Berkshire Bank has hired Angela Dixon, who has 30 years of experience in human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion, as its new chief diversity officer.

Dixon has worked in the past with public and private sector organizations on workforce and strategic management issues, including strategic planning and leadership development, the bank said in a statement.

As chief diversity officer, Dixon will be responsible for the Berkshire Bank’s DEI strategy in collaboration with executive management and each of Berkshire’s business lines. She will also work to enhance the impact of Berkshire’s existing diversity initiatives and programs, the bank said. Dixon will report to Jackie Courtwright, Berkshire Bank’s executive vice president and chief human resources and culture officer.

“I could not be more excited to begin this role at Berkshire Bank,” Dixon said in the statement. “Berkshire Bank has made significant strides in developing an inclusive and diverse workforce and applies their core values across the business to impact the customers they serve.”

Before joining Berkshire Bank, Dixon owned and operated Dixon Consulting II LLC, a management consulting firm focused on DEI and talent management. Her company helped organizations create and cultivate DEI initiatives that align with business strategy, expand opportunities for diverse communities, and produce sustainable, measurable impact, according to the statement.

Dixon was previously vice president for talent and inclusion with the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce in Albany, New York, and deputy comptroller for human resources and administration at the New York State Comptroller’s Office.

“Angela will fill a very crucial role for our organization,” Sean Gray, Berkshire Bank’s president and chief operating officer, said in the statement. “Her talents and experience are well aligned with the core values that Berkshire Bank holds in the DEI space.”

Dixon is a senior certified human resources professional through the Society for Human Resource Management. She was named in 2018 to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s inaugural Business Leads Fellowship Program, an initiative focused on strengthening the role of business leaders in education and workforce development.

The hiring comes after Berkshire’s former executive vice president and the chief experience and culture officer, Malia Lazu, left the bank last year shortly after then-CEO Richard Marotta resigned. Courtwright, who had been Berkshire’s senior vice president and chief human resources officer, was promoted to her current role the same day as Lazu’s departure.