Diane Bertok is a Project Manager for the Existing Facilities Program at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). At NYSERDA, she is responsible for managing energy efficiency projects implemented throughout New York State. Prior to joining NYSERDA, Ms. Bertok was a geologist at an environmental consulting firm where she investigated and remediated hazardous waste sites.

Ms. Bertok first became involved with the Future City Competition seven years ago as a volunteer on the day of the competition, and her volunteer duties have evolved to include working as the awards coordinator and most recently as co-chair of the competition. She finds the multidisciplinary approach of the competition to be effective in teaching middle school students various methods of approaching and thinking through complex problems; using technology like SimCity 4 Deluxe is one innovative way students can wrestle with the challenging problems facing the science and engineering industry today.