NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) welcomed five new board members at its first meeting of 2024. Together, they bring to the chamber diverse experience as entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and business managers.

“It’s a great privilege to work with this group of dedicated investors in the GNCC,” Executive Director Vince Jackson said. “They bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise with them to their new roles on our board, and I look forward to their continued engagement and contributions.”

The new board members are Jamie Cocco, Caroline Gear, Taylor Robbins, Elena Sharnoff, and Cigdem Turkomer.

Cocco owns Empowered Digital Marketing and Empowered Social Media. In addition to his role on the board, he serves on the GNCC’s executive committee and chairs the ambassador committee. He brings an extensive marketing background to the GNCC, along with strong interests in building community and business development.

Gear is the executive director of the International Language Institute of Massachusetts in Northampton. As executive director of a nonprofit organization, she brings to the chamber rich experience in working with a board, budgets, fundraising, and more.

Robbins is a business relationship manager at UMassFive College Federal Credit Union. With a focus on commercial lending and cash management, she uses her experience in the field to offer individualized advice for business owners.

Sharnoff owns B Strategic Communications and brings more than 25 years of experience in strategic communications and marketing, branding, and messaging to her role at the GNCC. She has served on che chamber’s ambassador committee for several years.

Turkomer grew up in Istanbul and has spent more than 25 years creating set designs for commercial and documentary films. After studying for several years at San Francisco State University, Cigdem moved back to Northampton to open LeBonNton, which supports women artists and business owners from the U.S. and around the world.

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) announced the hiring of Claire Kelly as senior manager of Investor and Community Relations. She brings broad skills and deep experience in entrepreneurship, educational programming, and event management to the role. She also has a strong appreciation for the local community, having lived in the Pioneer Valley for the past 10 years.

“I am excited to introduce Claire to our local businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, and other supporters of the GNCC,” said Vince Jackson, the chamber’s executive director. “Her history as a successful small-business owner gives her a unique perspective that will serve our member-investors well as she partners with them to support a thriving economy and community.”

Before coming to the chamber, Kelly spent seven years as founder and director of Educational Experiences Abroad, a custom academic service provider that specialized in study-abroad programs, primarily in Cuba. An innovative self-starter, she successfully navigated the fast-changing regulatory environment in the U.S.-Cuba travel industry, and delivered educational experiences and programs for a diverse group of clients. Prior to that, she directed business-development activities and designed custom program at Amherst-based Spanish Studies Abroad. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics from Middlebury College.

About her new role, and her pivot away from the global education industry, Kelly said, “I want to bring my experience to bear on critical local missions. I especially look forward to applying my skills to support local businesses and the community I love.”

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2023 Eva Trager Memorial. First introduced in 2012, the memorial recognizes individuals who made a significant impact on the vitality of downtown Northampton during their lifetimes. Eligible nominees for this year’s memorial are people who have passed away since the event was last held in September 2019. Nominations are due no later than Monday, July 24.

Hailed as the ‘queen of Main Street,’ Trager distinguished herself as a successful businesswoman and cherished champion for downtown for nearly 50 years. Named in her honor, the memorial celebrates the lifetime and exemplary achievements of those who demonstrated a personal commitment and dedication to downtown Northampton and the community.

“The Eva Trager Memorial is a posthumous honor and celebrates those who left a legacy of giving and caring that never went unnoticed,” said Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. “Past inductees embodied a spirit of community that was evident in the impact that they had as business owners, community ambassadors, commercial developers, and highly respected influencers. This is a lifetime achievement and incredible tribute to those who lived with great purpose and steady hope for a vibrant downtown.”

Nominations may be submitted online at evatragermemorial.com. The list of honorees selected this year will be announced by Aug. 4. The Eva Trager Memorial Ceremony will take place on Friday, Sept. 8, in front of the Owl at 157 Main St. in downtown Northampton.

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce welcomed five new board members at its first meeting of 2023 last month. The group brings a diverse set of complementary skills and deep experience in entrepreneurship, community building, and leadership.

“I am honored to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic group of community and business leaders join our board of directors. Several of them have already been involved as volunteers on our various committees and engaged in our programs,” said Vince Jackson, the chamber’s executive director.

The new board members are Erin Cahillane, Jillian Duclos, Ebru Kardan, Nanci Newton, and Amanda Shafii. “Our newest board members have a deep connection to and investment in our business and cultural communities, and I am already energized by their passion for our shared work,” Jackson said.

Cahillane is the Amherst Fund coordinator at Amherst College and president of the Northampton St. Patrick’s Assoc. She received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Keene State College and a master’s degree in communications and new media marketing from Southern New Hampshire University. Born and raised in Northampton, her local perspective, paired with a decade of work in the nonprofit sector, helps her consider the many smaller communities that come together to make Northampton unique. “I know that it takes all different kinds of businesses and personalities to have a successful and thriving community, and I am honored to be joining the chamber board,” she said.

Duclos is vice president of Operations for Roberto’s in Northampton. After earning a bachelor’s degree in politics at Mount Holyoke College, she explored many different paths, moving away to work in politics, then public relations, then for nonprofits. “In doing so,” she recalled, “I learned that the best place to make a real impact is in my community. Now I run a restaurant and am in the process of starting a nonprofit that aims to support and uplift the female entrepreneurs in Northampton. I look forward to using that experience to explore the best ways we can work together to make Northampton thrive.”

