Lynn Rothman, Chair

Lynn Rothman is an Environmental Scientist. She previously worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, balancing environmental protection with development and property rights, with an emphasis on wetlands protection. She currently serves on the board of the Sustainable Energy Fund. Through her volunteer activities she is experienced in leading non-profit organizations.

Lynn graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a bachelor’s degree in government and Johns Hopkins University with a master’s degree from the Whiting School of Engineering. More recently she completed a professional certificate in Geographic Information Systems through Michigan State University. In 2009 she participated in the inaugural Bethlehem Citizens’ Academy. Lynn has resided in Bethlehem City since 1998, where she and her husband raised their two daughters.

Ben Felzer, Vice Chair

Benjamin Felzer is a climate and biogeochemical modeler who studies terrestrial ecosystems. He received his B.A. in physics and astronomy from Swarthmore College in 1987, his M.S. in geology from the University of Colorado – Boulder in 1991, his Ph.D. in geology from Brown University in 1995, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder. Following his postdoctoral research, he worked as a Project Scientist for the U.S. National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, spent the next year as an assistant project manager for the hydrological component of NOAA’s Office of Global Programs (OGP), and in 2001 became a research associate at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. He spent the spring of 2008 as a Visiting Professor of Geology at Oberlin College, and started his current position as an Assistant Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lehigh in August, 2008, becoming an Associate Professor in 2015. His recent work has involved modeling the effects of human and natural disturbances, such as land use and land cover change, in the context of climate warming. He has also looked at how climate extremes affect ecosystem function and human societies.

Ben Guthrie, Secretary

Ben is a lifelong resident of the Lehigh Valley, and has lived in Bethlehem since 2009. He graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and later earned a Master’s Degree in Transportation Engineering from Villanova University.  In addition to the EAC, Ben is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (former president of the Lehigh Valley Section), the Association of Pedestrian & Bicycle Professionals, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and Pennsylvania’s Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. He lives in West Bethlehem with his wife Sheena and two young daughters. In his free time Ben enjoys playing rec league volleyball, cooking, and playing board games

Vibhor Kumar, Council Member

Vibhor works as a sustainability and energy consultant at WSP USA in their Bethlehem office. He moved to Bethlehem at the start of 2020 and lives in Downtown Bethlehem. In his current role, he supports a wide variety of clients with GHG inventories, sustainability reporting, goal setting, techno-economic analysis, renewable energy, and sustainable buildings. Prior to this role, Vibhor also did an internship at the U.S. Green Building Council where he worked on the development of the LEED v4.1 rating system. He has an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and a graduate degree in Energy Science, Technology, and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. He is passionate about all things sustainability and has been an active proponent of sustainability and clean energy during his time in school. He has multiple accreditations including LEED AP, TRUE Advisor, EcoDistricts AP, and Fitwel Ambassador.

Mandy Tolino, Council Member

Mandy Tolino works at the D&L Trail as the Director of Trails and Conservation, responsible for overseeing the Trails and Conservation Department including grant management, Data Driven Sustainability and economic development programs. Mandy is a Lehigh Valley native from Bangor, currently residing in West Bethlehem with her husband and 3 children, 2 dogs and cat. She received a B.S. from the University of Delaware in Plant Science, Landscape Horticulture and Agricultural Education and an M.A. from the University of Delaware in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. Mandy’s diverse background includes small business experience as part of the executive team at a local vineyard, Urban Forest Administrator for the City of Wilmington, Delaware, and Urban Landscaper at the Delaware Center for Horticulture.

Mandy leads the D&L Trail Council and is also a member of the Bangor Area Educational Foundation’s Board. As a native plant advocate, Mandy spends too much time in her garden. In her free time, Mandy and her family spent most of their time outdoors on the local trails or at youth sports.

Mike Topping, Council member

Mike Topping has lived in the Lehigh Valley since 1955 and been a resident of Bethlehem, PA since 1968. He is married (wife - Nancy) and has three grown children, Christopher, Susan and Brian. Presently there is no dog, usually a black lab can be found around the house, but we do have a cat. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Franklin and Marshall College in 1963, served in the US Army as a counter intelligence agent and returned from Vietnam in 1966. Starting in 1967 for the City of Easton, and continuing from 1968 to 2001 for the City of Bethlehem, he has worked as a city planner. Retired in 2002, he has worked part time for the Borough of Nazareth as a Zoning Officer and currently works part time for the Easton Planning Office.

Always actively interested in the outdoors and organized sports, Mike wrestled in high school and college, played various team sports and enjoyed many years of golf and tennis. Once retired, Mike became active in various civic and sportsmen's organizations and is currently the President of the Northampton County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. Although interested in and willing to support all of the EAC's programs and concerns, Mike is particularly interested in preserving our natural environment in Bethlehem and protecting those areas which are most prone to damage during development namely the flood plain areas adjacent to the Monocacy and Saucon Creeks and the Lehigh River and the steep slope areas near Camel's Hump and South Mountain.

Katie Trembler, Council Member

Katie has been a resident of Bethlehem since 2010. She earned a B.A. in psychology from Penn State University. She is passionate about environmental sustainability and is continuously working on ways to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, including composting, being a conscious consumer, eliminating single use plastics, repurposing, and landscaping with native plants. Katie and her husband, Mark, have two young children and two collies who all enjoy spending as much time outdoors as possible. In her free time, she coaches her daughters' soccer teams, gardens, crochets, and reads. She was elected to the EAC in February of 2022 and maintains the council's social media and heads the Waste Reduction Committee.

Councilwoman Kiera Wilhelm, City Council Liason