NeXT Board
NeXT Board
Bob Ghiloni
Board Member
Bob Ghiloni
Head Men’s Basketball Coach | Grandview High School
Bob Ghiloni is the Head Men’s Basketball coach at Denison University. He will be returning for his 16th season with the Big Red Men’s Basketball team in 2016-17. During his tenure in Granville he has led the DU basketball program to 11 North Coast Athletic Conference tournament appearances including a berth in the championship game in 2011-12.
In 2014-15 Denison finished the year with a 13-13 record while logging wins over nationally ranked opponents, DePauw, Ohio Wesleyan and Wooster.
In 2011-12 Ghiloni and the Big Red put together one of the most impressive finishes to a season in school history as they went 6-2 over the final month of play to secure the No. 5 seed in the NCAC Tournament. As the fifth seed, DU rolled into Crawfordsville, Ind. for the second time in less than a month. Trailing by 13 in the second half, a 17-0 run by senior Larry Farmer put the Big Red ahead and secured DU’s place in the conference semifinals.
The late season magic continued as the Big Red turned a solid performance against host and top-seeded Wittenberg into an eight-point win and the program’s first berth to the NCAC Tournament title game. In the conference final, Denison pushed second-seeded Wooster to the limit, but fell just short of their first NCAC Tournament crown.
In 2004-05, Ghiloni was named NCAC Coach of the Year after posting the program’s first winning season in seven years.
Ghiloni came to Denison from Bishop Ready High School in Columbus (Ohio) where he was the head coach of the Silver Knights boys’ basketball program for 15 seasons. In 2001-02, Ghiloni’s Ready squad posted an impressive 23-5 record and reached the state tournament championship finals in Division III.
In his 15-year run at Ready, Ghiloni directed a dramatic turn around in the boys’ basketball program which resulted in six consecutive winning seasons, two district championships and the 2001-02 trip to the state championship. In 2002, Ready won its first Central Catholic League championship since 1979 and made its first state tournament appearance since 1973. After having earned Central District Division III Coach of the Year honors five times.
Along with his coaching duties, Ghiloni was director of admissions at Ready and also has served as director of student and academic affairs and director of guidance. He has also taught courses in world history and American history.
Prior to coaching at Ready, Ghiloni spent three seasons as an assistant basketball coach at Capital University in Columbus. Also included in Ghiloni’s extensive professional background are two more Columbus coaching stints as an assistant with Ohio Dominican (1983-1984) and St. Francis DeSales High School (1981-1983). Ghiloni has also served as an instructor and administrator for several local and regional basketball camps.
A native of nearby Newark, Ohio, Ghiloni graduated from Ohio State University in 1981 with a bachelor of science degree in secondary education. He earned his master of science degree in education from the University of Dayton in 1985.
Before transferring to Ohio State as an undergraduate, Ghiloni attended OSU’s Newark campus for two years and played collegiate basketball there. While at OSU-Newark he served as team captain and earned several honors, including the Coach’s Award and the McGrevey Scholar-Athlete Award. He played his secondary school basketball at St. Peter and Paul Seminary High School in Newark, graduating in 1975.
At Denison, Ghiloni’s appointment also includes academic rank as an assistant professor on the faculty of the University’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation.
Ghiloni and his wife, Molly, have two daughters, Danielle and Andrea and currently live in Columbus.
Tony DiBlasi
Board Member/Co-Founder
Tony DiBlasi
Chief of Asset Management | Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing
The NeXT Basketball Foundation’s first Board President, a position he held for three years, and one of the organization’s original Founding Members, Mr. DiBlasi has been instrumental in the growth and successes of NeXT. Tony has 25+ years of experience within the not-for-profit sector having served National Church Residences, Assistance Dogs of America Inc. and Leadership Worthington. Over the years, he has been involved with all aspects of operations including long-range strategic and business planning, grant writing, budgeting, marketing and branding initiatives, coordinating special events and building and deploying innovative technology solutions. He also has extensive experience in establishing and promoting strong organizational and board governance structures.
For the past 12+ years, Mr. DiBlasi has served Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, an Ohio-based not-for-profit organization involved in the construction, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable housing in Ohio and Kentucky. In his role as Chief of Asset Management and as a member of the executive management team, Mr. DiBlasi establishes the strategic direction for his department and leads a professional team of Asset Managers and Compliance staff overseeing an affordable housing portfolio representing $3.25B in equity from its investment partners. Being recognized as a leader within the affordable housing industry he frequently presents at national conferences and holds countless professional certifications.
Mr. DiBlasi lives in Powell with his wife Linda and son Vitaly. He is an amateur videographer and enjoys spending quality time with his family biking, swimming, playing golf and basketball.
