Berks Nature Welcomes New Board of Directors for 2025

Berks Nature is proud to welcome five new members to our Board of Directors: Doug Dahms, David L George, Chris Hawk, James Kohler, and Terry L. Reed (full bios below).

They join our dedicated group of volunteer Board members that help guide the good work of Berks Nature and represent us in the community.

Six newly elected Officers helm the Board, including Kirsten Deysher serving as the Board Chair. Deysher will serve as the Chair of Berks Nature’s Board of Directors for the next two years as we continue to grow in the community and develop our next strategic plan.

Please join us in welcoming the entire 2025 Board of Directors and get to know our newest members by reading their bios below!

Officers

Kirsten Deysher, Chair
Beth Kohl, Vice Chair
Eric Jenkins, Corporate Secretary
Nicholas Bieber, Treasurer
Christin Kelley, Immediate Past Chair

Directors

Nicholas Bieber – Herbein + Company, Inc.
Doug Dahms – Retired
Kirsten Deysher – Entech Engineering
Jeffrey Euclide – Retired
David George, MD – Retired
Dr. Terry Hand – Retired
Christopher Hartman – Hartman, Valeriano, Magovern & Lutz, P.C.
Chris Hawk – Hawk Environmental Consulting
Darryl Jenkins – Chester Water Authority
Eric Jenkins – Jenklein LLC and FM&C
Timothy Keeler – ProAsys, Inc.
Christin Kelley – Folino Estates
Beth Kohl – Barley Snyder
James Kohler – Mitsubishi Chemical Group
Tanya Melendez – 18^th Wonder Improvement Association
Terry Reed – Retired

Doug is a Muhlenberg High School graduate and received his undergraduate degree from Lebanon Valley College and his Masters degree from Kutztown University.   He has done extensive grad work at the University of Montana, Montana State, Penn State, and the University of Delaware.

A forty-seven year veteran teacher at Wilson, Doug started and taught both the AP Environmental Science and the AP Biology classes.  He is licensed to electroshock fish for educational purposes.  He also ran the school’s environmental field studies program at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station in VA.  Doug also started and continues to run the Jamaica Marine Sciences program which takes Wilson students to Jamaica yearly to learn Marine Biology and carry out humanitarian work.  Although he retired from teaching in 2023, he still coaches the very successful varsity football program which he has coached for 49 years. In addition, he was head track coach and also coached track at Wilson for 48 years.

Doug’s family consists of his wife Susie, son Jesse, daughter-in-law Danielle, and granddaughter Lilah.  He also has for Labrador retrievers, and is an avid golfer and scuba diver.

Dr. George is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. He trained in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. David practiced Rheumatology in Berks County for 35 years.  He has devoted much of his career to the education of physician trainees at Reading Hospital.   As Reading’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer he oversaw all of the student and residency training programs at Reading Hospital, directed continuing medical education programs for physicians, and oversaw research activities at the institution, including Reading Hospital’s research relationship with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  David served as Governor for the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians and was elected a Master of the College.  He currently serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Compliance and Resident Quality of Life Committee for the Highlands at Wyomissing.

David’s interests include the role of physical activity and mindfulness for improved quality of life.  Since his retirement David has become a Master Watershed Steward and serves as an active member of the Angelica Creek Watershed Association.  He and his wife Paula help maintain water monitoring devices and track changes in water conditions.  They both enjoy spending time outdoors with their children and grandchildren, biking and walking local trails, volunteering for local nonprofits including Helping Harvest and Schuylkill River Greenways, and learning from the many educational offerings provided by Berks Nature.

Chris Hawk is an accomplished Environmental Professional with nearly 20 years of experience with various aspects of environmental compliance and sustainability management. Currently, Chris is the owner and founder of Hawk Environmental, which focuses on providing advisory and management consulting services to clients in need of environmental compliance and environmental sustainability expertise.

Previously, Chris managed the Environmental Services for Penske Truck Leasing where he oversaw all elements of transportation-related environmental compliance and sustainability for the organization and many of their transportation customers. Chris collaborated with Berks Nature tree planting efforts through Penske corporate engagement programs.

After graduating from Shippensburg University with a B.S. Degree in Geo-Environmental Sciences, Chris joined an environmental consulting firm where he developed skills and expertise as an environmental auditor.  This path culminated with Chris being a foundational implementer of environmental auditing and recovery effort during BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010.

As a champion of big-picture environmental concerns, Chris has served as a vocal member to organizations and public programs such as EPA Smartway, EPA Wastewise and EPA Green Power Partnership programs, the National Association of Environmental Managers, ASTM Fuel Quality Standard, and the Fuels Institute Diesel Fuel Quality Council.

Chris, a former Berks Nature preschool parent, now Eco-Camper parent resides in Spring Township with his wife and three young sons.

James “Jim” Kohler 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 Habit for Humanity, and served as an assistant Scout Master in a local Boy Scouts Troop. He started an onsite garden program at MCG’s Reading location with support from the Trellis for Tomorrow “Food for All” program.  A team of 10 passionate gardeners harvest 1500 lbs. of produce from 10 raised garden beds annually for local food pantries.

He is a resident in Exeter Township where he lives with his wife, Stephanie.

Terry Reed had a 47-year career in the engineering and environmental consulting field. For the first 11 years in the industry, he was a biologist and environmental scientist working primarily on water quality projects throughout the U. S. Most of the following 36 years, he served in various positions of marketing and business development in four engineering and environmental consulting firms. He most recently worked at Wyomissing-based Spotts, Stevens and McCoy for 24 years. Terry holds a degree in biology from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.

Growing up in Northcentral Pennsylvania, Terry was introduced to the volunteer world at an early age and continued his involvement through college and his working career. Since retiring in 2000, Terry has increased his involvement as a volunteer.

Terry has been a long-time Rotarian. In 2008-09, he served as president of the Rotary Club of West Reading-Wyomissing. He has been heavily involved in Rotary District 7430 which serves the Rotary Clubs in 5 Eastern Pennsylvania counties. In the District, he has served as Assistant Governor, Grants Chair, and Membership Chair. In 2015, Terry led a Volunteer Training Team to Uganda on a 17-day project funded by The Rotary Foundation for a maternal and child healthcare training project. Since 2021, he has been the District Environmental Sustainability Chair, a team of 18 Rotarians who assist 45 Rotary clubs plan, implement, and fund environmental projects in Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Bucks, and Montgomery Counties.  He currently leads the environmental projects in his Rotary club that span a wide range of topics including environmental cleanup, riparian buffers, tree planting, plastics recycling, pollinator gardens, food waste composting, and reduction in personal carbon footprints.

Terry has also been involved in leadership positions in his church, including serving as church council president and chair of a master planning initiative.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Humanitarian Social Innovations (HSI), a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania based fiscal sponsorship organization.

When he is not volunteering, Terry loves to travel, especially visits to his grandchildren.  He has had a lifelong passion for the outdoors, especially hiking, birding, and fly fishing. Terry and his wife Mary Ann live in Spring Township, Berks County.