Kardan is senior director of Diversity Communications and Events at UMass Amherst. She holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and art history from Rutgers University. At UMass, she provides leadership and oversight for internal and external visibility efforts of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, and implements campus-wide campaigns that strategically advance the university’s strategic goals around diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I am deeply interested in keeping Northampton a vibrant and diverse community of choice, with thriving businesses of all sorts,” she said.

Newton is a licensed massage therapist and owner of the Healing ZONE Therapeutic Massage in Hadley. She studied at the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge and holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Westfield State College. A member of the chamber for more than 20 years, she enjoys “being a part of a community that supports our friends, colleagues, and neighbors.” Newton is active in the local nonprofit community, volunteering for many events for Cancer Connection, Safe Passage, and others, in addition to her work with the chamber.

Shafii is the owner of CopyCat in Northampton. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology/neuroscience from UMass Amherst, where she also minored in sociology. “As a resident and small-business owner in the area, the connections that I make with people in our community bring a sense of purpose and happiness to my life. Shopping local and supporting local business not only directly affects my business, but, most importantly, keeps our area unique, diverse, and a beautiful place to live. I look forward to the opportunity as a new board member to support our community and create positive impacts in the Greater Northampton area.”

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has installed a new, state-of-the-art gift-card kiosk on the second floor of Thornes Marketplace in downtown Northampton. The kiosk allows shoppers to buy a Northampton Gift Card or check the balance on an existing card any time Thornes is open to the public.

The Northampton Gift Card program, which has been celebrating its 15th anniversary all year long, enables card holders to redeem their cards at more than 70 participating restaurants, retailers, salons, and other services throughout the Great Northampton area. Since its inception, the program has infused almost $5 million into the local economy.

The new self-service kiosk at Thornes is the latest investment and replaced the previous machine, which was at least 12 years old. Another big investment in the program earlier this year was Keiter Corporation’s $10,000 donation and the ‘Keiter Card’ promotion that allowed shoppers to buy a $50 gift card for just $25. Also, nearly two dozen new merchants have joined the program as part of this year’s anniversary celebration.

“The Northampton Gift Card program has always been the perfect way to keep our local dollars local, and we’re happy to make the purchasing process even smoother with our new kiosk,” said Vince Jackson, executive director of the chamber.

In addition to using the new kiosk, shoppers can purchase the Northampton Gift Card online at northamptongiftcard.com, by phone at (413) 584-1900, or in person at the chamber offices at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday). Current sponsors of the Northampton Gift Card program are PeoplesBank and Coca-Cola.

NORTHAMPTON — Vince Jackson, executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, was recognized last week with the Black Excellence Award, given by the Massachusetts Legislature’s Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.

Jackson was nominated by state Sen. Jo Comerford to receive the award as part of the third annual Black Excellence on the Hill event, a celebration of black culture, excellence, and achievement in the Commonwealth organized by the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.

As executive director of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce and the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council, Jackson brings nearly two decades of experience in business, including as the founder, president, and CEO of Marketing Moves Inc., as well as a successful career at PepsiCo, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble. His background also includes an appointment as lecturer of marketing courses at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.

“Vince has led the chamber and council throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis with grace and grit,” Comerford said. “I am humbled by his generosity and passion to help Main Street businesses, his unparalleled willingness to collaborate, and his commitment to and leadership focused on equity. I am beyond proud to honor Vince and celebrate his impact on our community.”

Jackson has diversified the chamber’s board of directors, which now more closely reflects the broader community. Under his leadership, the chamber revised its mission statement based on a diversity training by Human in Common. The chamber is also conducting a survey to identify businesses that are owned by black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), intending to maintain a listing and encourage the community to increase their support of these businesses.

Jackson has an MBA in marketing and finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in information systems and accounting from Grambling State University.

NORTHAMPTON — Learning to be an active bystander and interrupting racism before it escalates is critical to creating cultural change in the workplace, schools, and communities. Human in Common is poised and ready to help. This innovative business teaches individuals to effectively interrupt bias and discrimination and create policies and practices that amplify racial equity.

The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce has invited Human in Common to offer its timely training, “Interrupting Racism: Policies, Practices, and Everyday Acts of Solidarity for Businesses and Nonprofits.” This two-part Zoom training will occur on Thursday, June 25 from 1 to 4 p.m., and Monday, June 29 from 1 to 4 p.m.

This training begins with a timeline of the history of racism in the U.S. to bring awareness to the conditions that have led to systemic racism. Participants will develop a diversity mission statement, practice six ‘ethical upstander’ methods for interrupting racism in the workplace, explore policies and practices to amplify racial equity, and engage in small breakout groups to practice anti-racism skills using real-life scenarios.

Human in Common Director Deborah Cohen noted that the Harvard Business Review and the Equal Opportunity Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that, after 30 years of legislation, racial and sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace are still at epicemic levels, and traditional diversity trainings don’t seem to be working. The EEOC, Harvard Business Review, and now Forbes are recommending active bystander training to prepare workers with the skills to appropriately intervene.

“Too often, well-intentioned people want to do the right thing, but are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing, and as a result remain silent,” Cohen said. “This workshop breaks it down, teaching specific skills and providing opportunities to practice in a supportive environment. The result is greater awareness, confidence, and ability to nip problems in the bud. Participants leave with a diversity mission statement, language for effectively and respectfully interrupting bias, and specific policies and practices to amplify racial equity.”

The event webpage is bit.ly/2MMrNmr, or visit www.facebook.com/events/193655011884223.