People

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People

PEOPLE

The CLDS is an all-volunteer organization led by a Board of Directors. The organization is supported by members, corporate sponsors, and a variety of partnerships with local municipalities, academic institutions, and other non-profit organizations.

Board of Directors

The CLDS Board of Directors is currently comprised of thirteen dedicated individuals that are responsible for the overall management of the organization. A short profile of each is provided below. Anyone interested in joining the Board should contact Krista Schneider at kschneider@DigCLDS.org.

Nicole Cook
Nicole Cook is founder of the Sugarloaf Chapter of the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Penn State University. Nicole is very proud to be employed by the US Postal Service as the Postmaster for Conyngham Borough. She resides in Sybertsville, and has two sons. Nicole is a long time community volunteer for several organizations and has completed her second trip to South Africa to volunteer at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden in Nelspruit, South Africa.

Nicole has also been a prolific craft artisan in the area for many years and also serves as recording secretary for the Conyngham Borough Planning Commission. She has experienced the love and satisfaction of gardening since she was a little girl helping her grandmother grow geraniums in Sheppton, Pennsylvania and hopes to help others realize the same joy through the community garden project.

Elva Dargay
Elva Dargay is a registered nurse and community activist. Presently, she is employed as a Program Nurse/Caseworker by North East Counseling Services in Hazleton. A long time resident of Weatherly, Elva has been as a member of the Weatherly Flower Club since 1971, where she has also served many years as the organization’s past president. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Center for Landscape Design & Stewardship, Elva also serves as secretary for the Weatherly Rotary Foundation, which is currently undertaking an initiative to revitalize, renovate and reuse the former Lehigh Valley Rail Road engine shops. She is also a former member and officer of the Carbon County Cooperative Extension Service. Elva received her Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from Luzerne County Community College, and also completed coursework at New Mexico Western University. With a passion for gardening, Elva likes to apply her talents to in community beautification projects. Together with her husband, Danny, she has two children and three grandchildren.

Andrea Fendrick
Andrea Fendrick is a certified elementary teacher and tutor. In 2009 she served on the Butler Township recreation summer staff as the children’s garden coordinator. Combining her love of children and gardening, she is currently working to help expand the children’s summer camp.

Jule Greco
A native of Drums, Pennsylvania, Jule Greco is Vice President of DocBakers.com, an E-Commerce site which sells hundreds of Natural Food, Supplements and Personal Beauty Care product lines along with a local drop off Food Co-Op. Included on the website is a resource center for Doctors, Nutritionist and the public to refer for information on Conditions, Herbs, Supplements and Treatment Options. While living in New York Ciry Jule pursued a career in modeling for some of the top clothing designers which also had taken her traveling throughout Europe. Afterwards she decided to settle more in the city and attended Parsons School of Design and transitioned into the design and event planning industry. While working with Metropolitnan Inc., she became involved in many prestigious events throughout Manhattan, The Plaza Hotel, Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center including many others. On her spare time she rented her brownstone home designed by the famous architect James Renwick Jr. who designed St. Patrick Cathedral back in the mid 1800's for photo shoots. Her home laced such publications as Vogue, Bazaar, Victoria Secret, and House Beautiful. Always having a love for Mediterranean food she spent a summer studying with Chef Giuliano Bugialli in Tuscany, Italy.

After living in New York City for twenty years, Jule presently divides her time back home in Drums with her family roots. She credits her parents for bestowing a multitude of aesthetic gifts and entrepreneurial skills that she hopes to use at the CLDS along with joining force with " 4 Years Go" www.FourYearsGo.org and help in setting a goal for every organization to do its part to set humanity on the path towards a sustainable, just and fulfilling future and build a global movement of commitment and action by the end of 2014.

Mark Hetman
Mark Hetman has an extensive background in science, having taught biology, chemistry and physics for twenty-five years. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and his Master’s degree in Education Technology (with a minor in Education) from Wilmington College.

Ten years ago he established his own organic farm, Happy Patch Organics, in Nanticoke. Following his interests in health and nutrition, Mark recently became certified as a Health and Wellness Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Over the past year, he has served as an instructor for several of our CLDS workshops, and next year he will serve as our intern program coordinator. Anyone interested in signing up for Mark’s newsletters (always full of news from the farm, entertaining observations, and health and nutrition advice) or delivery of his organic produce should visit Happy Patch Organics on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/happypatchorganics.

Mary-Lee Hood
Although she grew up in Boston, Mary-Lee has lived in about a dozen places over the years as she accompanied her husband, Tom Hood, on his tours of duty in the US Army. In 2007 the Hoods moved to Freeland and since then she has begun to put down roots (literally and figuratively). Mary-Lee has more than 20 years of teaching experience in large and small group settings. This past year, Mary-Lee began teaching 8th grade physical science at MMI. A Master Gardener in multiple states (including Pennsylvania), she especially enjoys sharing her love of gardening with children.

