returned to the Berkshires in 2019, excited to take advantage of the cultural and outdoor pursuits the Berkshires has to offer. They chose to live in Stockbridge, where Tim’s grandparents had lived for sixty years. A few days after the moving van left, Rosemary obtained a Stockbridge library card.

Rosemary has volunteered at the Stockbridge Library Association since 2023 along with sorting and cleaning books for the annual sale, and participating at the sale. She also volunteers as a trail maintainer and is a trail steward for Berkshire Natural Resources Council (BNRC).

Rosemary enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, and outdoor activities, especially hiking and XC skiing. As time allows, she is section hiking the Appalachian Trail. One of her biggest hiking accomplishments was the NH redline patch: awarded for hiking every trail in the White Mountain Guide, requiring about 3,000 trail miles. Through this pursuit, she met many hiking buddies. Some of the best hikes were with fellow readers, enjoying their own mini book discussion groups while tramping out the miles.

For thirty-five years, John Perkel was a librarian for various orchestras, most recently for the Boston Symphony and Tanglewood Music Center. In 2016, he retired and initiated the Berkshire Chamber Players series at the Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives. Before serving as an orchestra librarian, John was a music teacher at the Berkshire Hills Regional School District and was a psychiatric worker at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge.

“After I retired from the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2016, I approached the beautiful Stockbridge Library about the possibility of initiating a chamber music concert series. The response was enthusiastic and supportive. Since then, I have spent many happy hours in the library and I have had the great privilege of working with the greatest people. The entire staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and fun.”

John Perkel

Jeffrey Schneider has over 35 years of experience in law, banking, entertainment, and executive search. He graduated with Honors from George Washington University Law School where he also served on the George Washington Law Review. Prior to law school, Jeff graduated cum laude from The State University of New York at Albany where he was President of the graduating class and a student speaker at the commencement ceremonies.

As an attorney, Jeff worked as a corporate transactional associate at a major New York City law firm, a large bank, and one of the countries largest entertainment companies. He has an extensive network of contacts at many of America’s leading law firms and a proven track record as a negotiator, dealmaker, mediator, and problem-solver. Jeff and his wife Beth live in West Stockbridge and enjoy music, books, the arts, hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, and spending time with their two beautiful Golden Retrievers, Gibson & Marshall.

Marty Sennett is a retired sales, marketing, and business management executive who moved to Stockbridge in 2018 with his wife, Chris Ferrero.  At that time, they renovated their  home on Church St. which dates back to 1790. Marty & Chris are long time denizens of the Berkshires, as they’ve been coming to their cottage on the Otis Reservoir for more than 30 years.
Marty had previously served as Treasurer and President of the Stockbridge Library Board of Trustees. In addition to his work with the Library, Marty has been a volunteer tutor with Literacy Network of the Southern Berkshire, and currently serves on the Board of the Stockbridge Land Trust.

Marty enjoys cooking, reading, and all things outdoors, including golf, biking, skiing, kayaking, and hiking with his dog, Brody.

“The Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives are the heart of Stockbridge. A vibrant library reflects a community that values learning, and individuals who have an active curiosity. When Chris and I were looking for a place to settle in the Berkshires, the strength of our local Library was a major consideration. We fell in love with the Stockbridge Library on our first visit.”

Martin Sennett

Sarah Stiner is a lifelong resident of Berkshire County.  She has been a co-owner in Creative Building Solutions LLC , a local design/build firm located in Great Barrington for the last 23 years.  She is the mother of Gabriela, a 17 year old senior at Monument and recently married to her longtime partner, Ned Baldwin.  She is an avid hiker, yogi, and traveler.

Most of my life has been spent in Stockbridge and I have been a member of this library since I was five. When Wendy approached me about a possible position on the Stockbridge Library Board I was flattered. After my questions were answered about how the board runs and how well it works together, I was excited. It is my honor to help this incredible institution that has most recently played an important part of my growing family’s life. The first thing my very verbal granddaughter, Rowan who is three, asks for every day is to, “Read a book, Nana!” I spend a lot of time every week in the children’s section searching for books to read to her on FaceTime
when she is not here visiting. The Stockbridge Library is the first place we go to explore when she is here. I am so pleased to add to the life of our favorite place to spend time together and the place where so many important and interesting community events are offered.

Rick Wilcox is a sixth-generation descendant of Isaac Ball, who purchased (dispossessed) 50 acres of land from Stockbridge Mohicans Joseph Shauquethquot, David Naunauneekaunuck and Benjamin Waunchnauweet, sons of King Ben Kohkewenaunant. That land that is now, in part, the property of Chesterwood Museum. Later Isaac and his brother Jonathan Ball dispossessed another 50 acres that now includes the Norman Rockwell Museum. Growing up in Stockbridge was truly a Norman Rockwell experience, to include posing for Norman. After high school Rick spent two years in the central highlands of Vietnam. After his discharge from the army in 1971
he joined the Stockbridge Police as a patrol officer for 15 years followed by 28 years as Chief of Police. Rick served on the library board in the 70s and 80s for over 20 years as well as board President twice. Currently on the board of the Bidwell House Museum in Monterey he is a sixth-generation descendant of the Rev. Adonijah Bidwell the first owner of the Bidwell house.
Recently he has been authoring weekly Bidwell Lore history articles about the Bidwell family.
Rick was on the board of the Norman Rockwell Museum for over 25 years and is still active as an emeritus board member. After retirement while concentrating on Mohican history he acquired over 250 copies of all the Stockbridge Mohican deeds at the Berkshire Middle Registry
of Deeds in Pittsfield, which he later transcribed for the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, as well as providing copies to the Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives. More recently he was given grants by both Harvard and Yale to transcribe 18th century Mohican petitions and resolves between the Mohican people and the provincial government of Massachusetts, finishing over 300 petitions and resolves by early 2020. Thank you COVID.
Nathan Jackson whose generous matching donation was the genesis for today’s library was a “cousin.” The Brewer sisters, Emilia and Mary Adele, who were the first two librarians when the library opened in 1864 are “cousins.” My great grandfather Edmund C. Wilcox was
the treasurer of the Stockbridge Library Association. Olga Wilcox, my great aunt, was head librarian and my grandmother Grace Bidwell Wilcox was a relief librarian followed by 30 years as curator of the then library historical room. I feel very connected to the library. Growing up in a home without television and two parents who were voracious readers.