OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM

Chris Berkner
Founder and President

Chris was formerly Co-founder and Managing Director of One Earth Capital, an early-stage cleantech fund that invested tens of millions of dollars in various cleantech startups (including Marrone Bio, which went public on NASDAQ in 2014). From 2009 to 2012 he was CEO of PureSense, a 50-person cleantech hardware and software company that helped hundreds of large farms save billions of gallons of water while participating in demand response programs with PG&E and SoCal Edison.

In his more distant past, Chris was VP of Software Engineering at an internet startup, did research on solar nanotechnology at Stanford, and taught karate to kids and adults. In his spare time, Chris enjoys hiking, yoga and playing music.

Jing Wang
Director of Recruiting Operations

Jing has over 12 years of experience as a Technical and Executive Recruiter, specializing in Technology, Biotech, Energy, New Chemicals and Materials, Finance and Architecture. She is passionate about cultivating partnerships and long lasting relationships with clients and candidates. She holds an MBA from Western University in Canada. Always upbeat and on the ball - you will love working with her.

Landon PrestonExecutive Search Consultant

Landon has over eight years of experience in executive recruiting working within the energy and government sectors, specializing in executive roles such as CEO, COO, CFO, and VP of Sales as well as managerial level roles in sales, engineering, finance, and accounting. He is energized by helping people align their passions and gifts with innovative, mission-minded firms throughout the US. Landon holds an MBA and BSBA from Union University in Tennessee.

Amanda BrandonSenior Technical Recruiter

Amanda focuses on recruiting engineers and product professionals, with significant experience working with software engineers, electrical engineers, material scientists, and product managers. She has worked in several startups herself and has additional expertise in marketing and customer success. You’ll find her able to dig into any challenging role and efficiently help you find your unicorn!

McKenzi CrossExecutive Recruiter

McKenzi enjoys working as a trusted advisor to her clients, helping them find strategic hires that substantially impact their organizations’ growth and success. Prior to joining Berkner Group, McKenzi recruited C-level executives, VPs, and other senior positions for various technology companies. Some of her placements include Chief Marketing Officer, Head of People, Head of Brand, Head of Accounting, Director of Revenue Accounting, and Head of Growth. She obtained her B.A. in Psychology from Mount Royal University and her M.A. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Adler University.

Ivana Sutic

Senior Technical Recruiter

Ivana joins Berkner Group with over 6 years of experience in full-cycle recruiting, specializing in technical roles. Some of her placements include positions such as director of engineering, lead full stack engineer, mechanical engineer, controls engineer, electrical engineering manager and more.  Ivana enjoys the fact that every day in a recruiter’s life is different and loves building meaningful relationships with clients and candidates. She has a Master’s Degree in General Management from Johannes Kepler Universitat Linz and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Windsor. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and exploring new cultures. 

Shanice Clemons

Technical Recruiter

Shanice is a technical recruiter who is passionate about helping candidates build their careers. With experience in full cycle recruitment, she specializes in placing scientists and engineers at innovative startup companies in the green chemistry, renewable energy, energy storage, sustainable agtech, and semiconductor sectors.

Sunny ArcaDirector of Research

Sunny spent the first seven years of her career as a Quality Engineer at Cypress Semiconductor and began working for Berkner Group in 2013. During her time here, she has successfully tackled hundreds of challenging sourcing efforts for both engineers and executives, across the full range of industries we cover. She now manages and inspires our team of 90 Researchers and Research Team Leads to continually improve and strive for excellence. Sunny holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Mapua Institute of Technology and is a mom to three young boys.

Chris was an amazing partner when I went looking for that critical 2nd hire on my mission-driven team. Although it was legitimately a unicorn role at the time, he provided me with a consistent stream of viable candidates and was always eager to receive feedback that allowed him to course correct. He was patient while I held the bar extremely high, which allowed me to find just the right candidate -- someone that has proven an incredible fit over the past two years.

Bob Zoller, Founding Engineer, Good Eggs