WELD | WELD Leadership Conference | Speakers
Ginny Barney
Ginny Barney has been the City Manager at the City of Upper Arlington since October 2000. She has brought with her many years experience as a businesswoman and community leader. Previously, Ginny served as Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas from May 1998 until she accepted her position with the City. Ginny was also the owner/operator of the Barney Corporation, an industrial distribution company, for more than 20 years. She has served as Mayor and City Council member of Upper Arlington, Chair Person for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, Chair of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), and Director of Greater Columbus Promise for Youth. Currently, Ginny serves as Chair of the Executive Board of Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, treasurer of the Central Ohio Municipal Alliance, and on several other community organizations. Her leadership skills have been recognized through numerous awards.
Ginny is a chapter author in the recently published book, Women on Fire: 20 Inspiring Women Share Their Life Secrets (and Save You Years of Struggle) compiled by Debbie Phillips.
Eleanor Bloxham
Eleanor Bloxham, CEO and Founder of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance, is recognized internationally as a corporate governance and valuation authority. She has provided information and advisory services to boards and companies in the US and across the globe and served as a governance expert in complex litigation. Her focus is on board processes and the kind of information boards need in their oversight and strategic responsibilities. A thought leader, her opinions are regularly sought by the press and she is the author of two books and over 180 published articles. She writes regularly for CNN Money Fortune.
Nichole Dunn
Nichole Dunn is President and CEO of The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, a public foundation leading social change in our community, empowering women and girls to reach their full potential. Nichole has served in a variety of roles serving the community, including Director, Donor Relations at YWCA, Columbus; Director, Know! Initiative at United Way of Central Ohio; Director, Juvenile Drug Court at ThedaCare Behavioral Health, and Director and Chemical Health Specialist at ExCEL Sober School.
Elizabeth Eck
Beth Eck is the vice president of training and volunteer services with HandsOn Central Ohio, the central Ohio affiliate member of the HandsOn Network. Ms. Eck's department mobilizes community volunteers and promotes specialized volunteer recruitment efforts as well as building the capacity of the nonprofit community by training community members and professionals in nonprofit and volunteer management, nonprofit legal issues related to volunteerism and board development.
Pamela Foster
Pam Foster is the founder and president of Results Unlimited LLC a national non-profit capacity building consulting firm. She provides technical assistance and capacity building for nonprofit organizations. She engages her clients in board development, and organizational capacity building to include financial management. She Some of her clients include Office of Community Service program grantees, Community Development Corporations (CDCs), Community Action Agencies (CAAs) and Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs). Ms. Foster has served a speaker at the U.S. Department of Treasury Eastern Regional Conference, and for the past several years began serving as a speaker and trainer at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Conference. She provides technical assistance TA to several Community Development Financial Institutions in their quest for certification and Fund Awards.
Julie Graber
Julie Graber is the CEO of The Institute on Women, a research and advocacy organization focused on improving the lives of the 5.9 million women and girls in Ohio by serving as a data-rich resource for strategic change. Graber has focused her research on women in leadership and their use of power. In 2004, she created the Central Ohio Women's Power Index, a set of benchmarks related to business and government that reflects women's relative power in the community and documents the lack of parity between men and women in leadership roles. She continues her research in this area, partnering with WELD on the 2011 inaugural release of the Central Ohio Leadership Census.
Sandy Harbrecht
As president and CEO of Paul Werth Associates, Sandra W. Harbrecht is leading the firm through a period of growth, achievement and national recognition. She offers extensive expertise in strategic communications planning, organizational communications, and public and social policy communication management for education, not-for-profit, corporate, financial and health care clients.Since she was named president, the firm has won eight of its nine prestigious Silver Anvil awards, including the Best of Silver Anvil, the highest honor bestowed for public relations programming. For nine years at Kent State University, Ms. Harbrecht served as a member of the board of trustees, chaired the board for two years. She serves on the Dean's Advisory Council for the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. Ms. Harbrecht is a trustee of the Ingram-White Castle Foundation, chair of the Arvin Alexander Fund of The Columbus Foundation and chair of the board of directors for Experience Columbus. She also is a corporate director for the boards of the Motorists Mutual Insurance Company and The Davey Tree Expert Company.
