Staff & Board of Directors

Previously a LitNet board member, Leigh has been at the helm as LitNet’s Executive Director since June 2020. An experienced school administrator, Leigh has served as the Associate Head of School at Berkshire Country Day School, as the Lower School
Director at the International School of Boston, and as the Lower School Head at Community Day Charter Public School in Lawrence, MA. Prior to that Leigh served as a Curriculum Coordinator at two international schools, one in Belgium and the other in Namibia. She has also been a preschool, elementary and middle school teacher mainly in multilingual settings.

Leigh was named as an honoree by Berkshire Magazine in their 2021’s “Berkshire 25”. This recognition is bestowed on community members who have made “extraordinary contributions to our way of life” in the Berkshires. In 2023, Leigh was awarded the Executive Leadership Award by the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires.

A Boston native, Leigh and her family moved to the Berkshires permanently when Leigh was in high school. As an adult, Leigh has spent many years living and working in Boston, in the Bay Area, as well as internationally (Namibia and Belgium) where she served as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, and teacher trainer on the international school circuit. Additionally, Leigh is a certified Executive Coach and has worked as a career, leadership, and team coach.

As LitNet’s Grants & Communications Coordinator, Amanda manages all aspects of LitNet’s grant writing, prospect research, and reporting. She keeps the community apprised of LitNet’s work by producing the organization’s monthly e-newsletter, writing press releases, and sharing LitNet stories and news in a variety of other ways. She is also a volunteer tutor.

Before joining LitNet in 2020, Amanda taught college writing as a professor in University at Albany’s Writing and Critical Inquiry Program. She has an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Her writing has been published in various magazines and literary journals, such as Virginia Quarterly Review, North American Review, Orion Magazine, and Sierra online, among others, and has three times been selected as “notable” in the Best American series.

Miguel joined LitNet in 2021 as our newly appointed Learner Liaison. In 2023, Miguel was promoted to be our Director of Tutoring.

Miguel possesses a professional certification in TOEFL (Teaching of English as a Foreign Language), training in TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Story Telling), and a certification in Medical Interpretation.

Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Miguel loves languages and appreciates being able to share the gift of language and communication with people. Fluent in Spanish and English, Miguel is also proficient in Portuguese. His previous experience includes teaching Spanish at Berkshire Country Day School, at St. Joseph’s in Pittsfield, and as a long-term substitute teacher at Lee High School. Miguel also served as an interpreter of Individual Educational Plans (IEP) at the Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School in Great Barrington, MA.

Miguel came with his family to the US from Colombia at age 10 and has been here since. He is a graduate of Monument Mountain High School. A talented soccer player who was inducted into the Berkshire County Soccer Hall of Fame in 2014, he has been an active soccer coach since 2015. Miguel continues to be the Head Coach for the Monument Mountain Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team and has done so since the 2021 season.

Susie joined LitNet as our Development and Operations Associate in May 2025. She brought her five years of experience managing fundraising databases and working with small non-profits to increase community engagement. First at Shaker Museum in Old Chatham, NY and then at the Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives, she worked successfully with staff, board, and varied committees to implement annual appeals, execute galas and concerts, and develop creative community events, all designed to celebrate and amplify the message and values of each institution.

Susie has been a stay-at-home mom, an interim Library director, served on the Lee School Committee, and was a Lee town representative. She is an avid reader, an obsessive knitter, and an aspiring weaver. She and her husband, Jim, raised four children in Lee and then re-filled their empty nest by becoming a Host Family for international students at Miss Hall’s School.

In September 2026, Leesly Collins came on board as LitNet’s Learner Liaison, serving as the primary bridge between the organization and its adult learners. Leesly, herself, an active LitNet learner since 2022, remains an engaged participant in LitNet classes and events.

Leesly brings a rich background in community advocacy, health education, and quality assurance to LitNet. Her nonprofit experience includes serving as an Immigrant Artist Advocate with Katunemo Art & Healing, providing administrative and intake support at Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), and assisting community members as a Community Integration Volunteer at Greylock Federal Credit Union. She holds a degree in Food Engineering from La Salle University in Bogotá, Colombia and a Community Health Worker certification from Berkshire Community College.

Originally from Colombia and currently residing in Pittsfield, Leesly is deeply connected to the Berkshire community. Her bilingual background and extensive history of community service drive her passion for supporting adult learners and expanding educational equity for immigrants in the region.

Leesly loves the beautiful nature of the Berkshires. She likes to hike and explore new places. She also loves to record visual and audio projects focused on the natural landscapes of The Berkshires. Leesly also loves to dance salsa whenever she has the chance.