Jimmy Onate, PhD
Board Member
Jimmy Onate
PhD, AT, ATC, FNATA – Associate Professor of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences | The Ohio State University
James Onate, PhD, AT, ATC, FNATA joined The Ohio State University faculty in January 2010. He is an academic research faculty member clinically interested in all aspects of human movement relative to performance optimization and sustainment. He currently serves as an Associate Professor and Chair of the Graduate Program in The Ohio State University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. He serves as a research member of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for National Federation of State High School Associations and the state of Ohio. He has been an active member of the youth sports community in central OH while coaching baseball at Olentangy Liberty High School and basketball throughout the central OH community. He resides in Powell, OH with his wife Deb and his two boys Matthew and Mason.
Wendy Mikola
Board Member
Wendy Mikola
Consultant | Kaiser Consulting
Wendy is a highly respected CPA with over 19 years experience in audit, compliance and financial analysis with Deloitte and Touche. While working in public accounting she successfully assisted two companies through their initial public offerings. With excellent project- managernent skills and expertise in training, Wendy is a strong certified public accountant. Currently she is a Project Manager (Audit Consultant / Financial Analyst) with Kaiser Consulting.
Wendy is a Miami University graduate where she played varsity volleyball all four years, and was a team member of the 1990 MAC Conference Championship team. Wendy is wonderful wife and mother. She is married to Chris and they have three children: Jackson, Claire & Logan.
Sabra Kershaw
Board Member
Sabra Kershaw
First Commonwealth Bank | Vice President
Columbus, OH (January 30, 2023) – Sabra Kershaw has recently joined the Corporate Banking team at First Commonwealth Bank. Sabra joins First Commonwealth with a 25-year career in commercial lending, most recently serving as a commercial lender with US Bank. She will be based out of First Commonwealth’s Lewis Center Office at 110 Riverbend Avenue, Powell, OH 43065. In this role Sabra will be working with area business clients and prospects as their relationship manager and development officer.
“Sabra has a wealth of experience working with businesses and their banking needs across Central Ohio,” offered Adam Hansberry, Senior Corporate Banker for First Commonwealth in Central Ohio. “She is also a tremendous community champion in the Powell community, and that is a trait we love here at First Commonwealth.”
Sabra is a proud mother of her son, Eric, and in her spare time she enjoys relaxing with her husband, Eric, while traveling and mentoring youth. She is very active in the Powell community, currently serving as chair of the Powell Women in Business, board member and past president of the Powell Chamber of Commerce and also serves as a member of the Ohio Bankers League Gen Z board and Africentric Early College board.
Sabra is also a member of the Powell Realtors Association, Destination Delaware and several other area non-profits.
John Feasel
Board Member
John Feasel
Head Men’s Basketball Coach | Olentangy High School
Prior to the 2016-2017 season, Coach Feasel coached the girls basketball team at Olentangy and built a program that won the OCC in 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16 and finished as the Central District Runner-up in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
He was named OCC “Coach of the Year” in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016; District 11 “Coach of the Year” in 2010, 2013 and 2016 and was the AP State “Coach of the Year” in 2016.
John is following in his father’s footsteps here at Olentangy. His father, John W. Feasel coach the Braves for five seasons, from 1978-1982 and had a 115-45 record. John played for the Braves his freshman and sophomore year before moving to Groveport-Madison to finish his career.
John has been married to Julie for 29 years and they have two daughters Meghan and Brigid that are both Olentangy graduates and graduates of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.
NeXT Executive Leadership
Shawn Bailey
Co-Founder
President
The Bailey Family
L-R: Addison, Austin, Logan, Rhonda, Reese, Shawn, Bryce & Ryan
Shawn is Director of Business Development at NBC4/Columbus, Ohio (Nexstar Media) and the President/Founder of Reid, William & Reese Consulting – a recruiting firm that specializes in partnering great companies with great people.
Shawn was born in Circleville, Ohio on January 12, 1965 to Jake and Chris Bailey. He graduated from Hilliard High School in Hilliard, Ohio in June 1983, and graduated from Wittenberg University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech/English in June 1987. Shawn was a three-year men’s basketball team letterman and a tri-captain his senior year along with his fellow teammates, Steve Iannarino and Don Mewhort. While at Wittenberg Shawn was a part of a senior class that won over 94 games in their college career and finished third in the country during the 1987 DIII NCAA tournament. Shawn was the recipient of the men’s basketball “Tiger Award” his senior year as voted by his teammates.
Upon graduating from Wittenberg, Shawn moved to West Palm Beach, FL. in the summer of 1983 to begin a career in the pharmaceutical industry with Marion Laboratories, an Overland Park, Mo. based company founded by the great Ewing Kauffman. Shawn relocated to Columbus, Ohio in 1992 and has spent the last 27 years in central Ohio as a professional sales representative for three fortune 500 companies: Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, International Paper and Georgia Pacific, and with Sinclair Broadcasting, one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. Shawn is currently in his 32nd year as an account executive and sales professional.