Erika Haupt
Erika Haupt, Partner-in-Charge for the Columbus office of Roetzel & Andress, focuses her practice on wealth transfer and estate planning matters, including business succession planning and all aspects of tax and business planning for owners of closely held businesses. She also counsels clients on general corporate, tax, transactional, and financing matters; estate and trust administration; fiduciary litigation; issues relating to both charitable and noncharitable tax-exempt organizations; and the drafting and negotiation of premarital agreements. Erika, a graduate of Leadership Columbus, was named "Top 50 Female Lawyers in Ohio" by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine (2011) and one of the "Top 25 Female Lawyers in Columbus" by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine (2010 & 2011) as well as "Forty Under 40" award sponsored by Columbus Business First.
Donna A. James
Donna A. James was appointed by President Barack Obama to be the Chair of the National Women’s Business Council on October 4, 2010. Ms. James spent 30 years of her career here in Central Ohio with Nationwide and others. She serves on the board of directors for Coca-Cola Enterprises, CNO Financial Group, LimitedBrands, and Time Warner Cable. With over 30 years of diverse management and leadership experience, she is a trusted resource and advisor for business leaders in the public and private sector, ranging from entrepreneurs to C-suite executives of Fortune 500 companies.
Debbie Johnson
Debbie Johnson was elected to the Upper Arlington City Council in the fall of 2009 and began serving her first four-year term in January, 2010. She is currently chair of the Community Facilities/Community Services ad hoc Master Plan committee, a member of the Community Appearance and Housing committee and served on the Rules Committee. Debbie is President and CEO of Leadership Catalyst, working as a marketing consultant for the Leadership Center at Franklin University, where she engages companies, organizations and individuals in leadership development.
She is a graduate of the Jo Ann Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute, currently serves as President-elect of the Board of Directors for WELD, Women for Economic and Leadership Development as well as serves on the Otterbein Women and Leadership Advisory Council where she chairs the Mentoring Program.
Debbie is a graduate of Otterbein University where she met her husband, Mark. They live in Upper Arlington and have grown 3 children.
Kathy Krendl
Kathy Krendl began her career in academics as a high school English teacher with a love of learning, respect for scholarship and appreciation for diversity. Kathy assumed the role of President of Otterbein University in 2009. Previously she served Ohio University as Executive Vice President and Provost from 2007-2009 and as Provost from 2004-2007. Her responsibilities there included oversight of academic programs, university budget planning, eleven colleges, five regional campuses, international programs, and the offices of Research and Creative Activity; Diversity, Access and Equity; and University Outreach.
Prior to her appointment as provost, Dr. Krendl served as dean of Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication from 1996 to 2004. Dr. Krendl also developed partnerships focused on health and literacy with the American Cancer Society, Verizon Corporation, and the Governor’s Office of Appalachia.
Thomas W. Krusemark
Thomas W. Krusemark is the Procurement Center Representative for the United States Small Business Administration (Department of Defense Activities, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH; Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH; Department of Energy, Cincinnati, OH). In this role, Mr. Krusemark oversees activities for Small Business Compliance, training, contract/acquisition review, totaling more than $50 Billion per year. He is an Air Force Veteran (Retired Lt Colonel) with 27 years active duty service. He has served tours as a Contracting Squadron Commander at two of the largest Space Wings in Air Force Space Command, as a Pacific Air Forces Command Director of Small Business, as a Contingency Contracting Officer responding to natural disaster support in the Far Eastern theater, and as a Contracting Congressional Liaison to the Pacific Air Forces Command. His award s include 1993 winner of the Outstanding Contracting Officer of the Year for the United States Air Force and two time Major Command Winner as Outstanding Contracting Officer and Contingency Contracting Officer in USAF.
