GREAT BARRINGTON, MA— Community Access to the Arts (CATA) hires Camille Roos as Resident Visual Arts Faculty, Alex James as Program Coordinator, and Karen Advokaat as Office Manager. CATA also welcomes new board members Meg Mortimer, David Poppick, and David Rosenthal.
CATA has dramatically grown and deepened programs serving people with disabilities in recent years, with an innovative, community-based model rooted in strong partnerships with disability agencies, day-habilitation programs, residences, and schools. CATA currently provides more than 3,000 arts workshops annually for 1,300 children, teens, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, and brain injuries.
“We are thrilled to welcome three outstanding new staff members to CATA’s team, along with three new leaders to our Board,” says Margaret Keller, CATA’s Executive Director. “Their experience, talent, and passion will help advance CATA’s mission to nurture and celebrate the artistry of people with disabilities as we grow as an organization.”
New CATA Staff Appointments:
Camille Roos (she/her) is a multimedia artist using paint and installation to convey the relationship between our bodies and the habitats they belong to. She has worked as an educator at Flying Deer Nature Center, Mountainside Treatment Center, and the Montessori School; and has participated in artist residency programs at Prisma Estúdio in Lisbon, Portugal and Babayan Culture House in Cappadocia, Turkey. Camille holds a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Goddard College with additional certifications as an Usui Reiki Master, Professional End of Life Doula, and Wilderness Instructor. In her new role as CATA Resident Faculty Artist, Camille will lead arts workshops in CATA’s Great Barrington studio, as well as at disability agencies that CATA partners with across the Berkshires and in Columbia County, NY.
Alex James (she/her) comes to CATA with a background in administration and management, having previously worked with the neurodivergent population as well as in the performing arts. Alex has a degree in Theatre Arts from Pace University, and worked in theatre management in New York City for years before relocating to the Berkshires. Since then, she has worked as the Company Manager for Berkshire Theatre Group and as the Office Manager for CIP Berkshire. Alex is thrilled to bring her skills to the team at CATA as the Program Coordinator for Agency & School Partners.
Karen Advocaat (she/her) has over 20 years of administrative and operations experience at nonprofit organizations in higher education, environmental education/conservation, and senior living. Her positions prior to joining CATA included being the Office Manager at Berkshire Place and, before that, the Associate Director of Finance and Administration at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. She loves thinking through processes, organizing almost anything, and creating systems. In her free time, Karen enjoys gardening, birding, being in nature, and baking.
New CATA Board Appointments:
Meg Mortimer (she/her) spent the last four decades as a talent representative for actors and creators—many of whom have been nominated for or received major awards including Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Golden Globes, and Grammys. Her deep insight into what nurtures and sustains an artist’s creativity makes her a natural fit for involvement with CATA. Meg’s beloved brother Jeff lived with mental illness for most of his life, and she witnessed firsthand how the arts brought him joy and confidence. In high school and college, Meg volunteered in elementary schools serving children facing physical, emotional, and financial challenges, helping to introduce the arts into their daily lives. A graduate of Syracuse University, Meg now resides with her husband, David Lloyd, in New York City and Spencertown, New York.
David Poppick (he/him) moved from New York to Williamstown in 2022 with his wife Libbie to enjoy the Berkshires as he has since the 1960s. They have three adult children. He retired from his 43-year legal career in 2023, with 30 years at a national law firm representing primarily corporations for employment advice and litigation, while also performing pro bono work for non-profit organizations and as a mediator for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. In 2015, the law firm granted him a two-year sabbatical to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in the country of Georgia where he worked at a center for people with disabilities and gave trainings to students and adults about financial literacy, employment skills and human rights, including some collaborations with lawyers about U.S. Supreme Court decisions and federal laws. A strong proponent of community volunteer work, in addition to CATA, David is on the Board of Images Cinema in Williamstown and the Board of a Maine summer residency program for writers, artists and musicians. He previously served on the School Board and two related School Foundations in his prior hometown.
David Rosenthal (he/him) is a native of New Jersey who credits his lifelong appreciation for community and culture to early influences including Bruce Springsteen and the enduring spirit of the E Street Nation. After several years of travel, he earned his B.A. from Connecticut College in 1978. He began his professional career in New York City as a Risk Management Consultant with St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company, where he also completed his ALCM and ARM professional designations. He later served as Risk Manager for The Edison Companies before founding tsmit limited, inc. in 1991. The firm, an independent global consulting practice, continues to operate today from his home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he has lived part- or full-time since the late 1980s. Introduced to CATA more than two decades ago by a college friend, he was deeply moved by the organization’s inclusive mission. With the encouragement of his late wife, Martha, and in her memory, his support for CATA has continued to grow. His prior board service includes the Maroons Soccer Club, the Jamboree Scholarship Board, WordXWord, the Country Club of Pittsfield, Berkshire Grown, and the New York State Restaurant Association Services Board.
About Community Access to the Arts (CATA):
Community Access to the Arts is a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing and celebrating the creativity of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and autism. CATA engages 1,300 people with disabilities across 16 towns and cities in Berkshire County, MA and Columbia County, NY. Through dynamic arts programs, CATA artists with disabilities are empowered to discover new talents and express their unique perspectives. CATA shares their vibrant work in public performances, art exhibits, and poetry readings— collaborating with major cultural institutions including the Clark Art Institute, The Mount, and Shakespeare & Company to shine a light on the remarkable creative abilities of people with disabilities. Learn more at CATAarts.org.