Over the past year Shawn has embarked upon one of the greatest endeavors of his life- the creation of The NeXT Basketball Foundation, where he became the Executive Director of the non-profit organization in August of 2015.
Over the past year Shawn has had the distinct pleasure and privilege to develop something special with a team of individuals that share his passion, perspective and vision centered on changing how we evaluate success in youth sports. It is his belief that the metric employed by our society to measure success in youth athletics is a flawed and failing model.
Shawn’s belief is we can do better.
The NeXT Basketball Foundation began with one single thought: to create a cultural shift in the field of youth athletics by changing how we as a society thinks, evaluates and competes within youth sports. The mission of NeXT is to develop young people for the NeXT phase of their lives through the game of basketball, while at the same time, creating future leaders through community service and community initiatives.
Shawn’s foundation is a great example of when a vision/message resonates with a group of people, at the grassroots level, how swiftly and powerfully it can build momentum and grow. The NeXT Basketball Foundation has a motto that states: “We All Got NeXT.” Every adult that participates in youth sports has the tremendous responsibility, and opportunity, to aid each player’s parents in properly developing their children, the NeXT generation of adults, to be productive citizens and in becoming actively engaged members within their given community in the future. We at NeXT want to take this important and valuable time in a child’s life, while they’re participating in youth sports, and maximize the impact.
Shawn’s main objective is to create an environment through community “give-back” initiatives where each young person will develop a heart and mind that is socially conscious, civic minded, and community driven.
Shawn truly believes you can’t lead until you humble yourself and serve.
For Shawn’s effort he was named an Out-of-Territory Winner for Positive Coaching Alliance’s Double-Goal Coach Award in March of 2016.
PCA annually honors youth and high school sports coaches from throughout the U.S. who embody the ideals of the Double-Goal Coach® who strives to win, while also pursuing the even more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports. His selection as an Out-of-Territory Winner (130 selected out over 2400 candidates in the country) qualified Shawn as a National Finalist for our Double-Goal Coach Award.
Shawn currently lives in Powell, Oh. with his wife, Rhonda and his family. Shawn is the proud father of five boys: Logan, Austin, Bryce, Ryan and Addison, and one daughter, Reese – his youngest child.
Reid William & Reese | Consulting
Jerry Lucas
Honorary Executive Director
Jerry Lucas
Basketball Legend to Education Innovator
Jerry Lucas is one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game. Lucas is one of only three players in history to win championships at every level (high school, college, NBA, Olympics); was named one of the Top Fifty players in NBA history; and named one of the Top 15 All-Time March Madness Players. However, it is his work off the court that he is most passionate about.
Before becoming “Dr. Memory™”, the leading authority on memory training and learning systems, Lucas became a legend on the hardwood. It started in high school in Middletown, OH. He was the only three-time Ohio High School Player of the Year, a three-time First Team All-American and a two-time National Player of the Year. His team won two State Championships and amassed an incredible 76 game winning streak.
While every university in the country was vying for his talents, Lucas stayed at home to play for Ohio State and the legend grew. He was a three-time All-American and a three-time Big Ten Player of the Year while leading Ohio State to a National Championship in 1960. With an unmatched combination of scoring and rebounding prowess, Lucas was the only player to lead the nation in rebounding and field goal percentage three times; was the only player to have 30 points and 30 rebounds in an NCAA tournament game, as well as the only player to ever achieve those astounding numbers against a UCLA team coached by the great John Wooden.
Lucas closed out his amazing collegiate career twice being named National Player of the Year; as the leading rebounder in Big Ten History; a three-time First Team All-American, and in what seemed to be a foreshadowing of the future, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Ohio State. In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Lucas one of the five most outstanding college basketball players of the 20th century when he was named to their Team of the Ages.
The greatness on the court continued when he represented our country in the 1960 Olympic Games. Lucas helped Team USA capture the gold medal as he led the team in scoring and rebounding. Lucas holds the Olympic field goal percentage mark at an astounding 84% shooting.
The next stop for Lucas was the National Basketball Association as he continued to shine. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year for the 1963-64 season with the Cincinnati Royals. While playing in his home state, he was one of the league’s most popular players, and one of its best. When Cleveland was trying to secure an NBA franchise, they had the Royals play several games in the city due to Lucas’ popularity and that, ultimately, helped Cleveland secure the Cavaliers as an expansion franchise.
During his career Lucas was a 7-time All-Pro, was the NBA All-Star Game MVP and is the only forward in league history to pull down 40 rebounds in a game. In 1973, he was a member of the New York Knicks World Championship team. He retired from the game with time remaining on his contract to pursue his passion of education. Lucas was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.
