About Us

Aparna Mele, M.D. is a board-certified gastroenterologist with Digestive Disease Associates since 2007. She came to the field of medicine with extensive experience in international relief work overseas and is actively involved in local philanthropic work directed towards patient education and promotion of societal health. She started My Gut Instinct, her nonprofit organization, to educate the community about self-empowerment towards better health through better dietary choices, regular exercise, and preventative care. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, doing Crossfit, playing the piano, gourmet cooking, and traveling around the world.

Erica was born in Philadelphia, but has spent most of her life in Berks County. Since 2008 she has been working in banking and has enjoyed helping people to reach their financial goals, and is currently with Sun Federal Credit Union doing business development. In her spare time you can find her kayaking, skiing, or spending time with her dog and husband in Bern township. “Serving and volunteering has always been my passion, and I love the mission of My Gut Instinct and am very excited to meet members of the community at our events, while increasing awareness about health and wellness in Berks County”

Maria is the founder and creative lead of the graphic and web development studio, MariaVida Creative. Maria is a wife and mom of 2 daughters. With over 15 years in the creative field in both agency and education settings, Maria now runs a thriving design business and spends her free time training in her home gym, exploring the east coast and traveling as often as she can with her family, and whipping up delicious meals in the kitchen.

Kyle is a Berks County native and fourth-generation owner of Berks County’s oldest family-owned bar, Jack’s Pub.  He is a graduate of Wilson High School and has a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson and Wales University.  Kyle is passionate about the environment, nature, learning, exercise, travel, and adventure.  He is a licensed Sky Diver, a member of the Flying Dutchmen Ski Club, and a member of multiple conservation groups including The Sierra Club, The Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, and others.  In his spare time, Kyle enjoys skiing, hiking, riding his motorcycle, rock climbing, kayaking, and traveling the world.  He also enjoys spending time at his home on the Schuylkill River with his wife and dog.

Shannon lives in Exeter Township, Berks County with her husband and son.  She is a quintessential multitasker, working full time since Aug 2007 as a certified medical assistant at Berks Center for Digestive Health and part time since July 2000 at Giant Food Stores as a pharmacy technician. Being a Berks County native, Shannon is passionate about her community and loves to volunteer locally.  She participates in the Relay for Life every year as a member of team Gastro Gurus.  Working in gastroenterology, Shannon is very passionate about digestive health and has also been a loyal lead volunteer at Guts and Glory since its second year, as well as an unofficial president of our fan club, involving herself with any My Gut Instinct activity throughout the year. Her other magic talent is that she is also very compelling and has an uncanny ability to recruit a large team of multiple family members and friends to volunteer at G&G every year! In her free time Shannon enjoys playing cards and board games, mini-golfing, bowling, going to Hershey Park, taking nature walks, and just spending time with family and friends.  With her masterful expertise in all things Guts and Glory, she is excited to elevate her level of participation and officially join the My Gut Instinct board! 

Isabel is a San Francisco native who has called West Lawn home for the past 18 years with her partner and two of her four adult children. Though her career has been eclectic and varied, Isabel thrives finding ways to bring knowledge and empowerment to the community. After arriving in Berks County, Isabel worked as a program director for Centro Hispano where she became an advocate for the Latino community of Reading.  Isabel discovered that she loved teaching adult students as medical instructor at Pace Institute before moving to Berks Technical Institute in 2011 where she was Program Director of the English Language Foundations program until 2019. Isabel was honored to be selected by the Complete Count Committee, as Publicity Coordinator for the Census 2020. This role brought her in direct contact with My Gut Instinct team,  who are major champions of promoting the importance of every citizen having value and measure in Berks County. In April of 2022, Isabel joined US Digestive Health Research Team as a Clinical Research Coordinator and is excited to be able to unite her passions for the digestive system and community education as a My Gut Instinct board member.

As the AVP, Marketing Officer of Fleetwood Bank, Angela spearheads the company’s marketing and brand communication strategies. She is a Berks County Native who graduated from Albright College Summa Cum Laude with Honors in 2017. As a Communications major with a focus in Advertising and Public Relations, she brings over eight years of experience in innovative, strategic marketing to My Gut Instinct.

Cremer is passionate about making a positive impact in her community. Having been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at the age of just 18, she knew that MGI was the right nonprofit for her to hold her first Board of Directors position with – especially since she credits Aparna Mele, her Doctor and MGI’s Founder, with helping her achieve remission. “For me, one of the biggest rewards of being part of the invisible chronic illness community is the opportunity to pay it forward,” she says. “There’s no greater feeling than knowing my personal experiences and insight was able to help someone else going through the journey of IBD. This organization is the perfect environment for me to help make a difference.”

Kristen Orgera is excited to join the board of My Gut Instincts, bringing her creativity and over 10 years of marketing experience to the team. Inspired by her best friend’s journey to remission from Ulcerative Colitis, under the care of Dr. Aparna Mele, Kristen witnessed firsthand the life-changing impact of proper care and wellness. Seeing her friend go from constant pain and low energy to a vibrant, healthy life inspired Kristen to support the nonprofit’s mission.

By day, Kristen works as a marketer, but in her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, practicing yoga, and exploring nature through hiking. Originally from New Jersey, she lived in Chicago for 15 years before settling in Berks County, PA, 14 years ago. When she’s not adventuring outdoors, Kristen loves spending time with her cats and her professional artist boyfriend, Robbie Pepper, appreciating the simple joys of life.