About Us

Marilyn brings her commitment of being a dedicated professional and life long entrepreneur in the field of human potential, personal empowerment and transformative change to all areas of her board position at the Becket Arts Center. She loves seeing the evolution and growth of the art center as it becomes a hub for creative engagement for all ages and abilities. She’s a firm believer that the arts, in any form, is a vehicle for the health and well-being of the individual, thus supporting the vibrancy of the community.

Following an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Secondary Education she pursued additional certifications as a childbirth educator, massage therapist and life coach. A natural at networking and bringing people together, she founded and facilitated a regional association for wellness professionals as a means to drive connection and create community. 

Under the umbrella of the Boston Women’s Health Collective she supported pregnant inmates at MCI Framingham as well as birth education and doula services with Jewish Family and Children’s Services in their teen parent program. 

Her interests in mind body connection expanded into a thirty year career in massage therapy alongside a thriving life coaching practice.  To support her coaching clients she penned a monthly blog, created an exploratory and action oriented workbook, “10 Practices of Personal Sustainability. The Savvy Persons Guide to Conscious Living.” As a keynote speaker, workshop and retreat facilitator she was well known for her unique style of creativity inspiring a life of purpose, resilience and personal responsibility. Today, she continues to maintain a limited coaching practice. 

With her husband Stan she has enjoyed life in Becket since 2005. Their home, friends, visiting children and grandchildren are a great joy and inspiration that drive her sense of purpose for the greater good through the arts. Her own art dabbling includes painting, photography, jewelry making, sewing, gardening and cooking. 

Deborah has spent her career serving the Disability Community – as a sign language interpreter, an administrator in the Office of Disability Services on college campuses and most recently as the Director of Development & Communications for American Friends of ALYN Hospital. ALYN is a pediatric rehabilitation facility in Jerusalem for children with both congenital and acquired physical disabilities (www.alynus.org).

Currently, Deborah volunteers with Adaptive Sports New England, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing participation in sports among New England youth and adults who have visual or mobility impairments (www.adaptivesportsne.org).

From a young age, having grown up outside of New York City, Deborah has always had access to museums, theatres, music venues and vast community spaces. Akin to her passion for providing access to sports to children with disabilities, she believes all forms of the arts should be accessible as well to anyone in the community who wishes to enjoy them. The inherent joy in creating and experiencing the arts benefits all those who are exposed. Deborah shares BAC’s vision to connect the community “through art and cultural experiences”!

Deborah holds an MA in International Affairs as well as an MA in Disability Studies.

When not in Becket, she lives in Boston with her husband, David Levenfeld. Together they have seven children, two granddaughters (so far) and four granddogs!

Judi Gooding has over three decades of nonprofit management experience leading comprehensive national maternal and child health programs and partnerships. Judi’s organizational expertise includes strategic planning, organizational operations, program development, marketing and communications, and volunteer and staff development. She has held leadership positions at the national office of the March of Dimes Foundation; The Fresh Air Fund; United Way of Stamford, Conn. (while teaching English to adult speakers of other languages in Stamford Public Adult Education); and as chief operating officer of the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ).

Since 2021, Judi has consulted with nonprofit organizations, providing strategic and long-term planning; executive team and board development; securing and building partnerships; media and marketing strategy; and fund development and grant writing.

Judi has happily dialed back her national consulting work to become more involved in the community surrounding Becket where she and her husband, Tim, have lived full-time since 2016. They were drawn to the area in 2006 by the rich and diverse cultural environment that fills the Berkshires with music, art, architecture, writing, history, theatre, and more. In addition to their dog, Ginger, and their Pygora goats and chickens, Tim and Judi have three sons and five grandchildren who love to visit Becket to walk through the woods with the goats, kayak on the many Berkshire ponds and lakes, and visit its many cultural offerings.

Lewis Popkin brings expertise in financial analysis, planning and budgeting, and operational management to his roles as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair for the Becket Arts Center. A seasoned merchandising and retail analytics executive, he has built a career marked by rigorous attention to detail, strategic thinking, and hands-on leadership. Lewis is Retail Analytics Manager at Dyson, where he supports data-driven decision-making for a global, innovation-focused brand. Prior to joining Dyson, Lewis spent nearly a decade as Senior Director of Sales Development at Guerlain, following earlier leadership roles in sales operations and planning at Elizabeth Arden, Macy’s, and Red Door Spa.

As Treasurer of the Becket Arts Center, Lewis is appreciated for his oversight of financial reporting and his commitment to clear, accurate, and timely information that supports sound Board governance. He brings a proactive, collaborative approach to stewardship of the organization’s resources and is deeply committed to ensuring the Art Center’s financial ability to serve the Becket community through arts and culture.

