Berkshire Healthcare Senior Leadership Team
David E. Phelps, Chief Executive Officer
William Jones, President
Donald P. Burt, Jr., MD, Chief Medical Officer
Lisa A. Gaudet, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing
Albert A. Ingegni, III, Vice President of Housing Services
Jill Landis, RN, Vice President of Quality Management
Debbie Richardson, Vice President of Talent Management
Cathy Symanski, Associate Vice President of Fiscal Services
Jill Zucco, Vice President of Operations
David E. Phelps
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Phelps was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Health Systems, Inc. and Berkshire Healthcare Systems, Inc. in 1993. He has served on multiple health-affiliated boards and committees including the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals, the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority, and the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Healthcare. He is a former Chairman of the Pittsfield Economic Development authority and currently serves on the Board of the Berkshire Business Roundtable.
Mr. Phelps received a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s College and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mr. Jones joined Berkshire Healthcare Systems as Chief Financial Officer in 1989 and was most recently Executive Vice President and was named President in 2011. He is responsible for oversight of all aspects of the company, including its successful diversification into assisted living, hospice services and pharmacy services. Prior to joining Berkshire, Mr. Jones was an audit manager with Heffler & Company, a Certified Public Accounting firm located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where his responsibilities included leading audit engagements and consulting services for broad-based healthcare clientele.
Mr. Jones holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from LaSalle University, granted in 1984 and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, granted in 1999. He serves on a number of boards and is the past Chairman of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, representing skilled nursing, assisted living, residential care and continuing care retirement communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Donald P. Burt, Jr., MD
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Burt joined BHCS in 2018 as Chief Medical Officer following two years as a member of the BHCS Board. He is responsible for oversight of BHCS’ quality platform, clinical programs, and physician services to all affiliates, as well as leading partnerships with the ACO community and developing programs and services to meet the needs of other health systems partners across Massachusetts.
Dr. Burt is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Berkshire Medical Center and is certified with the National Board of Medical Examiners, the National Board of Internal Medicine, and from 1992-2002, the American Board of Geriatric Medicine. For many years he had an internal medicine and geriatrics practice in the Berkshires, and he is a past medical director of Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center.
Lisa A. Gaudet
Vice President of Business Development and Marketing
Ms. Gaudet has been with BHCS since 2009, and she is responsible for oversight of new business development initiatives including mergers, acquisitions, and all efforts to build and develop Berkshire’s brand. She has served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging and as a commission member for LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technologies, and has presented extensively on the aging demographic and the role of care technologies including to the United Nations World Aging Conference.
Ms. Gaudet holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Suffolk University and an MBA from the University at Albany in Albany, New York.
Albert A. Ingegni, III
Vice President of Housing Services
Mr. Ingegni has been part of the Berkshire County health care community since 1985 when he was named Executive Vice President of Hillcrest Lands, Inc., an affiliate of Hillcrest Hospital. As Vice President of Housing Services, Mr. Ingegni is responsible for facilitating the strategic initiatives at Berkshire Retirement Community, Inc.; the Kimball Farms Continuing Care Retirement Community located in Lenox, MA; Linda Manor Assisted Living Community in Northampton, MA; and IntegriScript Pharmacy.
He has been active in numerous community organizations and economic development efforts. He is a member and past Chairman of the Pittsfield Council on Aging and is also the Western District Regional Leadership Council Chairman for the Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities Association.
Mr. Ingegni received both a Bachelor of Arts and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Jill Landis, RN
Vice President of Quality Management
As Vice President of Quality Management, Ms. Landis is responsible for quality operations in all post acute care services provided by BHCS. She is a member of the Department of Health Informal Dispute Resolution Committee and, as a member of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, she has been a featured speaker at healthcare conferences on quality management topics.
Prior to joining BHCS in 2008, Ms. Landis was a regional nurse manager with Genesis Health Care where her responsibilities included the management of quality outcomes for nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Ms. Landis holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania and is certified in Rehabilitation Nursing.
Debbie Richardson
Vice President of Talent Management
Ms. Richardson joined BHCS in 2006 as Director of Education. As Vice President of Talent Management, she provides overall strategic leadership for all aspects of talent management and human resources including talent acquisition, retention, recognition, compensation and benefits, training and development, leadership development, and employee relations.
Prior to joining Berkshire Healthcare, Ms. Richardson was the Executive Director of a continuum of care community at the Village at Laurel Lake in Lee Massachusetts.
She is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition/Dietetics from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Education from Bridgewater State University.
Cathy Symanski
Associate Vice President of Fiscal Services
Ms. Symanski has been with BHCS since 2000 and has been in her current role since May 2017. She is responsible for financial reporting, budgetary oversight and implementation of fiscal strategy for all entities within Berkshire Healthcare Systems. She started her career at Price Waterhouse in Hartford, CT and spent many years operating a small payroll company prior to coming to BHCS. Ms. Symanski holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Western New England University in Springfield, MA.
Jill Zucco
Vice President of Operations
Ms. Zucco has responsibility for the operations oversight of 15 skilled nursing affiliates across Massachusetts and two hospice organizations located in the Pioneer Valley and Berkshire County. Ms. Zucco has experience in long term care administration both as an Administrator and Director of Operations. She is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator in both Massachusetts and New York.
Prior to joining Berkshire in 2006, Ms. Zucco was Director of Operations for Kindred Healthcare, a publicly held healthcare organization located in Louisville, Kentucky. She was responsible for operational oversight of 12 skilled nursing facilities within the greater Boston area.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from the State University of New York at Cortland.