BIOS
H. Jake Eberwein
H. Jake Eberwein, Ed.D., has been a public educator since 1994, serving in a variety of roles from classroom teacher to college dean. After 10 years as a high school science and mathematics teacher, he served as the principal of Pittsfield High School (2003-2007), later moving into the role of Pittsfield’s Deputy Superintendent (2007) and Superintendent of Schools (2008 through 2012). During that time Dr. Eberwein served as the co- chair of the Urban Superintendents Network, led the application and planning process for the new Taconic High School, closed achievement gaps, lowered dropout/raised graduation rates, and strengthened relationships with community partners. In 2012, he assumed the role of Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts where he led the development of a new leadership licensure program, facilitated Common Core county-wide PD, launched new degree completion programs, and led the Feigenbaum MCLA Leads Initiative, and the Berkshire Compact for Education. Jake returned to public education in 2018 as a part-time Superintendent in Lee, balanced with consulting work connected to BERK12 and the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation - work focused on supporting research related to and implementation of educational solutions. He served as interim Superintendent of the Lenox Public Schools from December 2022 to June 2023, and is currently leading the BERK12 efforts in various areas, including serving as the Project Manager/Lead Researcher of the Regional School District Planning Board. Dr. Eberwein has and continues to serve on a number of state-wide and local boards/committees. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology/Chemistry from Skidmore College, his Masters from MCLA, and his doctoral degree from UMass Amherst. He shares his life with his wife, five children, and pets in Dalton.
Brendan Sheran
Brendan Sheran has been an educator in the Berkshires for 18 years. A National Board Certified Teacher, he taught social studies for ten years at Pittsfield High School and served as a department chair as well as president of the city's teachers union (2013-2017). He continued his development as an educational leader in Pittsfield by serving as Pittsfield High School's first Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning (2017-2021), helping to lead the school out of state turnaround status, improve instructional practices, and navigate the complexities of running a school during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, he has taught undergraduate education courses at both Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and UMass Amherst. Brendan is a pragmatic and collaborative leader who has a unique blend of teaching, administrative, and labor relations experience. He has worked with BERK12 for three years as a consultant and project facilitator for The Berkshire Portrait of a Graduate collaboration and various cross district projects bringing together community members and stakeholders across the region. His technical support and vision has also established many high quality county wide professional learning opportunities for teachers and administrators. Brendan holds a BA in History from UMass Amherst, an M.Ed and CAGS in Educational Leadership from the MCLA. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Education Leadership and Policy at UMass Amherst
Mary Nash
Mary Nash of Nash Insights has done extensive evaluation and consulting work, helping schools, colleges, nonprofit organizations, foundations, health care systems, and collaborative groups assess needs as well as develop, implement, and evaluate programs. She is highly experienced at conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews among varied audiences and skilled at presenting results in clear, engaging formats. Mary has worked with the Berkshire Educational Task Force since 2020 doing community outreach to gather input from students, educators, parents, employers, elected officials, and other community members regarding the future of education in Berkshire County. She is a graduate of Connecticut College, has an MBA from Boston University’s Questrom School of Management, and earned certificates of Evaluation Practice and Analytical Evaluation Methods from The Evaluators’ Institute of Claremont Graduate University. Mary serves on the board of directors of Flying Cloud Institute and the MCLA Foundation.
Judy Rush
Judy Rush's experience in education spans over three decades. This includes teaching all grade levels from Pre-K to high school and senior leadership roles at both the school building level and central office administration. Judy has served as the principal of Egremont Elementary School and is currently the Director of Teaching and Learning for the Pittsfield Public Schools. Her experience has led her to become an Educational Consultant with SchoolWorks where she contributes to advancing student learning by empowering educators and institutions to effectively assess, plan, and achieve student success. Additionally, Judy plays a pivotal role in supporting and mentoring teaching candidates to achieve licensure in her role as an Instructional Consultant for Class Measures. Judy's professional journey came as a second career with ten years spent in human resources and finance management within a Fortune 500 company. She is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) where she has been able to link her prior business experience to support best practices in school budgeting which has been instrumental in her work writing and managing millions of dollars worth of competitive and entitlement grants. Judy is active in many county committees including membership on the boards of the Berkshire Museum and Berkshire County Head Start. She received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Management, and Accounting from Monmouth University and a Masters in Education from Cambridge College.
Abrahams Group
The Abrahams Group is a group of independent consultants who work with Mark D. Abrahams, President of The Abrahams Group, and have worked together for over 20 years. The Abrahams Group is duly licensed, registered, or otherwise qualified to perform the services described in the RFQ.
