UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has announced the appointment of five new members to the Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS) board of directors, effective July 1.

The five new members are:

• Jenna Bishop, environmental systems engineering, class of 2017
• Courtney Jackson, geography, class of 2015
• Todd Krause, geo-environmental engineering, class of 1996
• Mary Reinthal, geosciences, class of 2020
• Diegue Tchienga, mining engineering, class of 2019

The GEMS board is composed of 16 members — 15 plus the immediate past president. It was established in 1994 to provide leadership and programming opportunities for the GEMS Alumni Society. Board members are nominated and elected by the general GEMS membership and the active board of directors and serve a three-year term.

Jenna Bishop

Bishop earned a bachelor of science degree in environmental systems engineering (ENVSE) in 2017. She currently is a project manager for ARRO Consulting Inc. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She has expertise in managing compliance with permitting and environmental regulatory requirements at the local, state and federal level; tracking greenhouse gas emissions; and submitting NPDES local limits evaluation spreadsheets.

Bishop previously held the position of Engineer III at ARRO where she maintained environmental compliance for industrial facilities by completing annual environmental compliance reporting, facilitating hazardous waste disposal, and ensuring compliance with industrial stormwater and air quality regulations.

Bishop is a dedicated volunteer for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. She serves on the college’s ENVSE Industrial and Professional Advisory Council and has volunteered for numerous college-wide efforts, such volunteering for TEEMS — Total Engagement with Earth and Mineral Sciences — an off-campus, four-day orientation program for first-year students. 

“From the time I was elected to the student council board as secretary and subsequently president as an undergraduate student, I admired the GEMS board and their work within the college such as EMEX, resume workshops and meeting with student council,” said Bishop. “When I graduated from Penn State in 2017, I made it a goal to one day serve on the GEMS board to help provide the college with the support I received as a student.”

Courtney Jackson

Jackson earned a bachelor of science degree in geography with an emphasis in geographic information science (GIS) and cartography in 2015. She also earned a master’s degree in geography in 2020. She currently is an emergency management specialist (geospatial coordinator) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C. She has expertise in leading the FEMA Interagency Coordination Division’s geospatial and data analytics field staff, coordinating with internal and external geospatial and data analytic partners, and has served as the lead subject matter expert to develop geospatial and data analytics specialist and manager courses. She previously served as communications coordinator for FEMA’s Office of Assessment and Technology.

Jackson currently serves as president of the Greater Chicago Area Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association, which gives her an opportunity to work on recruitment and outreach activities for new graduates, families of students and all active Penn State Alumni Association members within the Chicago Metro area.

“As a GEMS board member, I want to continue to cultivate pride in Penn State and the college by fostering a strong community for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences,” Jackson said. “I cannot think of a more personally and professionally satisfying endeavor than ensuring GEMS’s mission facilitates the continued success of the EMS community.”

Todd Krause

Krause earned a bachelor of science degree in geo-environmental engineering in 1996. He has extensive experience in water and energy with a focus on clean technology. He currently is the chief revenue officer at Climate Impact Partners LLC.

Climate Impact Partners works with leading corporations, NGOs and governments to deliver solutions for climate impact via voluntary carbon markets. Prior to his current role, he held executive positions at Volus Inc., Blue Pillar Inc., and Enernoc Inc.

“My first experience with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences occurred during the fall semester in 1993,” Krause said. "I was a second-year student enrolled in an EMS general education course that required the reading of 'America’s Water' by Peter Rogers. From that point forward, I was certain that the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences was my intended path.”

Mary Reinthal

Reinthal earned a bachelor of science degree in geosciences in 2020. She currently is a scientist at DuPont Electronics and Industrial in Wilmington, Delaware where she leads data synthesis and analyses as part of new product development across various DuPont businesses. She works with scientists and engineers across DuPont in coordinating appropriate analytical techniques to address research questions and manufacturing issues.

As a graduate student at Penn State, Reinthal studied tracers of agrochemical compounds in the Shaver’s Creek watershed in Pennsylvania. Through her graduate research, she developed novel ICP-MS analytical methods for improved resolution of heavy trace elements and conducted several watershed sampling campaigns.

Reinthal has a passion for sustainability and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is currently involved in a multitude of volunteer activities. She is the current leader of Clear into the Future, Dupont’s global sustainability program that funds non-profit organizations to work on sustainable development initiatives in communities near DuPont locations. She is also Dupont’s team lead for Delaware Pathways, a collaboration between DuPont, Discovery Education, and Delaware’s Department of Education designed to help students develop the academic, technical and employability skills needed for successful, in-demand jobs across Delaware. She also is a part of the Dupont Experimental Station’s Labs habitat conservation team, where she collects data during nesting seasons to report on bird conservation status in the area and volunteers as a judge for the Delaware Valley Science Fair.

Diegue Tchienga

Tchienga earned a bachelor of science degree in mining engineering in 2019. He currently is the plant superintendent at CEMEX in Lyons, Colorado. CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high-quality products, and its U.S. network includes 10 cement plants. Prior to his current role, he held other positions at CEMEX. He was an operations coordinator, where he collaborated with the production manager to oversee the entire kiln outage process, from planning to execution. He has also served as a process engineer, where he updated long-term mine plans for quarries in South Florida, assisting with survey tasks such as laying out blast patterns, placing draglines, and performing drone flights. He also served as a corporate mine engineer, where he conducted thorough analysis of KPI metrics for five quarries in Houston, Texas.

“Joining the GEMS board is an opportunity to shape the future of our alma mater, connect with fellow graduates, and leave a lasting legacy of success and pride,” Tchienga said.

The GEMS board plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s direction and supporting the advancement of EMS graduates. The board is dedicated to fostering a strong network among alumni and enhancing the reputation and influence of the college.

For media inquiries, contact Alan Schaffranek, associate director of alumni relations, 814-863-4667, avs5434@psu.edu.