Meet Our Team
STAFF MEMBERS
Dianne Betz
Executive Director
Dianne is the second Executive Director of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, building on the strong foundation established by founder Deb Kramer. She brings a deep passion for outdoor education, environmental literacy, and community building to the role.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Dianne's commitment to protecting the natural world took root early. She spent four years in a Marine Chemistry program in high school, researching the shores of the Puget Sound. She went on to study education in college and served as the Ecology and Conservation Director at a Sierra Nevada summer camp, where she inspired young people to connect with and care for the environment around them.
Professionally, Dianne spent a decade with Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) as Director of Program, leading staff and volunteers in delivering summer camps, training events, and community festivals. Among her proudest accomplishments: spearheading the program's expansion to welcome young women for the first time, building innovative programming during the pandemic to keep kids engaged, and growing camp attendance to an all-time high.
When she is not working on making the world a better place with KCCB, you can find her listening to a good audiobook, cooking tasty treats, drinking coffee with friends, and painting watercolors.
Rebekah Cotton
Business Manager
Rebekah is the Business Manager for Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful and works on special projects. She recently returned to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she worked in events and catering. She brings with her enthusiasm for process creation for efficient event management and execution. Rebekah is passionate about environmental causes, especially recycling and lowering waste. Joining KCCB is her first step towards a new career path in helping local communities protect and preserve natural habitats. In her free time, she likes to go swimming, hiking, grow vegetables, or spend time with her growing family.
Molly Curtis
Education Coordinator
Molly is the Education Coordinator for Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. She grew up in Oregon playing in the forest and fields behind her house. Always an idealist, Molly decided she would “save the world” through policy and earned her J.D. and M.P.A. at Syracuse University. Molly worked in environmental policy positions for several government entities, but found she was most fulfilled when working with students in the classroom. She feels fortunate to be able to merge her passion for the environment with her desire to provide impactful learning experiences. You will often find Molly cheering for her family at sports and musical theater events, playing in her garden, or watching for whales.
Néstor De la O Vargas
Volunteer Coordinator
Néstor is the Event Assistant for Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. His major is Biology with a minor in Biochemistry, but he makes time to educate himself about the broad ecosystem and casually uses iNaturalist to learn about plant species around his neighborhood. He believes that the Creek is important for the environment and the diversity that it offers to San José, so he wants to do his part in helping to protect it. Right now, Néstor is interested in the role of pollinators in the environment and their relationship with plants, so he hopes to run some statistical analysis using iNaturalist’s public data soon! Néstor’s hobbies involve jogging in Coyote Creek, studying Arabic, and watching movies with his old high school buddy.
Sara Koepnick
Creek Cleanup Crew Member
Sara is a Cleanup Crew Member for Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. Family camping trips instilled her love of nature. During her studies in Marine Biology, Sara discovered that helping others see the beauty in the world around them brought her real joy. She spent 19 years working with students as a classroom teacher and is excited about transitioning into a new career where she can explore new ways to make a positive difference for her community and the environment. She believes we all have the power to make positive changes in the world around us — we just have to start and work little by little to leave the world better than we found it. Sara enjoys spending time reading, camping, hiking, playing games with her family, and talking to her chickens!
Annette McMillan
Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
Annette is the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator for Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. She has been enthusiastic about protecting the environment since her teens. She believes open spaces and natural waterways allow us to connect to ourselves and the earth in ways that only nature can provide. As a recent San Jose State Environmental Studies graduate, she educates people about the importance of protecting our creeks and open spaces through creek cleanups and as a BioBlitz docent.
Jessica Ruppert
Program Manager
Jessica is the Program Manager for Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. A love for the outdoors was passed on by her parents, who took the family camping every summer. With a goal to build community, Jessica received her B.S. in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University. She believes that the best way to make the change she hopes to see is by bringing people together. She enjoys snuggling her dogs, hiking, gardening, and dancing.
Board Members
Clinton Pickering
President, Treasurer
Clinton is a banker with Heritage Bank of Commerce, the largest Community Bank in the San Francisco Bay Area. Also, Clinton is an active Certified Public Accountant. Since he has lived most of his life along the Calaveras Foothills in East San Jose, he has actively trained for triathlons on the Coyote Creek Trail. Clinton and his son enjoy spending quality time together at Coyote Creek’s various parks learning about nature.
Costanza Rampini
Secretary
Dr. Costanza Rampini is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at San José State University (SJSU). Her research focuses on human adaptation to environmental change, specifically people’s capacity to adapt to climate change impacts and to recover from extreme events. Her work has focused on communities in Northeast India and in Santa Cruz, California, who are especially vulnerable to coastal and riverine flooding. Through her research, Dr. Rampini aims to inform sustainable development and climate adaptation efforts on the ground, and to ensure that they benefit the most underprivileged communities. Dr. Rampini has been teaching at SJSU since 2016, and her classes cover topics such as climate change, sustainable development, environmental justice, water policy, and environmental research methods.
Thaddeus Dickens
Board Member
Thaddeus Dickens is a Program Manager on the Talent Acquisition Team at NVIDIA. With nearly a decade of recruiting experience, Thaddeus devotes his time and energy to driving organizational change and best practices that promote inclusion for all applicants. A veteran of the United States Air Force, Thaddeus learned early on the importance of serving and giving back to communities through volunteerism and leadership development. His other interests include networking, traveling, and angel investing. As an avid sports fan, Thaddeus enjoys traveling to sporting events with his son to keep up with their favorite teams.