WYOMISSING, Pa. — The Penn State Berks Advisory Board welcomes five new members, who were officially appointed by Penn State Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Executive Chancellor Margo DelliCarpini.
Beginning in September, the Penn State Berks Advisory Board will officially welcome Jennifer Murray, superintendent of schools, Reading School District; Rick Olmos, commissioner, Governor's Advisory Council on Latino Affairs; John Perate, senior vice president, M&T Bank; Christopher Trickett, superintendent of schools, Wilson School District; and Cory Varona-Corniel, co-founder and chief executive officer, OCOA.
“I am thrilled to welcome the new Penn State Berks Advisory Board members,” said Penn State Berks Chancellor Radha Pyati. “They each bring valuable perspectives from a variety of fields, including education, government, industry and the nonprofit sector. They also represent the diverse community that the college serves, and some are alumni of Penn State Berks with a history of service to the college.”
Jennifer Murray has served as superintendent of schools for the Reading School District since 2021. Previously, she served as the interim superintendent and as the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. Her career at Reading School District began in 1998 as a classroom teacher. She then became a reading coach before moving into administrative roles as an instructional supervisor at Northwest Area Elementary, principal for the Gateway School for the Performing Arts, director of literacy, and principal at Millmont Elementary. Murray earned her doctorate degree in educational leadership from Immaculata University, her master’s degree in education administration from Gwynedd Mercy College, and her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from West Chester University. She is a board member with both Habitat for Humanity of Berks County and the United Way of Berks County.
Richard “Rick” Olmos has more than 25 years of experience in overseeing operations and developing strategic communications programs for nonprofit, higher education and corporate settings. Currently, Olmos serves as commissioner on the board of the PA Governor’s Advisory Council for Latino Affairs. He also serves on the board for the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, and the advisory board for Berks Community Organizations Active in Disaster, Berks County District Attorney's Children’s Alliance Center, Reading Film Festival, Retired Senior Volunteers Program of Berks County, and the Penn State Berks Latino Advisory Council. Olmos earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and theatre tech and worked in the film and television industry, both in front of the camera as an actor and behind the scenes as a casting director and voice recording artist.
John Perate is employed as senior vice president of the commercial banking group at M&T Bank. Previously, he held the role of vice president and relationship manager in commercial banking with Santander Bank, and also worked on assignment in London with Santander’s large corporate global banking team. Perate is immediate past board chair for Berks Encore, and is a board member for the Berks Business Education Coalition, Law Foundation of Berks County, and Manufacturers Resource Center. He also serves on the United Way of Berks County’s Campaign Cabinet. Perate earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and international business from Penn State. An alumnus of Penn State Berks, he served as president of the Penn State Berks Alumni Society and he is a lifetime member of the Penn State Alumni Association.
Chris Trickett has been employed by the Wilson School District since 2003 and is currently serving as the superintendent. Prior to his current role, he worked as assistant superintendent. Trickett began his career in the Wilson School District as a technology teacher and he held the positions of assistant principal, director of technology, and Wilson High School principal. Trickett earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Immaculata University and his principal certification from Alvernia University. He earned a master’s of education degree in classroom technology from Wilkes University and a bachelor’s degree in technology education from Millersville University.
Cory Varona-Corniel is the co-founder and chief executive officer of OCOA, a premium hair-care brand inspired by the beauty of the Dominican Republic. OCOA was founded in 2021 by Varona-Corniel and her sister, Nicol Varona Cancelmo. The company offers products for curly hair, made with clean ingredients, and it strives to address the underrepresentation of Latina women in the beauty industry. Varona-Corniel’s passion to develop natural products led her to earn a natural formulator certificate and a natural hair care formulation diploma. Varona-Corniel earned an MBA with a concentration in finance from Penn State Great Valley and a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in accounting from Penn State Berks. In addition, Varona-Corniel has served as a member of the Penn State Berks Latino Advisory Council.
The Penn State Berks Advisory Board is chaired by Timothy Hillert, who recently joined The Board of Pensions for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as the director of employer Services. He began his education at Penn State Berks and graduated from Penn State University Park, going on to earn an M.B.A. at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. Patrick Dolan, president of Dolan Construction, serves as vice chair. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Carnegie Mellon. Adam Krick, vice president of enterprise risk management at Tompkins Financial Corporation, is the financial secretary. Krick also began his education at Penn State Berks before earning his bachelor’s degree at Penn State University Park and an M.B.A. at Alvernia University.
For a complete list of Penn State Berks Advisory Board members, visit the website.