From Berks Nature
Berks Nature is proud to welcome six new members to its Board of Directors: Caitlin Banta, Risa Marmontello, Dianna McHugh, Chiara Sockel Renninger, Sandra Valencia, and Christi Weitzel. These talented women join Berks Nature’s dedicated Board of Directors, providing vital governance for the organization and serving as ambassadors within the community.
Kirsten Deysher continues her leadership as Board Chair, presiding over Board meetings and the Executive Committee.
Please join Berks Nature in welcoming its entire 2026 Board of Directors:
Officers
- Kirsten Deysher, Chair
- Beth Kohl, Vice Chair
- James Kohler, Corporate Secretary
- Nicholas Bieber, Treasurer
- Risa Marmontello, Past Chair
Directors
- Caitlin Banta – Brentwood Industries Inc.
- Nicholas Bieber – Cherry Bekaert
- Doug Dahms – Retired
- Kirsten Deysher – Entech Engineering
- David George, MD – Retired
- Dr. Terry Hand – Retired
- Chris Hawk – Hawk Environmental Consulting
- Darryl Jenkins – Chester Water Authority
- Eric Jenkins – Jenklein LLC and FM&C
- Beth Kohl – Barley Snyder
- James Kohler – Mitsubishi Chemical Group
- Risa Marmontello – Retired
- Dianna McHugh – Penske
- Terry Reed – Retired
- Chiara Sockel Renninger – Focus Partners Wealth
- Sandra Valencia – Tower Health
- Christi Weitzel – Berks County Intermediate Unit
This dedicated Board of Directors adopted a 2026-2028 strategic plan to guide the growth of the organization and to guide proactive projects that protect natural resources and connect the community to nature. Get to know the newest members of Berks Nature’s Board of Directors as well as its Executive Committee.
Kirsten Deysher – Manager of Client Engagement, Entech Engineering
Berks Nature Board Chair
Dedicated to building strong client relationships, driving revenue growth, and advancing the community, Kirsten has over 20 years of diverse experience in marketing, communications, client relationship management, and business development. At Entech, Kirsten is an integral leader in strategy development and implementation, business relations, and client experience initiatives.
A champion for the region, Kirsten is engaged in numerous industry and nonprofit boards and committees, actively contributing to organizational advancement through major development campaigns, rebranding initiatives, real estate purchases, leadership transitions, and the expansion of new services and programs.
Beth Kohl, Esq. – Attorney, Barley Snyder
Berks Nature Vice-Chair, Chair of Community Engagement Committee
Beth is a Berks County native and is an attorney at the law firm Barley Snyder, where she regularly represents private and public clients in land use and zoning matters, municipal law, and real estate transactions. Beth also has past experience working for an engineering firm as a land development consultant and in the real estate department of a midstream energy company. Beth earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University and earned her law degree from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Beth serves on the Boards of Directors of Berks Nature, the Friends of the Reading Hospital, and the Pagoda Pacers Athletic Club, and is co-chair of the Municipal/Real Estate Law Section of the Berks County Bar Association. She is an avid runner and cyclist, and lives in Lower Heidelberg Township with her husband, Tom.
Nick Beiber – Manager at Cherry Bekaert
Berks Nature Treasurer, Chair of Finance Committee
Nick is a Berks County native, graduating from Exeter High School and currently residing in Sinking Spring. Nick joined Cherry Bekaert (formally Herbein + Company Inc.) upon graduating from Elizabethtown College and is a manager in the audit department specializing in the government and not-for-profit industries.
Nick joined the Berks Nature finance committee in 2019 upon graduating from Leadership Berks and also serves on the board and finance committee for the Vision Resource Center of Berks County. Nick resides in Sinking Spring with his wife, son, and twin girls. He coaches his son’s little league baseball team and serves on two local not-for-profit boards.
James Kohler – Senior Manager Sustainability, Mitsubishi Chemical Group
Berks Nature Secretary
Jim is an experienced leader in the sustainability industry, with over 35 years of diverse professional experience. He currently serves as the Americas Regional Senior Sustainability Manager for Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG), where he leverages his background in engineering and sustainability to help implement innovative solutions in the industry. He has served on the Environmental Committee for the International Association of Plastic Distributors (IAPD) in support of sustainability across the supply chain of performance plastics since 2020.
Jim is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and Arizona State University, where he received a Master of Sustainability Leadership in May 2024. His dedication to sustainability reflects his commitment to stewarding resources responsibly and promoting environmentally friendly practices in MCG’s business units.
Passionate for community, Jim has been very active in many organizations within Berks County over the years. He is a graduate of Leadership Tri-County, including one year on the American Red Cross Board. He has coached Little League Baseball, led church youth events, participated on several church councils, volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, and served as an assistant Scout Master in a local Boy Scouts Troop. He started an on-site garden program at MCG’s Reading location with support from the Trellis for Tomorrow “Food for All” program. A team of 10 passionate gardeners harvests 1,500 lbs. of produce from 10 raised garden beds annually for local food pantries. He is a resident of Exeter Township, where he lives with his wife, Stephanie.
Risa Marmontello – Retired
Berks Nature Past Chair
Risa is a former Berks Nature Board Member serving 2008-2018 and spent two years as Board Chair from 2015-2017, providing leadership to the opening of The Nature Place in 2017.
