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Board Member

Amy Cahillane is the Community and Economic Development Director for the City of Greenfield.  Amy graduated from Smith College in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in government and french studies, earned her juris doctorate in 1999 at Suffolk University School of Law and a master’s degree in political science at the University of Washington in 2005.  She has worked in a multitude of roles across the Northampton community. She was a board member and then co-president of the Northampton Education Foundation, and a member of both the Northampton Jazz Festival and Northampton Center for the Arts' boards. As part of the Northampton Center of Arts, She and other board members worked to provide affordable and accessible venues for a wide range of arts experiences, including performances, exhibits, arts education and more.  Over the last 7 years, Amy was the executive director for the Downtown Northampton Association. She guided the association and its volunteer board in initiatives to strengthen the vibrancy of the city’s economy and culture and built strong partnerships with the local business community, city government and downtown stakeholders.  She brings an extensive track record of strengthening Northampton's economic and cultural vitality to The Parlor Room.

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Board Member

Kimaya Diggs is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and prose writer born and raised in the music and dance communities of Western Massachusetts. She cut her teeth as a solo artist in the Valley's breweries, farmers markets, and venues such as the Iron Horse, the Parlor Room, and Race Street Live. Her first album, Breastfed, had a song land in the top ten on 93.9 The River's Best New Songs list the year it came out, and her sophomore album, Quincy, saw Kimaya playing the Green River Fest mainstage and supporting acts such as Trombone Shorty.

When not on stage, Kimaya works as a writer. She holds a degree in creative writing from Swarthmore College. Kimaya lives in Northampton with her husband and her dog.

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Executive Director

Chris Freeman currently holds the position of Executive Director at The Parlor Room. Prior to this role, he spent a decade on the road as a founding member of the band Parsonsfield. He toured extensively across North America playing thousands of shows in venues large and small. The band released five albums under the Signature Sounds label.

Having transitioned into the Executive Director role at The Parlor Room in February 2022, Freeman played a critical role in guiding the organization through a significant transition to non-profit status. This transformation solidified The Parlor Room's commitment to supporting artistic growth and community engagement.

As a Northampton resident deeply rooted in the local music scene, Chris remains devoted to the well-being of the musical community. His position as Executive Director allows him to channel this commitment and apply his extensive musical background to benefit The Parlor Room and the wider artistic community it serves.

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Board Member

Peter Hamelin has over 25 years of leadership experience in the Music Industry.  He co-founded the Parlor Room, Arcadia Folk Festival, and the Back Porch Festival.  He has produced major festivals and owned and operated The Stone Church Music Club in Newmarket, NH.  He has run multiple non-profits, including the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, and managed the careers of numerous nationally touring artists.  He is the Founder of Urgent Message Music, an artist management and live production company.  He lives in Northampton, MA, with his wife, two boys, and beloved pooch Conrad. 

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President / Board Member

Randy Krotowski is a retired corporate technology executive who has a passion for music as an enthusiastic audience member. After growing up in Toronto and spending his career in cities across North America, Randy and his wife, Margaret, spent a year looking for a community with the perfect blend of culture, music, food and outdoor activities. They moved to Northampton in 2015 and immersed themselves in everything this region has to offer. In the last seven years, Randy has been very involved with supporting entrepreneurship in the Valley and brings his experience serving on a variety of public and nonprofit boards along with strong governance and business experience to the Parlor Room.

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Treasurer / Board Member

David has an undergraduate degree in Economics and a MBA in Finance and a lifelong passion for music. He and his wife are relative newcomers to the Valley, moving to Northampton 2 years ago to enjoy the vibrant cultural and music scene in the Valley. He currently works full time at HP Hood, a $3.5B dairy manufacturer and brings a strong corporate finance background including balance sheet, income statement and cash flow analysis along with experience in budgets, contracts and corporate governance to The Parlor Room.

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Board Member

Ruthie Oland earned her MBA from UMass Amherst in 2018, and now works as a residential Realtor in the Pioneer Valley.  The daughter of a bluegrass banjo player, Ruthie grew up regularly volunteering at the Hudson River Clearwater Festival, and enjoying live musical performances.  Ruthie is proud to serve on the board of the Parlor Room, which provides such a special place for artists and local audiences to enjoy live music together.   Ruthie is a member of the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, sits on the board of Congregation B'nei Israel in Northampton, and is a fundraiser for The Movement Voter Project.  She lives in Haydenville with her husband, Dave, and children, Aviv, & Liora.

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Board Member

Harris Paseltiner is a multi-instrumentalist touring and recording artist, songwriter, producer, and engineer. He is a founding member of the indie folk band Darlingside, described by NPR as “exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop”. The band began in 2009 in the Pioneer Valley and built a local following busking in downtown Northampton and playing farmers markets, until eventually becoming a mainstay at venues such as the Iron Horse and the Academy of Music. The vibrant local music scene was a springboard to international touring and critical acclaim including Folk Alliance International Artist Of The Year. Harris has produced and co-written records for Darlingside and other artists, written for Nickelodeon’s Big Heart World educational program for kids, taught workshops and masterclasses for songwriting and harmony arrangement, and collaborated with youth orchestras and school choirs to help encourage young musicians. He can be found hiking the Mill River with his dog or playing guitar and singing with his kids.

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Clerk / Board Member

Karen Sise has been a sound engineer at the Parlor Room since it first opened doors in 2013. But she has studied sound, music and acoustics for much longer. After studying and performing music on various instruments at Lawrence University, she completed a degree in sound engineering at Full Sail, and has mixed at the board for more than 20 years. Karen has coordinated logistics for hundreds of music and theater productions in the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Meanwhile, she completed undergraduate studies at Smith College and a Master of Education at UMass-Amherst, and has developed her career in higher education administration at Smith, where she serves as Associate Registrar. Karen lives in Easthampton with her daughter Zoe and two cats, Chica and Cleo. In her occasional spare time, she enjoys hiking, paddling, traveling and volunteering.

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Board Member

Damany Gordon is an active member, supporter and advocate for the Hip-Hop community. Currently, Damany works as a Diversity &; Equity Specialist for the Amherst Public School District. As a young adult he gained lots of experience working with the youth in the Amherst educational system.

Damany has held the positions of a paraprofessional, an after-school program

supervisor and a youth basketball coach. At the After School Program Damany helped start a Hip-Hop club that exposed kids to the foundations and culture of Hip-Hop. The popularity and impact of the Hip-Hop club helped spawn his interest in creating a platform to showcase, educate and entertain the authentic and positive elements of the culture. He obtained his bachelor’s degree for Human Services administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 2013. Damany’s ability to organize, structure and facilitate has made him a premier consultant and producer of various events that revolve around the culture of Hip-Hop. Damany’s community involvement and passion about Hip-Hop and Black Music Culture has brought him success within the industry of Hip-Hop and entertainment.