Lucas’ passion for education and memory was evident from childhood and grew throughout his life. As a boy, he constantly challenged himself with mental games to test his memory. He learned early on that the key to being a successful student took knowing not only how to learn, but also how to retain that learned information.
Lucas, a self- described “Mad Scientist” when it comes to learning and education, developed a system known as The Lucas Learning System™ and has earned him the title of Dr. Memory™. Through the years, he has taught his memory retention and learning system to millions through seminars, appearances and through sales of his books and CDs. The Memory Book, which he co-authored, was a New York Times Best-Seller and sold over 3.5 million copies.
Dr. Memory™ is now widely regarded as the world’s leading authority in memory training and learning systems. Lucas’ proven methods encompass his concept known as Learning That Lasts™.
Today, Lucas is taking his learning and memory system to a new level with Dr. M’s Universe™. This interactive web-based digital platform is geared towards making learning fun and easy for kids and adults.
Greg Wolfson
President
Board Member
Greg Wolfson
President
Board Member
Neeta Agrawal
Vice President
Board Member
Neeta Agrawal
Vice President
Board Member
Neeta is a native Ohioan who brings over 20 years of experience in K-12 education and business. Her mission is to identify and eliminate educational barriers for all students in order for them to reach their fullest potential regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic or demographic status.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing from The Ohio State University and her master’s degree in Elementary Education from Northwestern University. Before joining Future Ready Five, Neeta’s career included positions with the Ohio Department of Education, Columbus City Schools, NWEA, Edmentum and teaching in Chicago Public Schools.
Neeta has worked throughout her career to ensure equity gaps are addressed at both the state and local level. She believes in using student data with fidelity to meet students where they are in order to ensure they have the resources and pathway to be successful. She continues to advocate for ongoing, professional learning and support for educators, administrators and families to support the needs of the whole child.
Neeta believes that it takes a village to raise a child. All children deserve access to opportunities and resources to get ready for kindergarten. She is committed to finding partners and developing relationships with organizations who are passionate and dedicated to providing wrap-around services for Franklin County’s families.
Evidence suggests that gender, race and economic status can significantly impact kindergarten readiness for children. As a collective impact organization, Future Ready Five strives to break the structures down and build more equitable opportunities for families to pursue as they prepare their child for school.
Franklin County is the fastest growing county in Ohio and is the largest in the state. With that impending growth, research shows a significant increase in Franklin County’s children that are starting kindergarten unprepared. Ready or not, Columbus is booming and unfortunately so are the gaps for children. Franklin County’s youngest residents need our help. Its families need our support. Its communities need to come together to close the gaps for all.
Neeta’s roots in Columbus are strong as an Ohio State Alumni and as a parent to three kids in the metro area. She and her family made their way back to Columbus about 5 years ago, and she is proud to call it her home. She wants to see Columbus continue to grow in prosperity and diversity while supporting ALL kids. It’s important to her to help lead an organization who is conscious of their social footprint and who is committed to making things better than they were before.
She is proud to be the Vice President of Advancement and Community Relations.
Secretary
Board Member
Victor Ferguson
Lead Counsel
Victor Ferguson
NeXT Past Board Members
Glenn “Tracy” Austin
Board Member
In Memoriam
Glenn "Tracy" Austin
MBA, MS, RCC & Professor | Franklin University
Tracy has over 20 years experience in higher education. He has worked in the Franklin University Student Services Department as an Academic Advisor, Director of Training and Leadership, Director of Professional Development and Quality Coaching and led the Personal Development Coaching Program. He currently serves as the Student and Faculty Coach at Ohio National University.
Roy Hall
Past Board Member
Roy Hall
Executive Director & Founder
The DRIVEN Foundation
Roy Hall is a charismatic and dedicated community leader, passionate motivational speaker, college football radio/tv analyst, United Way “Color Me Excellent” Award Winner, a 2015 and 2016 Jefferson Award Finalist, and is also the president and co-founder of the Driven Foundation.
This former Ohio State Football National Champion and 4-year NFL wide receiver is no longer making plays on the gridiron, but has leveraged his platform to inspire and motivate people across the country to stay driven and to NEVER GIVE UP! Through the Driven Foundation, his creditable social media presence, carefully crafted motivational messages, and Christian Faith, Roy has positively influenced and impacted the lives of tens of thousands.
Roy has overcome his fair share of adversity and is an illustration of what it means to “finish stronger than you started.” Drawing from his personal experience of having an absent biological father at the age of 6, to a career ending knee injury in 2011, Roy exchanged his challenges for championships. He developed the Driven Foundation to carefully engineer events, programs, and motivational messages as an avenue to inject hope, plant encouragement, and awaken the will to win in the hearts of many. With the help of various partners and volunteers, the Driven Foundation has distributed more than 500,000 pounds of free food to more than 4,800 Central Ohio families since 2008.
