About PVCA
Join us in our mission to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Upper Penns Creek watershed. Our efforts focus on protecting the environment through education, advocacy, and community involvement.
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Penns Valley Conservation Association is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the natural and cultural resources of the Upper Penns Creek watershed. Our mission is to protect these vital resources through education, volunteerism, and advocacy. We envision a community where the environment is cherished and sustained for future generations. Our core values include integrity, collaboration, and a deep respect for the natural world.
Who We Are
Our Staff
Ben Drain
Operations Manager
Molly A. Hetrick
Development Director
Sarah DePasquale
Environmental Educator
Julie Barton
Special Events Coordinator & Environmental Educator
Our Board
President
Nell Hanssen
Bio
Nell moved to Penns Valley in 2001 and has been involved with the Penns Valley Conservation Association in some manner ever since. Nell initially volunteered with PVCA’s annual schedule of events including Crickfest, the Stream Bank Clean-up, Riversongs, and various educational workshops and meetings held over the years. For a few years, she edited the PVCA newsletter and co-chaired the Community Outreach Committee.
In 2002, Nell was hired for a grant-funded position creating the Waterways and Wildlife Manual, which is an informational manual and protocol for assessing wildlife habitat, particularly within stream buffer areas. This project included research, writing, and publishing the manual, as well as creating an accompanying curriculum for elementary, middle, and high schools. The publication was mailed to every Conservation District in Pennsylvania, and also promoted to school districts and towns via mailings and presentations. With funding remaining in that same grant, she coordinated tree plantings and invasive species removals with area landowners of stream-front properties. A number of years later, Nell was hired by PVCA again to write several grants to fund the Environmental Education Program, securing a few years of funding for the program.
In addition to her past work with PVCA, Nell is also an organic farm inspector, conducting annual inspections of certified organic crop and livestock farms in Pennsylvania. She also works for Demeter USA, an organization that oversees certification of Biodynamic farms and processors. Biodynamic certification looks at the farm as a holistic organism, focusing particularly on creating a functioning and healthy ecosystem on the land, from the soil up.
Nell lives on a homestead in Spring Mills with her fiancé Chuck Kurtz where, with the help of grants and local foresters, they have already planted hundreds of trees along their small tributary, and hope to continue creating native habitat for wildlife on the property.
Vice President
Andrea Ferich
Bio
Andrea Ferich is a forestry consultant and owner of Ironwood Forestry, focusing on the implementation of agroforestry practices with private landowners. She is current President of the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society, and was previously the Executive Director for the Penns Valley Conservation Association.
Andrea is passionate about the economic opportunities in restoration through agroforestry, collaboration, and innovation with the Keystone Tree Crops Cooperative. Her farm is located along Elk Creek in Coburn, where she enjoys bird-watching, growing plants, and swimming.
Treasurer
Butch Rittelman
Bio
Bill “Butch” Rittelmann and his wife Debra moved from their hometown of Butler, PA to Penns Valley in 2015 where they live in a solar-powered home. He is an avid cyclist and woodworker and enjoys exploring the mountains and streams of central PA by gravel bike or kayak. He also enjoys birding with his wife and together they have participated in the Shaver’s Creek Kestrel Nest Box Survey since 2018. They have two adult daughters; Paige lives in Tampa, FL and Fontaine lives in Portland, OR.
Bill earned a BA in Architectural Engineering from PSU in 1986 before going to work for his father’s architectural firm in Butler, PA. His focus in energy conservation and renewable energy led him into a position at IBACOS in Pittsburgh, PA as a consultant to the US D.O.E. Building America program. He is recently retired from PSU OPP as a Facilities Engineer.
Secratary
Shana Tritsch
Bio
Shana Tritsch is a Senior Hydrogeologist and project manager, working on projects ranging from groundwater contamination cleanup to environmental permitting. She has previous experience on the boards of Clearwater Conservancy, East Penns Valley Library, and The Tussey Mountain Alpine Ski Racing program.
Shana and her family enjoy hiking, biking, camping, and boating in the Penns Creek watershed. They have been residents of Penns Valley for 31 years.
Director
Cathy Bryson
Bio
Cathy grew up in Dutchess County, New York, in the rural part of the Hudson Valley, riding her bike along dirt trails, working in her family’s independent pharmacy, and trout fishing in local creeks. After graduating from Franklin & Marshall College with a degree in biology and English, Cathy spent 37 years in biomedical research, including 25 years directing multinational clinical trials in various therapeutic areas. Working first in Connecticut, she then moved to Bucks County for 30 years. She retired in 2021 and moved permanently to Millheim.
Cathy had first visited Penns Valley in 2006 and felt a kinship to the farms, woods, and streams, but maybe most of all to the sense of community she found here, which is so like where she grew up. She and her husband, Lew, bought a house in Millheim in 2016, a house that they’ve both restored where appropriate, and remodeled where necessary, re-using as much as possible of the original building. The property now includes a bat house, a pollinator garden that produced a bumper crop of Monarch butterflies this year, and a planned meadow planting in half the back yard.
Cathy is the secretary for the Valley Community and Business Association, which plans community events like Route 45 Getaways and Merry Millheim. She is also a member of the Millheim Borough Planning Committee and has begun to work with the Main Street America organization, which is dedicated to re-energizing and strengthening older and historic downtowns and neighborhoods. She’s excited to be working on coordinated efforts with other area planning organizations.