Lewis has lived year-round in Becket for over three decades, and he and his partner, Chris, spend half of each week in Becket and in Queens, N.Y. Lewis is a fully engaged presence at Becket Arts Center events, exhibits, programs, and performances, and he and Chris provide extensive volunteer support to programming, revenue development, and community connection.

Ann Morrison is a former editor for Time Inc. magazines in New York (Fortune), Hong Kong (Asiaweek) and London (Time). She has also taught journalism at Tsinghua University in Beijing and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po) in Paris.

Ann serves as a trustee of TheatreWorks!, a United Kingdom-based charity that provides free theater tickets to school children from disadvantaged communities, which is seeking to expand in the United States. She also serves as an advisory board member of the American Library in Paris and Alliance Française in Miami.

Ann and her husband Don, a columnist and advisory board co-chair at the Berkshire Eagle, have lived part-time in Becket for more than 40 years. The town, the lakes, the hiking trails, and the nearby cultural attractions have kept their sons, their families, their friends, and their friends’ families coming back year after year.

As a journalist abroad, Ann enjoyed learning about and living in different cultures. She has written on art and travel for Time, the New York Times, the Financial Times and other publications. Now retired and back in the U.S., she is happy to devote more time to the Becket community that has given her so much and to the Becket Arts Center, of which she has been a member for decades. Ann has served as Secretary of the Board of Trustees and continues to offer her writing and media experience to support the BAC’s community outreach and program promotion.

Ann Smith brings a rich blend of professional expertise, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement to the Becket Arts Center Board of Trustees. With decades of experience in the legal field and project management, Ann has played a vital role in shaping local organizations since moving to Becket with her husband, Ken, in 1986.

Ann serves on the boards of the Becket Land Trust (BLT) where she is Secretary and Treasurer and the Mullen House Education Center where she serves as Treasurer. The Smiths founded the BLT in 1993 to preserve and protect forests, wetlands, and wildlife, and to conserve lands for public appreciation. At the Mullen House, Ann has curated exhibits exploring Becket’s history. Her community leadership also has included serving as president of the Becket Washington PTO when her children were in school and captaining several adult tennis teams.

Over the past decade, Ann and Ken have developed a vibrant hobby farm, home to donkeys, poultry, vegetables, and flowers, and have hosted visitors on the Becket Arts Center garden tour. Their three grandchildren, who live nearby, are frequent visitors to the farm.

Ann’s hands-on involvement reflects her commitment to preserving and celebrating local heritage, and she looks forward to helping foster creativity throughout the community—ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to discover their own creativity and support others in their exploration.

Christopher Boswell brings a global and local perspective and a deep passion for the arts to the Becket Arts Center Board of Trustees.  He has curated international exhibitions since 1999, showcasing work by artists from the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Canada. As the owner and curator of CB Fine Arts in South Lee, Christopher brings a deep connection to the arts. His gallery, housed in a historic 1825 New England mill house, serves as a vibrant cultural destination in the Berkshires.

With a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University, Chris conducted graduate work in Art History at Queens College, N.Y. With art experience in Strasbourg, Cambridge, and Toronto, Christopher brings a global, interdisciplinary approach to his work. In addition to being a certified art handler and auctioneer, Christopher is a published journalist, and has written extensively on the arts, culture, politics, and travel—including work as a UN correspondent for a bilingual German newspaper.

Christopher’s commitment to community engagement is reflected in his service on the Board of Directors at the Berkshire South Regional Community Center. His involvement in the Becket Arts Center stems from a desire to support and grow local access to contemporary and diverse artistic voices, and he is committed to helping the Center expand its reach, build connections, and elevate its programming.

Dave Bacon brings over four decades of dedication to the Becket community and a lifelong commitment to the arts to his service as Trustee. A member of the Becket Arts Center since 1978, Dave has consistently supported local creative expression through both personal involvement and community leadership.

With his wife Linda, Dave owned and operated the legendary Canterbury Farm Nordic Center and Bed and Breakfast for 40 years, integrating outdoor recreation, hospitality, gardens, and cultural enrichment. In his decades-long landscape design and contracting business, Dave created community outdoor spaces, including Becket town parks and a full outdoor renovation at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival -- not only contributing to visual artistry, but in Dave’s words, “nurturing the slowest continuous performance art.”

Dave is also widely recognized and appreciated as a professional musician, including two decades of playing piano in various show bands that performed throughout New England, and is often seen at local venues in the Berkshires, including the Becket Arts Center.