In 2006, Roy graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in business specializing in marketing and was a 5-Time Ohio State Scholar Athlete Award Winner.
Angela Mingo
Past Board Member
Angela Mingo
Directory of Community Relations
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Angela M. Mingo, director of community relations at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, is helping to implement an unprecedented vision of the board to improve the lives of all children in the community, not just the hospital’s patients. As a woman who knows the value of extending her own boundaries, she is thinking globally and acting locally.
Studying abroad in high school put Angela on a global path that ended back in Ohio. After returning from Brazil, she pursued bachelor’s degrees in Portuguese and international relations, and then a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from The Ohio State University. “Having studied in Brazil and Portugal, and experiencing different cultures, I learned that all great cities are based on good infrastructure and community,” Angela says. “It was the social aspects of urban planning, understanding what folks value and treasure, that I was able to relate to as a minority who grew up in the city.”
After marrying attorney Clarence E. Mingo, Angela’s feet were firmly planted in Columbus, where she worked for the State of Ohio and the City of Columbus. It wasn’t until she spent time as the director of community affairs for the Columbus City Council that she began working with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
“From the outside looking in, I saw the hospital as an organization committed to communicating with and serving this community,” Angela explains. “That was of great interest to me because of the benefit both businesses and the community receive when they agree to maintain an open dialog and discuss areas and items of mutual interest.”
Angela’s involvement with the hospital became a full-time affair in 2007, when she was appointed director of community relations for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She is focused on ensuring that the hospital is an engaged partner with its surrounding neighborhood, sharing the benefits and responsibilities that come with being one of the city’s largest employers.
With support from the hospital’s board of directors and chief executive officer, Angela is helping to lead an innovative new community partnership called Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families (HNHF). The hospital is investing several million dollars into growing partnerships with the city and local not-for-profits aimed at neighborhood revitalization in the area surrounding Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Affordable housing has been an early focus and HNHF has already sold its first renovated home, with the goal of selling 50 to 60 more homes during the next five to seven years. Additionally, health and wellness efforts are a natural fit for the pediatric institution. For example, the epidemic of childhood obesity has become a rallying call for HNHF and other efforts to unite around providing improved nutrition and physical fitness opportunities for local children and their families.
“I feel so fortunate to be in a position to work daily with our neighbors to seek input to shape and mold an initiative that will bring the incredible resources already available to our patients to all the children in our community,” Angela shares.
W.D. Young
Past Board Member
W.D. Young
A native of Beckley West Virginia, W.D. Young has been involved with supporting youth basketball and non-profits for many years.
Inspired by a childhood as a player of sports programs and his off-hours spent in the gym at the YMCA of Beckley, W.D. developed a deep passion for giving back and making a positive contribution to kids and the game of basketball.
Through college, W.D. coached boys basketball at the YMCA of Beckley and the YMCA of Central Ohio as a volunteer and was employed as a Sports Camp Counselor over the Summer months.
Most recently W.D. coached recreational and travel basketball programs through Dublin Youth Athletics in Dublin OH and joined NeXT at inception.
Professionally, W.D. has been in the telecommunications industry for 18 years and lives in Dublin, OH with his wife Julie and two children, Ty and Nicole.
When he’s not working with NeXT, he enjoys travel, golf and attending his children’s various activities as their biggest fan.
Favorite book: Toughness by Jay Bilas.
Lora Winning
Past Board Member
Lora Winning
Chief Marketing Officer | VP
Pillar Technology
Business Strategy and Marketing Executive with 20 years experience in developing comprehensive brand marketing solutions from brand strategy to campaign ideation. Active leadership role in developing business growth strategies, product development launches, and running the day-to-day business. Innovative and energizing leader with expertise in launching new business units and deep experience across all facets of marketing including: Brand, Social, Retail, Digital Media, OOH, CRM, Loyalty, SEO/SEM, Partnerships, and Print. Proven executive that excels in building and running marketing and creative teams that drive both top and bottom line business results.
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University of Cincinnati MBA
The Ohio State University BSBA Marketing/Finance
Melissa Presthus
Past Board Member
Melissa Presthus
Melissa has nearly 20 years of marketing experience that includes building and growing brands. She began her career at the renowned Richards Group in Dallas, TX. Some of her clients were Compass Bank, California Federal Bank, MD Andersen Cancer Center, Bailey Banks and Biddle and Charitable Services, Inc.
After leaving Dallas, Melissa spent a handful of years each at The Ad Agency, Inc. and White and Baldacci in Washington, DC. She managed Amtrak’s promotions and new brand identity development as well as the day-to-day marketing for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and their inaugural Light The Night Walk.