Lark T. Mallory
Lark Mallory, Senior Counsel at Chester Willcox & Saxby has a practice focused on assisting closely-held organizations with a variety of business transactions. Her expertise in the field of taxation, which includes an advanced degree in tax from the University of Florida and prior experience as a Certified Public Accountant, make her well qualified to advise business owners on tax matters. Lark has developed a special niche in her practice advising tax exempt organizations on a variety of matters, including applying for and obtaining tax exempt status, business ventures and political activities. In her practice, Lark also reviews and advises tax exempt organizations on prospective investments to ensure compliance with investing rules and tax laws. Lark is a recipient of Business First’s “Forty under 40” (2007) Award for notable professional success and volunteer efforts and is listed in “Who’s Who in Black Columbus” (2006-2007).
Debbie Manos-McHenry
Deborah (“Debbie”) Manos-McHenry is senior vice president and chief sourcing officer at Huntington National Bank. Her responsibilities include strategic sourcing, third party risk management, supplier diversity, accounts payable, travel services and purchasing operations. Prior to joining Huntington, she held a similar role as executive vice president and chief sourcing officer at KeyBank.
She began her career in 1983 with Peat Marwick Mitchell (now KPMG Peat Marwick). Debbie joined KeyBank in 1990 as a tax manager in Key's corporate tax group. In March 1997 she joined the newly formed corporate sourcing group where she held a number of positions until her appointment as Key's chief sourcing officer in January 2002. From 2006 through 2008, she was responsible for the combined sourcing and real estate functions, where she led the development of the real estate infrastructure to support Key's integrated branch strategy, large corporate office space optimization, alternative workplace, and sustainability strategies. Debbie is a member of WELD and the United Way of Central Ohio Women’s Leadership Council.
Shelly Marks
Shelly Marks is a Director of Human Resources working for Alliance Data Retail Services in Columbus, Ohio. Shelly has worked for a variety of companies in the local market in various Human Resources roles for the last 19 years, with the last decade being spent at Alliance Data. Her experience ranges from Strategic Organization Design, Leadership Training and Development, Associate Engagement, Compensation and Benefits Management, Employee Relations, Coaching and Mentoring, Compensation Administration and General Human Resources Team Management.
Shelly has also spent the last 11 years teaching at Franklin University as a part time adjunct professor in the undergraduate and graduate programs, guiding students in the areas of leadership, compensation analysis, and human resources administration. She is active in her Church community with teaching 3rd graders Religious Education on Sunday mornings.
Shelly has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Franklin University. She is also a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.
Shelly resides in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and her two small children under the age of 4.
Melanie Martin-Jones
Melanie Martin-Jones is a partner at Porter Wright with a practice that includes both domestic and foreign protection and transfer of intellectual property as well as general business law. She is experienced in the protection of copyrights, trademarks, and patents. A licensed patent attorney, she assists clients in prosecution, due diligence, and the transfer of intellectual property, including distributor agreements, licensing, and franchising.
Melanie has been recognized by her industry in The Best Lawyers in America ® in the area of Intellectual Property Law and in U.S. News – Best Lawyers in the areas of Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law. She is a 2007 r ecipient of the International Trademark Association Volunteer Service Award – Advancement of Trademark Law. Melanie is an active community leader and currently serves as a board member for the National Association of Women Business Owners Columbus, is a member of Ohio TechAngels and of the Governing Body, Athena PowerLink Columbus. She also co-founded the Women’s Council of Central Ohio.
Mary Ann Masur
Mary Ann Masur, PCC, CPCC, works with corporate executives, small business owners, professionals and emerging leaders who want to achieve their career potential, increase their effectiveness, and experience fulfillment. She is a professional coach and business performance expert with over 20 years of diversified experience optimizing individual ability, team dynamics and organizational efficiencies in the private and public sectors. She is accredited and certified by The Coaches Training Institute and is recognized as a professional certified coach through the International Coach Federation. She has also been trained as an organizational relationship systems coach. An accomplished speaker, coach and author, Mary Ann works with leaders to maximize their vision, focus and leadership ability. As a performance expert, Mary Ann has contributed to numerous publications and programs. She is the author of Leadership Tips: 52 Weeks to Business and Personal Success, Volumes I and II.
