Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Names Rebecca Busansky Executive Director

GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire Agriculture Ventures (BAV) announced the appointment of Rebecca Busansky as its new executive director, following the successful tenure of interim Executive Director Glenn Bergman.

Bergman’s leadership during a critical period at BAV resulted in significant advancement for the organization over the past two and a half years. Under his guidance, BAV experienced solid growth as he built a team of experts to lead BAV’s programs and successfully secured support for the organization’s initiatives. Bergman will collaborate with Busansky over the upcoming month to ensure a smooth transition.

Busansky was formerly a program director at the Franklin County Community Development Corp. (FCCDC). Busansky joined the FCCDC in 2015, and her work focused on helping local farms thrive and increasing food access. During her time there, Busansky and her team launched the PVGrows Investment Fund, an innovative community-investment vehicle that provides financing and technical assistance to farms and local food entrepreneurs, primarily in Western Mass. She also managed the Massachusetts Food Trust Program, which provides financing to increase the availability of affordable, healthy food in underserved communities across the Commonwealth, since its inception in 2018.

“Rebecca’s experience could not be more aligned with BAV’s mission and offerings,” said Thomas Gardner, BAV board president. “She brings a wealth of knowledge on farming and food systems in our region. While Glenn’s presence and leadership will be greatly missed, we’re thrilled to welcome Rebecca, who we believe is an excellent champion to move forward our mission. We are very excited that she is joining us.”

Since its founding in 2016 BAV has played a critical role in supporting Berkshire-Taconic region farms and local food businesses. Overall, the organization has provided $1.6 million in low-interest loans and more than $85,000 in microgrants, and provided more than $500,000 (equaling approximately 150 hours) in direct technical assistance to more than 90 local farms and agricultural businesses.

“I am honored and excited to take on the role of executive director at Berkshire Agricultural Ventures,” said Busansky, who holds an undergraduate degree from Brown University and has worked in the community economic-development field for more than 30 years. “I look forward to working with the talented team here to build on the organization’s success and together continue to bring new ideas and innovations to our work.”