Melissa relocated to Columbus in 2001 and joined Ten United, which became Engauge and now Moxie. She was a VP, Client Partner leading the teams for Huntington National Bank, Donatos, Titan Insurance, Nationwide Financial, The Humane Society, Learn4Life, Kraft Miracle Whip and others. Melissa was responsible for all Huntington and Donatos marketing which included affinity programs with Ohio State Athletics, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew, the Clippers and other sports programs. In addition to client work, Melissa led the agency’s internship program, volunteer program and annual United Way Community Care Day.
Dimitrious Stanley
Past Board Member
In Memoriam
Dimitrious Stanley
Former OSU football wide receiver, played for Miami Dolphins and Canadian Football League. Also candidate for Columbus City Council.
Doug Beck
Past Board Member
Doug Beck
Doug graduated from The Ohio State University in 1991. He graduated as a Business major and has worked in the business arena for the past 20 plus years. Doug also spent four years in the US Navy and served his country in both Italy and South Carolina.
He has been married to Stacy for 18 years and has three children, Cailynn, Jeffrey and Jacob.
Chris Svec
Past Board Member
Chris Svec
C0-Founder of UNITE | University & Industry
Chris Svec is a graduate of Ohio University and was employed with Real Living, Inc., one of the top five real estate brokerages in the US from 1996-2010. During this tenure he held various sales and marketing related roles and was instrumental in the firm’s exponential growth (300 – over 10,000 agents nationally). From 2002-2008 Chris held the title of vice president, new market development where he led a team of 12 franchise sales people (located across the US) who sold the Real Living franchise/brand concept into new markets. He was accountable and responsible for sales, negotiations, advertising, merger/acquisition activity, marketing and overall growth of the brand. Due in large part to this effort, Real Living experienced significant growth (fastest growing and 5th largest residential real estate firm in the US) and penetration into new markets which ultimately led to Real Living being purchased by Berkshire Hathaway.
During his final two years with Real Living Chris held the title of vice president of marketing where he led a team of nine marketing professionals. He was responsible and accountable for advertising, creative, communications (internal and external), agent marketing/promotions, PR, digital (web and social media) and event planning/management (sales meetings/conventions).
Chris is currently the Sr. Director of Strategic Partnerships at The Ohio State University. Preceding OSU Chris held the position of Director, Sports Marketing at Nationwide Insurance. Chris lead a team that managed a robust portfolio of sponsorships which include NFL teams (Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals), PGA TOUR (Nationwide Tour – now Web.com Tour, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, Bill Haas), diversity (CIAA, Black Enterprise, Latina Style, National Urban League), Columbus Marathon, and Columbus Zoo properties. Chris also lead key spokesperson relationships including Earvin Magic Johnson, Bill Haas, Jack Nicklaus and soccer star Alex Morgan.
In 2016, Chris was elected President of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, a Web.com Finals tournament played at Ohio State’s Scarlet golf course. In this role he leads a board of prominent central Ohio business leaders and the tournament which generates over $1.25M in donations to Nationwide Children’s annually.
Chris resides in Powell, Ohio with his wife Allison and two boys, Brady (14) and Colin (11). Outside of work he coaches soccer and baseball and chairs a Crush Cancer fundraising initiative in his community.
Tommy Waterwash
Past Board Member
Tommy Waterwash
Teacher/Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach | Olentangy Liberty High School
Tommy graduate of Olentangy Liberty High School 2009, where he played basketball and baseball all four years. Tommy was also a National Honors Society member. He attended Otterbein University (2013). Tommy played four years on the Men’s basketball team. He was the team representative in SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee). He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary AYA Education – Social Studies.
Robert “Bobby” Morgan
Past President
Board Member
Director, Legal - Intellectual Property at Scotts Miracle-Gro
My career as an intellectual property and privacy attorney includes over two decades of combined experience as outside and in-house counsel. I strive to bring a strategic, analytic, and practical team approach to my work, allowing me to develop effective legal strategies that align with business objectives and needs.
I take pride in my role as a steward of Scotts Miracle-Gro’s famous and valuable brands and extensive patent portfolio. While leading our talented I.P., advertising, and data privacy legal teams, I enjoy assisting and enabling our creative and inventive brand, marketing, and R&D colleagues as they seek both to expand our business and product offerings into new areas and maximize the value of our established intellectual property assets.
I am a lifelong learner who is constantly seeking to expand my knowledge and stay up-to-date with the latest developments in intellectual property, privacy, and advertising law. I approach every challenge with a positive attitude and am motivated by the opportunity to find practical solutions that deliver real value to the business.
Andrew Swary
Past Vice President
Board Member
Andrew Swary
Finance Fund Capital Corporation
Executive Vice President, General Counsel
Andrew Swary is the Executive Vice President, General Counsel of Finance Fund and Finance Fund Capital Corporation (FCAP). A member of the Executive Team, Andrew manages all legal matters and leads the Legal Team and the New Markets Tax Credit Group.