Dave’s deep roots in the community are also reflected in his service on the Town of Becket’s Zoning Board of Appeals and Recreation Department, demonstrating his dedication to civic engagement and enhancing local quality of life. He is passionate about enriching the community through the arts and he brings a unique combination of artistic, entrepreneurial, and civic experience at the Becket Arts Center.

Jesse McElwain works as a communications consultant in the education, hospitality, climate crisis, and public health fields. His clients range from international non-profits and academic institutions to hospitality brands and small start-ups to nationally-recognized politicians and thought leaders. Jesse studied architecture and urban planning at Cornell University, spending most of his time creating programs that support hands-on experiences for students interested in sustainability and the climate movement. Since then, he has directed communications campaigns, assembled academic courses of study, launched a co-working space, scaled digital organizing platforms, and worked with school districts and community leaders to strengthen local food systems.

With more than a decade of experience working closely with community-led organizations, Jesse has particular expertise in streamlining operations and prioritizing strategic goals, segmenting audiences and homing in on how to best serve and communicate with each, crafting compelling and concise narratives to meet fundraising goals, and developing robust partnerships among unlikely collaborators. 

Jesse lives in the Town of Washington, where he serves on the Planning Board. You are likely to find him gleefully ripping out invasive plants in his garden, wandering along a river in the woods, or searching for a secluded swimming spot.

Jim is Professor Emeritus with Boston University's College of Fine Arts. He served as a professor and as director of the BU School of Theatre from 2002 - 2018. He also served as artistic director of the Boston region's New Repertory Theatre from 2012 - 2018. Petosa has directed Tom Stoppard and André Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at NYC's Town Hall and the operas Carmen (Peter Brook adaptation) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat among others. PTP/NYC credits include Monster, Spatter Pattern, A Question of Mercy, Therese Raquin, Somewhere in the Pacific, Marisol, Dog Plays, Statements After an Arrest, Good, Brecht on Brecht, among others. He also served as Artistic Director for the Olney Theatre Center, where directing credits include Democracy, Brooklyn Boy, Copenhagen, The Laramie Project, Art, The Miracle Worker, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Theatre J’s Collected Stories (received a Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Direction), and Look! We Have Come Through! (Charles MacArthur New Play nomination, Co-created with Carole Graham Lehman). A member of the Actor’s Equity Association and the Society of Directors and Choreographers, Petosa is the current President of Stage Source, the New England association of theatre organizations and practitioners. He teaches acting and directs for the Boston University Opera Institute.

Ken Cheeseman is a full time Becket resident, an actor who was a Senior Artist-in-Residence at Emerson College for 17 years, a guest lecturer for several colleges and universities and now teaches privately for the World Economic Forum and the Obama Foundation at Columbia University and at the Linklater International Voice Center in Orkney, Scotland. Ken has been seen off-Broadway in Scapin, Dr. Faustus, The Cherry Orchard and Amphitryon (Classic Stage Company), The Master Builder (Brooklyn Academy of Music), King Lear (La Mama ETC, Actors Shakespeare Project), A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Measure for Measure (Shakespeare in the Park/Public Theatre). Film and TV credits include: Shutter Island, Mystic River, Leaves of Grass, Joy, Next Stop Wonderland, Big Night, Monk, Law and Order, The Time Traveling Bong, Defending Jacob and the award-winning HBO series Olive Kitteridge. He recently finished filming a romantic comedy starring Emma Roberts, About Fate, in which he plays her Dad. He was seen this past summer at Shakespeare and Co. in debbie tucker green’s play hang, which ran from Sept. 19th to Oct. 3rd.

Paula is a professional Actor and Voice teacher currently residing full time in Becket, MA. In Fall of 2020 she was awarded the honor of Professor Emerita at Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Theatre where she was Associate Professor, taught for 24 years and served as Head of the BFA Acting program. She is currently teaching voice, acting, improvisation and storytelling privately and through Kristin Linklater Voice Centre, Orkney Scotland. Additional Teaching Credits: The Global Leadership Fellows at The World Economic Forum - Columbia University, Emerson College, University of Massachusetts, Wheaton College,Trinity Rep Conservatory, Shakespeare & Company, Actors' Shakespeare Project, Vineyard Playhouse, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Festa Di Teatro Ecologico - Stromboli, Italy. Acting Credits: American Repertory Theatre, PTP/ NYC, La Mama, etc. NYC, New Rep, Olney Theatre, Shakespeare & Company, LA Women's Shakespeare, Actors' Shakespeare Project, Company of Women, Boston Playwrights, Nora Theatre, Gloucester Stage, Charles Playhouse, Festa Di Teatro Ecologico, Italy. She is in the documentary "Giving Voice: An Actor's Journey with Kristin Linklater." Member: Actor's Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild , Voice and Speech Trainers Association.