Mr. Mark D. Abrahams will serve as the lead and be responsible for the successful completion of associated project tasks. As such, The Abrahams Group will serve as a prime contractor for this project. Mr. Abrahams has over 30 years of experience in related projects. Mr. Abrahams has conducted financial reviews of the administration and business offices for the Ashland, Barnstable, Concord, Dunstable, Hanover, Hopkinton, Hull, Longmeadow, Norwood, Revere, Watertown, Wayland, and Westfield school systems. He also is experienced in working with Massachusetts regional school districts having worked with Acton-Boxborough, Amherst-Pelham, Ayer-Shirley, Berlin-Boylston, Berkshire Hills, Chatham-Harwich (Monomoy), Dennis-Yarmouth, Dighton-Rehoboth, Greater Lowell, Greater New Bedford, Groton-Dunstable, Minuteman, Northeast Metropolitan, Somerset Berkley, Up-Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Mohawk Trail, and Wachusett. Mark Abrahams is the Fiscal Overseer of Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District. Mr. Abrahams has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Lake Forest College, a master’s degree in Political Science from the Urban Studies Institute of the University of Toledo, and an MBA from Suffolk University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Government Financial Manager.
Mr. Matthew A. Abrahams, Principal of The Abrahams Group, will serve as staff on this project and be primarily responsible for the financial tasks. Matthew has assisted his father on several similar projects including the Amherst-Pelham regionalization and assessment methodology studies, the Berkshire Hills assessment methodology study, the Berkshire Hills – Southern Berkshire regionalization study, the Berlin-Boylston regionalization study, the Dennis/Dennis-Yarmouth regionalization study, the Dighton-Rehoboth assessment methodology study, the Dracut operational review, the Gill Montague – Pioneer Valley regionalization study, the Groton-Dunstable operational review, the Mount Greylock regionalization study, and the Saugus Public Schools and Wayland Public Schools reviews. He has assisted several districts with implementing the general ledger system including the Greenfield, Nantucket, and Newburyport school districts and the Dighton-Rehoboth, Greater New Bedford, Lincoln-Sudbury and Northeast Metropolitan Regional School Districts. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics/computer science from Colgate University.
Robert R. Putnam
Robert R. Putnam has been actively engaged in Berkshire County public education since 1985 when he served as the Berkshire County liaison for the National Coalition for School Improvement. Over the course of his career he has served as an elementary classroom teacher, elementary and middle school music teacher, curriculum director, elementary and middle school principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent in Berkshire County Schools. He holds an Ed.D in curriculum studies from UMass and has completed training in curriculum auditing with Fenwick English, Understanding by Design with Grant Wiggins, instructional practice at the Institute for Learning with Lauren Resnick, leadership training with the National Institute for School Leadership, and Observing and Analyzing Teaching with Jon Saphir at Research for Better Teaching. After retiring in 2018, he worked with the Statewide System of Support in schools in western and central Massachusetts, the Berkshire County Education Task Force, and he has served in interim administrative positions in the count
Dave King
Mr. King previously served as the chief fiscal officer of the Waltham Schools for 28 years. Mr King has also held interim positions as Assistant Superintendent, Business Manager and Treasurer in Weston, Attleboro, Southbridge, Watertown, and the Northborough–Southborough Public Schools. He is trained in government and non-profit systems analysis as well as educational finance and administration. He served as the School Building Committee Chairman for 9 years. In this capacity Mr. King developed and supervised a $180 million facilities renewal project. In this role he developed, prepared, and managed the School Department’s section of the integrated City of Waltham budget. He also developed and managed the School Department’s accounting system, in compliance with DESE standards.
He has served as the team fiscal consultant on 14 DESE district reviews, including the Pittsfield, West Springfield. Athol-Royalston and Gill-Monatgue school districts. He has been a team member for 15 Financial Operation Reviews and 10 Student Activity Account Audits for MASBO including a study of the Mount Greylock schools in preparation for their full regionalization. He has assisted the Abrahams Group on several educational management studies, including developing the Westfield Public School’s budget and conducting a review of the Needham and Beverly Public Schools transportation services, a comparative review of the Narragansett region, and the review of the Braintree, Hanover, Ipswich, and Wayland Public Schools. He is a certified School Business Official, has an A.B. in Economics (minor in Mathematics) from Hobart College, an M.S. in Business Administration from the University of Rochester, Simon School of Management and a MEd in Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts (Boston).