Shelley Menduni
Shelley Menduni, President of Professional Imagery, has a passion for helping people look their best, feel confident, and succeed! Shelley is a Central Ohio-based professional make-up artist and color consultant for over 25 years. She has trained under some of the industry’s most recognizable names. After working with individuals directly throughout her career, she eventually began holding workshops upon request. From the popularity and growth of these events, Professional Imagery was born. In addition to her work with Professional Imagery, Shelley has been a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners since 1998 and was the Columbus chapter’s 2006 Member of the Year. She has worked with Habitat for Humanity, Dress for Success and the Make-A-Wish foundation. She is an active member of Worthington Chamber of Commerce and St. Michael’s Church where she is a chairperson for the Welcome Committee. She is also active in WELD and HRACO.
Maureen Metcalf
Maureen Metcalf is the CEO of Metcalf & Associates, Inc., bringing 26 years of business experience to support your leadership and organizational success. She is recognized as a thought leader who demonstrates strategic vision coupled with the ability to analyze, develop, and implement successful strategies for profitability, growth and sustainability. Maureen brings a combination of intellectual rigor and discipline along with an ability to translate theory into practice to all of her client engagements. She designs and teaches MBA classes in High Impact Leadership and Organizational Transformation at Capital University. As a result, Maureen is uniquely qualified to work with clients to in developing innovative leadership skills that allow them to function more effectively and to transform their organizations to thrive in the current dynamic business conditions.
Melisa Miller
Melisa Miller joined Alliance Data as Senior Vice President/Retail Chief Client Officer. In this role, Melisa is accountable for building and managing client relationships and winning strategies across all Retail product lines (private label, co-brand, and customer insights, business revolving credit) and the adoption of additional capabilities to existing clients. She is accountable for the fulfillment of the marketing programs across multiple channels and is also a member of the Retail Executive Committee. Melisa is well-known by many Retail and Financial Services associates from her 25-plus years of experience in building and managing client relationships with Experian while holding various roles in Senior Sales Leadership. Melisa’s achievements include developing strong, productive partnerships with marketing, finance, IT, compliance and operations to develop product positioning, pricing and delivery strategies. She brings with her a strong track record of delivering results while creating a culture of service excellence through winning account strategies.
Deb Peluso
Deb Peluso has spent over a decade collaborating with clients in military, government, non-profit and Fortune 500 organizations to improve organizational performance and execute large scale change initiatives. Her work focuses on building and implementing strategies, structures, and processes to make organizations more effective. She also teaches others how to elicit and transfer knowledge and expertise to others – through the design knowledge management systems and training programs. She enjoys volunteering her time for organizations that further women’s initiatives and literacy development. She is the owner of The Change Collaborative, a consultancy based in Columbus, Ohio.
Denise Pope
Denise Pope is an IT Director for Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio where she has held multiple leadership positions in the areas of Project Management, Application Development and currently IT Operations. She has over 28 years of business experience delivering technology solutions in the private, healthcare and public sectors and is known for her results oriented style. Ms. Pope is active in the Westerville community where she currently serves as a member of the Westerville City School Board of Education to which she was appointed on January 12, 2009, to fulfill an unexpired term. Ms. Pope was then elected to a four year term in November of 2009. She volunteers and supports many school functions as an involved parent and is an active member of St. John A.M.E Church, where she serves as Youth Director.