Risa has been involved in environmental issues to some degree since college. In recent years, land preservation and habitat restoration have been a primary focus. Most of her volunteer time is devoted to working with the Monocacy Hill Conservation Association (MHCA) and its responsibility of maintaining the trails and facilities of Monocacy Hill Recreation Area, a 428-acre forest owned by Amity Township.
As an organization leader, she oversees and carries out organizational administration, training, organization of volunteers, grant writing, and cooperative work with the township. Environmental Education and Forest Stewardship are additional activities of the MHCA, of which Risa helps to lead.
Caitlin Banta – President & CEO, Brentwood Industries Inc.
Caitlin is Brentwood’s President & CEO. She assumed this role in March 2024, marking a transition from the second generation of Rye family leadership to the third. In this role, Caitlin is committed to investing in people and innovation, minimizing the company’s environmental footprint, and positively impacting the communities where Brentwood employees live and work.
Prior to becoming CEO, Caitlin spent years learning the plastics manufacturing business, the many markets Brentwood operates within globally, and the people at the heart of the company’s success. Brentwood has been part of Caitlin’s life since she was 5 years old. That’s when her family moved to Reading, so her father could learn the business from her grandfather. Caitlin continues their legacy today by growing the company and building a global “One Brentwood” company culture.
She is people-oriented and technical-minded. Caitlin empowers her employees to reach their full potential by prioritizing continuous learning and professional development. On the technical side, her pragmatic approach to business is informed by her mechanical engineering education from Tufts University but shaped by the collective knowledge and experiences of her Brentwood colleagues. She firmly believes that incorporating a range of perspectives is key to identifying the best opportunities for Brentwood.
Caitlin is a trustee of her alma mater, Lancaster Country Day School, and is a member of the campaign cabinet for the United Way of Berks County. Outside of work, Caitlin is a Berks Nature preschool parent and enjoys spending time with her husband, Walter, and their two young children, Astrid and Alice. The family of four likes to travel to new places and try new foods.
Dianna McHugh – Director of Customer Success, Penske
A Berks County resident for the past decade, Dianna serves as Director of Customer Success at Penske, located just down the road from Berks Nature. In her role, she oversees a large, customer-facing team dedicated to driving long-term success for customers through the effective use of Penske’s digital tools and services. Throughout her entire career, Dianna has maintained a strong focus on customer experience and delivering meaningful results for the organizations she supports.
Outside of work, Dianna resides just outside of Reading with her family — proud members of the Berks Nature preschool community, past, present, and future. Dianna has been active in sports and the outdoors throughout her life — from playing on a Division II National Championship softball team in college to coaching her son’s t-ball teams, she and her family enjoy staying active and spending time together outside.
Chiara Sockel Renninger – Senior Wealth Advisor, Focus Partners Wealth
Chiara helps clients and their families develop, implement, and monitor wealth management strategies in pursuit of their financial goals and a stress-free life. She also works with clients to create comprehensive financial plans customized to their specific circumstances, plans that include portfolio management, tax-efficient strategies, advanced planning, retirement analysis, and education planning. Her specialties include working with trusts and multigenerational planning, helping families meet their financial goals while preserving their legacy and passing on their important values. One of her biggest rewards is watching her clients, their children, and sometimes their grandchildren achieve financial independence.
Outside of work, Chiara is involved with a number of charitable and community organizations. She is the founding member and steering committee chair for the Power of the Purse Fund in Berks County, which provides funding to help break the cycle of poverty by eliminating or addressing barriers for women who want to enter or re-enter the workforce. She also sits on the development committee and the board of directors for Berks Nature and is past president of the board for Montessori Country Day School. Chiara and her husband, Ryan, have two children. She enjoys playing golf and basketball, going to the beach, and spending time with family and friends.
Sandra Valencia – Director Employee Relations, Tower Health
Sandra is a Senior Human Resources professional with over 15 years of practical and progressive career success in human resource management. She has a strong background in strategic Human Resources, change management, performance management, compensation, (union and non-union) labor relations and employee relations, special projects, recruitment and workforce planning analysis, organizational development, and training.
She is a dedicated professional and a strong bilingual leader in Spanish. She is a goal-driven leader who believes in continuous improvement. She has a proven track record in re-evaluating programs to drive cost savings and implementing programs to drive positive employee relations and consistency across the company. She is a highly effective communicator with a strong ability to build relationships with all levels in the organization.
Sandra is a graduate of Penn State University and lives in Berks County with her husband, Jaime Perez, and their two daughters.
Christi Weitzel – Assistant Director of Early Childhood Programs, Berks County Intermediate Unit #14
Christi is an experienced leader in early childhood education, with over 25 years of experience dedicated to advancing high-quality programs that promote children’s growth and support their lifelong success. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Early Childhood Programs at the Berks County Intermediate Unit, providing strategic oversight and leadership for the organization’s Head Start, Pre-K Counts, and Early Intervention programs.
Christi holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education from Kutztown University and earned her Doctorate in Education Administration and Leadership from California University of Pennsylvania. Her doctoral research focused on the benefits of peer coaching among early childhood educators, underscoring her commitment to educator development and program excellence.
Throughout her career, Christi has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to advocacy and community engagement, working to elevate awareness of the critical role early learning plays in shaping positive educational and developmental outcomes. Her leadership reflects the belief that equitable access to quality early childhood education lays the foundation for stronger families and communities.
