The Great Barrington Library Fund (GBLF) was founded in 2024 to help raise funds for our libraries, spurred by the critical need to renovate Ramsdell Library in the hamlet of Housatonic within the town of Great Barrington. The Ramsdell was a gift of Theodore Ramsdell, who was president of Monument Mills. It was built in 1906 and designed by Boston architects McLean & Wright and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
The Fund was founded as a MA non-profit corporation. Sharon Gregory serves as president and executive director for this small, all-volunteer board. GBLF will apply to foundations and government grants as well as appeal to individuals for support funds. In this way, we will bolster building plans for our libraries, which are critical to community programs and educational resources that our libraries provide.
The Fund was founded as a MA non-profit corporation, managed by a small, volunteer organization. The board of directors include:
Sharon has been a full-or part-time resident of the Berkshires for over 40 years. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, she relocated to NYC, joining the world of technology consulting at IBM where she became the first woman in finance. Applying her studies in science and business, she entered the burgeoning field of financial technology on Wall Street, becoming one of the first women to hold a senior position in finance at Citibank. She also served as president of the Wall Street Planning Group, as Treasurer of Bargemusic, Inc. and on the boards of the Financial Women’s Association of NY and the Children of Bellevue Hospital.
Having left NYC for the Berkshires after 9/11, she has had decades of local board experience. She has served as Chair of the Town of Great Barrington’s Finance Committee and held the position of Vice President of Planning & Corporate Development at Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, where she developed a true appreciation of adaptive reuse by managing the renovation of the historic Bryant School as Iredale’s corporate headquarters. Since retiring, she has devoted her life to public service and her family, especially in the Berkshires.
In January 2025, when the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded Great Barrington a grant to renovate the historic Ramsdell Library in Housatonic, she founded GBLF to assist in securing private funds for Great Barrington’s libraries.
Sharon is a pianist and oil painter. She practices culinary arts and gardening as hobbies.
Todd is a local business leader whose experience includes diverse management roles in a mix of industries, including productivity software, electronics hardware and digital payment systems. He hails from Northern California, where he led the Global B2B team for Razer Gold Payments, a software monetization platform by Razer, a manufacturer of high-end computers and accessories. Prior to that, he was VP, Marketing and then CEO of a San Francisco-based payments company that was acquired by Razer.
Todd moved to Great Barrington with his wife and two daughters in 2023 and has established deep roots in Berkshire County. He is now CEO of The Chamberlain Group, a manufacturer of medical training equipment located in Great Barrington, and his local volunteer experience includes mentoring at EforAll and The Massachusetts Founders Network. Todd is Treasurer of the Great Barrington Library Fund.
Originally from a small town in Massachusetts where her family was active in community service and town politics, Donna moved to New York City to study social work. This led to psychoanalytic training and a career as a psychoanalytic clinician, teacher, and lecturer in the US and abroad. Her activity as a leader in professional associations promoted psychoanalytic education and research.
Donna returned to Massachusetts in 2012 and bought a house on the border of Great Barrington and Housatonic. She has been active various community projects, most recently in a citizen’s initiative to address water insecurity in town.
Donna’s aim in her position on the GBLF Board is to support the northern section of Great Barrington as a community dedicated to maintaining the quality of life for growing families. She believes it is an area steeped in history that remains largely untouched. Having witnessed the reshaping of Great Barrington to encourage tourism, she believes that Housatonic has the potential for family-centered development, while preserving its unique historical roots.
Bob joined the GBLF board following a management consulting career based in New York, advising for-profit and non-profit organizations on strategy to optimize their mission though human resources. As a Senior Partner at Mercer LLC, he led international business segments and provided hands-on advice to clients, translating enterprise issues into workforce actions. As Chief Revenue Officer at a healthcare start-up,Bob was responsible for business development, sales, marketing, branding, and account management. Bob also works with entrepreneurs to develop and launch new ventures. He volunteered for many years with United Way, serving as Chair of the Allocations Committee in New York, and on the Board of the regional branch in Harrison, NY.
After settling full-time in the Berkshires, Bob focused on the intersection of education, workforce development, and economic growth across Western Massachusetts. He serves on the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) board at Berkshire Community College, co-chairing the marketing committee, and mentoring BCC students. He is an active economic development partner with 1Berkshire and the Berkshire Innovation Center, and a founding member of the Berkshire Tech Collaborative and Innovation Campus–initiatives that provide information about emergent tech to the region and creates new jobs. Bob has hosted webinars on community topics with The Berkshire Edge and has assisted regional non-profits with strategic planning and leadership development.
Trevor and his wife Denise have lived in Housatonic for 15 years. After a career spanning 40 years in the City of London, Trevor joined Renaissance Investment Group in Lenox in 2011. As president and owner, Trevor has overseen the successful development of the business, which is strongly embedded in The Berkshires; Renaissance has a proud history of individuals engaging in the community. He has been a member of the Close Encounters With Music (CEWM) Board since 2012. CEWM is a key cultural provider, bringing live music to a number of venues in Great Barrington.
Frederica and her husband, author and publisher Efrem Sigel, have owned a home in Great Barrington since 1992. They are longtime supporters of the Great Barrington Libraries, The Guthrie Center, Fairview Hospital, Greenagers and Volunteers in Medicine, to name a few.
Specializing in marketing during the early years of her career, Frederica was CEO of Thomas Balsley Associates, a landscape architecture firm known for its international public spaces, before becoming COO of Atelier Ten, a sustainable design consultancy with offices in London, New York City and San Francisco. During her time with Balsley, the firm was voted “Best Small Business” by Crains NY Business magazine and was short-listed to design The High Line, a popular New York City park that repurposed a railway line and now attracts 8 million visitors per year.
During her free time, Frederica trains docents and guides tours on The High Line and is an active member of the Land Use &Housing and the Parks & Waterfront committees of Community Board 2 in Manhattan, which includes SoHo, NoHo, and Greenwich Village. She also represents CB2 on the board of the Meatpacking Business Improvement District. She was a trustee of the New Rochelle Public Library for 10 years and founded the Jewish Film Festival of Westchester.
Frederica is also a member-at-large of the Great Barrington Ramsdell Building Committee.
The Town owns the Library building and its assets. The Select Board funds the Library’s operating budget and capital investment plans. The Town Manager oversees Library personnel and negotiates the Library’s union labor contract. The Library is eligible for state and local grants, such as the CPA grants passed at the annual Town meeting. (CPA grants for historic projects do not increase Town taxes as they are drawn from a different source.)
This group of six elected residents, serving three-year, renewable terms, works closely with the Library Director to develop policies and procedures, oversee operating and trust funds, and advocate for the support necessary to provide excellent Library services.
GBLF was formed in 2024 to raise funds for services and capital improvements to Great Barrington’s libraries. Its current effort is on behalf of the renovation of Housatonic’s 1908 Ramsdell Library, listed on the National Register of Historic Places but not renovated in nearly a century. An initial State Library grant will cover up to 60% of the renovation costs. GBLF’s focus is to apply for foundation grants and solicit donations as a way of reducing the Town’s fiscal obligation to the renovation. Donations are tax-deductible.
The Friends, a 501c3 non-profit, supports lifelong learning, literacy and alternative learning activities by raising funds to supplement the annual budget for program-ming and collections. Their mission is to enhance the library’s reputation as a com-munity gathering place and to bring library services to more people in our community through outreach. Donations are tax deductible.
Join us in enriching our community—donate today to support our local library and help us provide essential upgrades, programs, and opportunities for everyone!
