Lynn Toole is the current President of the New Direction Board. She brings a breadth of both medical and entrepreneurial experience to the New Direction team as both a Registered Nurse and Hotel Owner/Operator. She joined the board in April of 2017 after an invitation from Judy Williams. They were introduced as a result of Lynn seeking assistance for a young friend who was in late term pregnancy. She was so impressed by the ministry and how New Direction Women’s Center serves the community that she had a heartfelt desire to serve in some way. As well as serving as a New Direction Board member, Lynn has served in her parish in pastoral ministry and religious education.

She is the mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 2. She and her husband, Joe, of 38 years live in Lenox.

Gregory Phelan is an assistant professor of economics at Williams College. He earned his graduate and undergraduate degrees from Yale University and has experience working as a proprietary trader.

Greg enjoys spending lots of time with his wife and sons, swimming, running, cooking, playing guitar, and reading. His favorite books are Lord of the Rings and anything by Tim Keller.

Jessica Burdick became a board member of New Direction in April 2016. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she came to the Berkshires in 1972. Mrs. Burdick recently retired from a 30-year teaching career in the Berkshire County Public Schools where she enjoyed teaching elementary classroom and music. She earned both her BS and Masters in Education at Berkshire County State College. A mother of two and grandmother of five, she feels strongly about the importance of helping young mothers give their babies a healthy start in life.

She feels the mission of New Direction is important to the community to build strong families and support those who need a caring and compassionate place to find help. Mrs. Burdick lives with her husband, Bob, in Berkshire County.

Douglas Duncan was born and raised in Detroit Michigan; the second of four children. Douglas accepted Christ at the age of 12 and began sharing his faith with his friends during a Bible study he started before school each day with fellow athletes, which continued throughout high school. It was during one of these Bible studies that he met the wonderful girl he would later marry.

After high school, he attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where he studied Missions. He served a short stint as a missionary to Ghana, West Africa and later settled in to serve as the Chaplain for two hospitals downtown Chicago.

In 1990 Douglas accepted the call to pastor the Community Bible Church of Williamstown, in Williamstown, MA; where he has served for 23 years. Douglas and his wife, Gail, have four children ranging from 13 years to 25. Douglas is presently completing his doctorate of ministry in counseling at Westminster Theological Seminary. In addition to pastoral ministry, Douglas enjoys athletics, fishing, hiking, and spending time with his family and his grandson.