Cathy has two adult children, a son who lives in Philadelphia and a daughter who lives in Bellefonte. She lives on Main Street, Millheim, with her husband Lew and their two Corgis, Pippin and Sam.
Director
Geddy McCullough
Bio
Garrick McCullough (usually known as Geddy) is an IT geek by trade, by day working for Pasa Sustainable Agriculture on various sustainability initiatives.
Originally from Punxsutawney, PA, Geddy attended Penn State and first came to Penns Valley in 2015 to work in organic farming. He enjoyed the community so much that shortly thereafter, he and his wife Jessica decided to make Spring Mills their home, where they live with their dog Moose, three cats, and a few too many chickens.
When not behind a keyboard, Geddy enjoys playing music, reading, spending time in the woods, and the occasional road trip.
Director
Lexie Orr
Bio
Check back soon!
Sandra Berkey
Bookkeeper
Lysle Sherwin
Watershed Projects Mgr
Ben Drain
Operations Manager
Ben Drain has joined PVCA as the Operations Manager and brings his energy and enthusiasm for the natural world together with his organizational and technical skills at PVCA.
Ben’s career path has been an eclectic mix that includes being a counselor for homeless youth in State College, a Challenge Course Manager in the woods above Spring Mills, and working within the University Libraries at Penn State. Most recently, Ben was a Librarian at Schlow Library, where he worked to reduce barriers for patrons in using the library, eliminate late fees, and create a rural book delivery service through a partnership with Way Fruit Farm, which was recognized by the Centre County Council of Governments for meritorious conduct.
Ben is excited to bring his enjoyment of people and natural places together with his organization and management skills to provide a strong foundation for the operations of PVCA.
Ben grew up in Baltimore, then attended Juniata College, and followed his wife to rural Centre County and hasn’t regretted a single day of that decision. They have created a beautiful, ecologically sustainable property in Worth township, where Ben is compulsively building frog ponds, where he considers the twilight croaking a harvest to be revealed. His flower garden seems a wild ramble and tangle of plants, but that chaos is a dear place to him, full of joy, where he has never seen a bird run along the top of the fence rail without bursting out laughing.
In addition to his love of the natural beauty of our area, Ben’s passions are flower gardening and board-game design, including crafting a series of games with titles such as National Razor and Operation: Paperclip.
His writing on Tolkien is read around the world, and if you bring up such nerdy topics to him, you might find it difficult to extricate yourself with grace.
Molly Hetrick
Development Director
Molly Hetrick brings energy, expertise, and a people-first approach to her role as PVCA’s Development Director. With a strong background in nonprofit fundraising, foundation development, board engagement, and capital campaign planning, Molly is passionate about building relationships that fuel mission-driven work.
Molly recently earned a Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from the Lilly School of Philanthropy and is especially skilled in donor-centered communication, community-based fundraising, and annual appeal strategy.
In addition to her role with PVCA, Molly runs her own consulting and training business, Training With Molly, where she leads workshops on fundraising, customer service, civility, and professional development. With over 14 years of experience as a trainer and facilitator, she thrives on helping individuals and teams grow, connect, and discover their potential.
She is also a dedicated mentor, working with college students, professionals, and veterans transitioning into the private sector to build confidence and career readiness.
Known for her engaging presentation style and practical insight, Molly’s work inspires collaboration and long-term impact—making her a vital part of PVCA’s mission to serve and grow with the Penns Valley community.
Sarah DePasquale
Environmental Educator & Coordinator
Sarah is passionate about fostering meaningful connections between people and the ecosystems they inhabit. A long-time member and contributor to PVCA, she is delighted to bring her experience as an ecologist and facilitator to the position of Environmental Educator and Coordinator.
Sarah’s love of the natural world began at an early age in California, where she grew up climbing oak trees and splashing in creeks in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. She studied ecology and botany at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Conservation and Resource Studies (focus: Agroecology and Community Self-Reliance) in 1999. Nineteen years ago, a visit to Penns Valley became a homecoming- Sarah found in the soft hills, small farms, and lively streams a sense of community and belonging.
Her winding path has included homesteading, three seasons as a wildland firefighter, a career as a homebirth midwife, and an ongoing study and practice in herbalism, permaculture, and ecological landscaping. She counts among her experiences running an edible Elementary schoolyard, offering adult education in ecological landscaping and herbalism, and nature-schooling her own young Penns Valley native.
When she isn’t hiking or kayaking in the region’s myriad beautiful spots, Sarah enjoys growing food and flowers in her chaos garden, reading, playing games, and camping. She lives at Fiddler’s Bend in Woodward with her husband, son, and a brown dog named Bean.
Julie Barton
Special Events Coordinator & Environmental Educator
For the past 12 years, Julie and her family have owned and operated Haven Valley Homestead in Spring Mills — a small, sustainable homestead that offers a cozy Airbnb, seasonal camps, workshops and events, and helpful resources for the community.
With over 15 years of experience planning events and teaching nature and agricultural classes and programs, Julie brings a passion for community connection and meaningful gatherings. She finds peace and joy in nature, especially near local streams, and her favorite hobbies include gardening, growing flowers, hiking, fishing, camping, and traveling with her husband Edwin and three wonderful kids—Cody, Caitlyn, and Carter.
Julie is excited to bring her skills to PVCA to help support environmental education programming and plan amazing events for us.