Kathy Presutti
Kathy leads the Commercial Operations Business Process Improvement team at American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States serving more than 5 million customers in 11 states with the largest electricity transmission system in the nation. She is responsible for the planning and oversight of a portfolio of projects designed to meet changes in market design, regulatory requirements and changing business operations including integration of all new generation facilities. Kathy chairs the Strategic Planning, Portfolio and Project Management and Disaster Recovery /Business Continuity teams and also serves on the Enterprise Content Management and Document Management Advisory Boards. An OSU graduate, Kathy has a diverse background including venture capital, asset optimization, organizational development, training, technical writing and project management. She has entrepreneurial experience as a co-founder of a small business and has been a consultant for a number of years.
Rebecca Princehorn
Becky Princehorn is a partner and chair of the Public Finance group and the Public Sector group. Her practice emphasizes school and local government law. She served as bond counsel for the first Ohio income tax-backed school district bonds; for the first publicly offered PLF-backed library notes; for the first school district in the Extreme Environmental Contamination Program of the Ohio School Facilities Commission; for the first Ohio general obligation bond issue with a local government fund pledge; for the first Ohio municipal general obligation bond issue for housing; and for the first Ohio school district minibond issue.
Jeff Shick
Jeff Shick is currently Director of the Manufacturing & Technology Small Business Development Center for Columbus State Community College. He comes with over 20 years of experience in technology commercialization, public policies and technology deployment. Mr. Shick’s background includes experience across a diversity of industriesundefinedprivate as well as various federal and state government agencies and universities.
Pamela Springer
Ms. Springer has more than 20 years of experience building and growing technology-based companies. At Manta, Springer has transformed the business into one of the fastest-growing online communities in the world through a keen focus on driving value for small and midsize businesses and those enterprises who serve them.
Springer's strategy has driven revenue, margins and profits, while fostering a culture that promotes innovation, execution and speed. Under her leadership the company has grown more than six times and is ranked 83rd by Henry Blodget, Top 100 Most Valuable Private Internet Companies, Silicon Alley Insider. Springer won the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Technology Category for the South Central Ohio & Kentucky Region. Springer is a board member for JobsOhio an initiative from Governor Kasich to pursue job creation and capital investment opportunities for Ohio.
Prior to joining Manta, Springer held leadership positions with a number of companies including Interliant, Inc. (Softbank investment), reSOURCE PARTNER, Inc. (KKR investment), Litton Enterprise Solutions, and Metatec, Inc.
She has a BS in business administration from Franklin University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude
Dr. Kerry Strayer
Dr. Kerry Strayer is a native Ohioan who teaches at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. She earned a BA in History and Theatre from Bluffton College (NW Ohio) an MA in Political Communication from the University of Cincinnati, and a PhD in Organizational Communication from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Strayer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Otterbein University; she teaches courses on Small Groups, Interpersonal Communication, Research Methods, Organizational Communication, Intercultural Communication, and Community Leadership.
Dr. Kristin T. Tull
Dr. Kristin T. Tull holds the position of President and Corporate Secretary of PRADCO. She works with several of PRADCO's largest clients in the evaluation of key personnel. Furthermore, she has assumed primary responsibility for many accounts where she works closely with top executives to help them evaluate and refine their management teams. She has also been a key leader in the development of new products for Internet testing and she is the primary person who manages and trains professional staff. In 1989, Dr. Tull received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Denison University. Immediately following this, she attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio where she received her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology in 1991. Dr. Tull's career with PRADCO began in 1991 when she relocated to Cleveland and pursued her doctoral degree at the University of Akron. She completed her dissertation entitled The Effects of Faking Behavior on the Prediction of Sales Performance, and she received her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology in 1997. She earned her license to practice psychology in the State of Ohio in 2000.
Laura Wojciechowski
Laura Wojciechowski is the President of Whalen & Company CPAs, a full service accounting and consulting firm that provides a variety of services to meet the financial needs of businesses and individuals. Laura is both a CPA and Enrolled Agent. She has extensive experience in both personal and corporate tax and accounting. She is a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Laura’s community involvement is expressed through her membership in the Short North Business Association and the Short North Special Improvement District. She serves as a board member of the Short North Foundation and Healthy New Albany plus sits on the Governing Body for Athena Powerlink.