Finance Fund is a statewide nonpro t community development entity that moves public and private sources of capital to economically distressed communities to improve the quality of life for people. FCAP, an a liate of Finance Fund, is a statewide certi ed nonpro t community development nancial institution (CDFI) that provides small business lending to low- to moderate-income communities with focus on healthy foods, community facilities, health and wellness, and education.
Prior to joining the organizations, Andrew worked as a Senior Associate at Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP in Columbus for eight years where he regularly represented for-pro t and non-pro t community development entities (including Finance Fund), investors and lenders in a wide variety of complex community development projects in Ohio and across the country.
Andrew has structured and closed hundreds of real estate, business and community development projects that utilize federal and Ohio new markets tax credits, historic rehabilitation tax credits and other government sponsored or subsidized programs. Andrew also has extensive experience with real estate nance, commercial lending, equity investments, joint ventures, corporate governance, and real estate acquisitions, dispositions and leasing.
Andrew is admitted to practice law in Ohio and New York. He began his legal career as an associate in a large New York law rm, focusing his practice on general corporate matters and representing lenders and nancial institutions in connection with asset-based lending transactions.
A 2013 graduate of the Duke Leadership Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, Andrew received his law degree in 2002 from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where he was a member of the Journal on Dispute Resolution and participated in the summer study abroad program at Oxford University in England. Andrew attended New York University School of Law during his third year of law school. He graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University in 1999, where he received a bachelor of arts in history, was awarded the Mooney History Award (the Fordham History Department’s top student honor) and was elected to Phi Beta K
Stanley Jackson
Past Board Member
Rodney Littlefield
Past Board Member
Rodney Littlefield
Owner & Managing Partner | Insurance & Risk Management of Florida
Scoonie Penn
Past Board Member
Scoonie Penn
Assistant Coach | Memphis Grizzlies
James Penn (born January 9, 1977) also known by his famous nickname “Scoonie” is a two time NCAA All-American, and an Ohio State University Hall of Fame Basketball Player. Scoonie played point guard for Boston College where he was both Big East Freshman of the Year and 1st Team All Big East. After transferring to The Ohio State University following his sophomore season. Scoonie was a two time NCAA All-American while leading the Buckeyes to the 1999 Final Four. He was also named Big Ten Conference Player of the Year in 1999 in addition to winning the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in 2000 as the nation’s top senior under 6 feet tall. He ended his career at The Ohio State University as the all-time leader in 3 point field goals made.
Scoonie was drafted in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Scoonie’s professional career afforded him the opportunity to play basketball internationally, where he accumulated a number of awards and titles playing for some of Europe’s most historic clubs, such as Olympiacos. Once his playing years were over, Scoonie tapped into his passion as an entrepreneur and a motivational speaker. Using his life experiences to motivate and shape the minds of young children, Scoonie translated his passion to win into a corporate message of success. Scoonie can also be seen on television working as a basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network.
Penn enters his first season as Ohio State’s director of player development (2017).
Scoonie holds a bachelors degree from The Ohio State University. He is the recipient of numerous community and sports achievement awards. Scoonie currently resides in Columbus, OH with his wife Nancy and their four children.
Ashley Clemens
Past Board Member
Ashley Clemens
Owner | Primrose School of Lewis Center
Ashley Clemens received her B.S. in Education from Miami University and currently owns two child care centers, Primrose School of Pickerington and Primrose School at Polaris. She grew up in Bellbrook, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, and currently resides in Powell. Ashley and her husband, Luke, have three children, Hadley, Knox and Nash. She thoroughly enjoys watching and coaching her children in a variety of sports.
In 2018, Ashley was named as an honoree for W.I.S.H. (Women Inspiring Strength and Hope) and actively works each year through school fundraising to make wishes come true for local children through Make A Wish. In 2019, Ashley will help coach the first girl’s fifth grade team for NeXT and is thrilled to be working with such a great organization.
Jennifer L. Irwin, Ph.D., PCC
Past Board Member
Jennifer Irwin
Chief Strategist
DIAMOND ~ Transformational Leadership Consulting, Ltd.
Dr. Irwin is an Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant specializing in Talent Strategy, Leadership Branding and Executive Development. Prior to this, Dr. Irwin spent more than 16 years as a Human Resources executive with The Procter & Gamble Company leading enterprise-wide, cultural enrichment with critical focus on Executive Staffing and Succession Planning, Leadership Development, Talent Management and Organization Effectiveness. Dr. Irwin is best known for her role in transforming the face of P&G Leadership Development and Talent Management with new-to-the-world tools, systems and best practices, earning P&G the honor of being named the #1 Company for Leaders. For more than 25 years, Dr. Irwin has been a student of the mental sciences with particular interest in the study of the mental faculties and their influence on success and failures in an individual’s life and career. Dr. Irwin has applied this study to the world of business with great success to help organizations, and the people within, to perform at their peak.
