Our Team

Jane is an accomplished leader, speaker and mentor who has made history as a political leader, and has served her state and nation as an education leader and advocate. She is fiercely loyal to her hometown of North Adams, Massachusetts where she learned the values, attained the skills and was given the opportunity to create a life of purpose. Over three decades working in the public, private and non-profit sectors, she has striven to provide those same pathways to her neighbors in the Berkshires, the residents of Massachusetts, and young people across the country.

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Jane founded Cobble Hill Farm Education and Rescue Center, serving as the Board President and its strategic leader. The Center is located on the farm where she and her late husband, Chuck, raised their three daughters. In establishing the non-profit Jane seeks to draw on the connections and knowledge she has garnered through three decades of leadership on education and public policy issues. Her goal is to create a Center to serve the community she and her family love - the Northern Berkshire region. Jane has always attracted top talent to her teams and the Center at the farm will benefit from her ability to inspire others, to give them leadership opportunities and to provide them with the tools and support to succeed. The Center will be a place where students come to explore opportunities, where residents and visitors are able to better understand and support small family agriculture, and where farm animals in need of rescue find respite. 

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Jane is an accomplished manager, strategic thinker, fundraiser and most of all a hard worker. Each of these skills will be leveraged as the Farm builds out its ECCO Summer and After School Programs, its Animal Rescue, and its AirBnB and farm products businesses which will provide both programming for the Center and revenue to sustain its operations. Jane served for fifteen years in state government, including holding the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation and State Senator. She served as the youngest woman ever elected to the Massachusetts Senate, as the first woman in United States History to give birth (to twins) while serving as Governor. Since leaving public office, she has held roles as a chief executive officer; a board chair, member and committee chair to public, private and not-for-profit institutions; an adviser to entrepreneurial education companies; and as a partner in a venture capital fund. She brings to each new challenge a transformational leadership style, a passion for educational excellence and innovation and deep experience and success in leading mission-focused organizations.

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Jane is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford where she also received an honorary Doctorate degree. She has taught Leadership Studies at Williams College and at the Rappaport Center at Boston College Law School. Jane is most proud of her three daughters, Elizabeth, Lauren & Sarah.