Rick Mikula
Rick Mikula is an internationally renowned butterfly expert, author, and lecturer. He is also owner and operator of Hole-In-Hand Butterfly Farm and MonaMe Kennel in Hazleton. Rick is President of the Butterfly Rescue International and teaches Entomology for the New Jersey Department of Correction. The founder and Past President of the International Butterfly Breeders Association. Rick was also Vice President of Education for the Canadian Butterfly Breeders and Exhibitors Association. He also served on the Boards of both The Vermont Envirosphere Project and the New Jersey Lepidopterist Society as well as being their Secretary and Treasurer. Rick is a butterfly habitat consultant to many schools, businesses, museums and zoos. He has designed many ‘live butterfly’ displays such as “The Butterfly Emporium” for Dolly Parton in Dollywood, The Hershey Gardens Butterfly House, TechnoVentures’ traveling display, and Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland. Rick has also helped numerous organizations install butterfly gardens at their locations. You can view his website for more information at www.Butterflywebsite.com, which is the oldest and largest butterfly website in the world.

Jo Robbins

Jo is a native of Toppenish, Washington. After receiving her Associates Degree in Accounting/Computer Programming from Yakima Valley College, she worked 36 years for United Airlines as a flight attendant, trainer, and business manager. Now retired, she enjoys spending her time participating in gardening activities—the love for which she inherited from her mom.

In addition to serving on the CLDS board, Jo is also a member of Hazleton Area Garden Club and volunteers as a Master Gardener for the Penn State Cooperative Extension. She also heads up the landscaping committee in her community. Jo has two daughters, a grandson, and a granddaughter.

Krista Schneider, President and Founder
Krista Schneider is a licensed landscape architect with over fifteen years’ experience in the design and planning of parks, historic sites, gardens, and communities. As a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional, she currently works part-time with the multidisciplinary planning and engineering firm of Barry Isett & Associates, Inc. in Hazleton, PA. Krista is also a founding partner of Heritage Strategies, LLC., a multi-disciplinary consulting firm specializing in planning for historic communities, cultural landscapes, heritage areas, and historic properties. Previously, she taught design studios and planning classes at the University of Kentucky where she served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and as an associate faculty member in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation. Krista is also graduate of Penn State and Harvard University, as well as a former officer in the US Army Quartermaster Corps. She lives in Conyngham, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.

Ann Shamberger, Secretary
Ann is a native of Wilkes-Barre and has worked in New York State for the past 30+ years in the insurance industry and the emergency medical profession. After retirement, she relocated to Butler Township in 2008 with her husband Jack.

Jack Shamberger, Treasurer
Jack is a recent transplant from Vestal, New York, where he lived most of his life. He and his wife Ann moved to this area in 2008, making their new home in Drums. Jack retired from the IBM Corporation as a Resource Planner after 38 years of service. During his tenure at IBM he attended their professional training programs and also evening college classes at Broome Community College, graduating with honors, and then continuing further study at SUNY Binghamton. Jack's main outside interest in his life has been gardening, creative design with plants and flowers, and involving himself in helping others. Starting at a very young age he helped his parents with their two acre vegetable garden on leased land and the flowers and shrubs around their house. Local garden club ladies lived in the area and they shared their plants and knowledge. Over the years, Jack worked as a gardener for a five-acre Victorian Estate, a greenhouse grower/florist, and also as a florist. While working at IBM and after retirement, Jack had a part-time business consisting of an antique shop, floral shop, and garden center. His community service has included work with the National Ski Patrol System, where he was a patroller, instructor, and examiner; for his service he received the NSPS 5304 pin. Jack also spent many years as an instructor/trainer for the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, and American Safety and Health Institute. For 32 years Jack was a member of the Vestal Volunteer Emergency Squad serving in various capacities; instructor, board member (Treasurer), NYS Critical Care EMT, and Assistant Chief. Jack was also active with the Boy Scouts of America in many leadership positions and their Order of the Arrow organization. Jack is an Eagle Scout with Bronze Palm and a Vigil Honor Member of the Order of the Arrow.

Jim Walck
Jim Walck is a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist and the owner of Jim Walck Lawn & Shrub Service, which he founded in 1970. Jim has a long history of service to his profession and community. He presently serves as a Horticulture Curriculum Advisory Board Member from Luzerne County Community College, the same institution from which he received his degree in Horticultural Science. Jim is also a member of the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association (PLNA) since 1990, and has served on the PLNA Board of Directors since 2003. His teaching experience includes course offerings at the Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton Campus, and Lehman College. Jim is currently in the process of opening up his own garden center, Beechwood Gardens, which is located on Route 309 in Butler Township. In addition to his professional service, he also is a volunteer fireman with Butler Township and has served several terms as the Fire Chief. He is married with one daughter and lives in Drums.

Jennifer Yaskewich
This profile is currently under development. Check back soon for more info....