Chief Kott is a 20-year veteran of the City of Bethlehem Police Department. Prior to her appointment as Chief in 2020, she served as a patrol officer, detective, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, detective lieutenant, and captain. In addition to these primary assignments, Chief Kott also served as a member of the department’s Crisis Negotiation Team and would later become the group’s Team Leader. Chief Kott is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. She is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 81st Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar. Chief Kott holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from DeSales University and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. Joseph’s University. In 2019 she received her Doctorate in Criminal Justice from California University of Pennsylvania and was the recipient of the Jay S. Albanese Award for Academic Excellence in Doctoral Criminal Justice Studies. Chief Kott is an adjunct instructor with Northampton Community College and resides in Bethlehem, PA with her wife and two children.

Kristen Wenrich, MPH, CPH has worked in the field of public health for more than 25 years. Ms. Wenrich was appointed to the position of Director of Health for the City of Bethlehem on January 7, 2013. She joined the Bethlehem Health Bureau in September 1998 after graduating from East Stroudsburg University. In May 2004, she earned her master’s degree in public health from East Stroudsburg University and received her certification in public health in 2008. Ms. Wenrich worked in several program areas during her 25 years of employment, including maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, public health emergency preparedness, communicable disease, and quality improvement. In her role as Health Director, Ms. Wenrich focuses on diagnosing the most pressing health issues in Bethlehem, identifying the most effective strategies to improve health, and collaborating with community partners in an effort to fulfill the Health Bureau’s mission of creating a healthier Bethlehem. Ms. Wenrich is currently leading efforts in Bethlehem to improve health equity, enhance community engagement, advance multi-sector partnerships, and address the social determinants of health. Ms. Wenrich has presented at several state and national conferences on topics related to childhood obesity, smoking cessation, hookah use, homelessness, quality improvement, and mental health. In addition, Ms. Wenrich has contributed to several articles on quality improvement, hookah use, and opioids that have appeared in national publications.

S. Benay Berger is the director of nursing and manager of the Community Connections Program (CCP) at the Bethlehem Health Bureau (BHB). For over 25 years, Benay has worked for organizations with programs focused on addressing inequitable access to the resources that comprise the social determinants of health. For over a decade, she’s worked as a registered nurse in emergency rooms and urgent care settings in urban areas. She has years of training and experience working with people in acute mental health crises, medical health crises, and social/emotional health crises. Benay has worked as a public health nurse with the Bethlehem Health Bureau for a total of 5 years in multiple programs that work to create thriving and resilient neighborhoods with equitable access to health, social, emotional and economic resources that provide everyone the opportunity to live, learn, work, pray, play and thrive. Currently, Benay is getting a Masters of Social Work (MSW). She is deeply dedicated to working with the Bethlehem Police Department and other city agencies to help develop, manage, and grow the Community Connections program and build a strong network of community-based organizations and partners who collaborate to create a comprehensive network of resources and programs to support and enhance the lives of all our Bethlehem community members.

Maraleen D. Shields is Executive Director of the Interbranch Commission for the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness (“Interbranch Commission”). The purpose of the Interbranch Commission, which was established by all three branches of Pennsylvania government in 2005, is to promote equal application of the law. The Interbranch Commission fulfills its purpose by implementing the recommendations from a 2003 study by the Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System (“Committee”), investigating and implementing new initiatives that may not have been addressed by the Committee, suggesting ways to reduce bias in all three branches of Pennsylvania government, raising both public and professional awareness of its work, and increasing public confidence in Pennsylvania government. Ms. Shields is a frequent speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion, litigation, and healthcare matters. She has been recognized throughout her career with accomplishments that include Lehigh Valley Business Woman of Influence (2021); National Black Lawyers Top 100 List (2020-present); PBA President’s Award (2018); the Lynette Norton Award (2020); PA Super Lawyers list (2021-present); PA Super Lawyers – Rising Stars list (2008, 2010, 2012-2018); Lehigh Valley Business Journal’s Forty Under 40; and being recognized as a Lehigh Valley Magazine Legal Leader. Ms. Shields is active in the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), serving as Co Vice-Chair of the Membership Development Committee and Co-Chair of the Women in the Profession Commission’s Report Card Committee. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy with a Law and Society Concentration from Kenyon College and her J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.