Brent Miller
Past Board Member
Brent Miller
Senior Pastor | Linworth Baptist Church
Brent graduated from Cedarville University in 1998. He was a 4 year letter winner and two year captain on the Yellow Jacket Basketball team. Following his time at Cedarville he pursued his Masters of Divinity degree at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary.
Brent is currently the Senior Pastor at Linworth Baptist Church in Worthington.
He has been married to Gillian for sixteen years and has four children, Lydia, Caleb, CJ, and Lucy.
Greg Beals
Past Board Member
Greg Beals
Men’s Head Baseball Coach – Marshal University
Greg Beals, a Springfield, Ohio, native with 22 years of coaching experience, including eight years as head coach at Ball State where he won 243 games and three Mid-American Conference West Division championships, is in his sixth season as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Beals was named to his position June 17, 2010, following a national search to replace the winningest coach in school history, Bob Todd.
This hands-on teacher, team-builder, program-builder, family man – he and his wife Kathy, a four-year basketball letterwinner at Kent State, have three daughters: Kayla, Amber and Morgan – and administrator was clearly the right choice to assume responsibilities of coaching the oldest sport on Ohio State’s campus.
Amber Barr
Board Member
Kari McCoy
Board Member
Senior Manager, Quality Management | Alliance Data
Organizational leader with over 23 years’ experience in brand marketing support. During her career, Kari has held many roles within the organization including Operations, Marketing Execution & Quality Management. Throughout her career, Kari has been dedicated to leading and developing individuals and teams both professionally and personally.
Kari has a passion for youth sports and basketball. She has volunteered in many capacities to support youth sports and school activities from managing schedules, corralling coaches and fundraising efforts over the years.
Kari lives in Westerville with her husband Mike and they have two children Morgan and Tripp. She enjoys music concerts of all genres, basketball and golf.
Jamie Lusher
Board Member
Jamie Lusher
My name is Jamie Lusher, and I have the privilege of serving as the Executive Director for NeXT Girls’ Basketball Programming. I am extremely humbled and grateful for this opportunity. NeXT is an inspiring organization that will provide our girls with access to the true values of life through the game of basketball. It has been said that in work and in life, if you follow your bliss, unseen hands will open doors of opportunity. It is my goal to provide our athletes with the skills to follow their bliss and look at their future with empowerment and efficacy. Education, to include athletics, should provide our young people with the autonomy to follow their passion and give them the skills to walk through the door of opportunity when it opens. As a part of NeXT, our girls’ basketball program will create young women with a strong sense of self-value and develop an understanding of the power of being a part of something bigger than oneself. Additionally, our girls will break through barriers, mental and physical, to develop confidence through their experience as a team, together.
As a professional, I am grateful to serve the students, staff and community of Grandview Heights Schools as the Assistant Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer. It is a great honor to be a part of a district with a storied tradition of excellence. The position of Chief Academic Officer offers a unique opportunity to lead and innovate, and focus on teaching and learning to benefit the unique needs of every child. Additionally, I am a professor at Capital University. I teach the foundational course of Educational Leadership (EDUC 550) and Data Analysis & Educational Research (EDUC 555). I have 20 years of experience in the field of education. Formerly, I served the Worthington City Schools as the Coordinator of Academic Achievement. In that role, I was fortunate to develop, lead, implement, and support the improvement of curriculum, instruction, and assessment for 19 schools spanning pre-kindergarten to post-secondary. Prior to my work in Worthington, I was afforded the wonderful and enriching experience to serve as both a middle school and elementary principal. It was my pleasure to serve the students, staffs, and communities of Wilson Hill Elementary and New Albany Middle School. At each stage of my professional work, I have coached basketball. From varsity to youth, boys and girls, the love of players and the game continue to drive my desire to serve!
I am a graduate of Canal Winchester High School. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Akron. I started for the Lady Zips from 1996-2000. I received my Masters of Education Degree from Ashland University. I completed my doctorate and accompanying research on the leadership support of interventions for students through Ohio University. In my research, I completed a national pilot study and factor analysis to develop a survey instrument to determine the Leadership Support of Interventions for Students (LSIS).
I reside in Powell with my husband Ralph and our children: Braddock, Tatum, and Avery. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and my yellow lab, Georgia and my miniature schnauzer, Liesl. I love coaching basketball, reading, swimming, running, and attending any and all theatre productions.
Leadership Breeds Success.
Governance matters. As a not-for-profit organization that relies on public support, we understand how critical it is that we be good stewards of the public trust. To that end, we have deliberately assembled our Board of Directors with respected leaders from across central Ohio, with diverse skills and talents. To round-out our team, we have also partnered with the strongest service providers to ensure that we adhering to best practices in regard to the management of a not-for-profit organization, and to guide us as we prepare for our future growth.
Key strategic relationships include: