Bob Bedinghaus
Secretary
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Bob is currently the Chairman and CEO for Cincinnati Federal Savings and Loan Association. Until late 2020, Bob spent 18 years with the Cincinnati Bengals, as the Director of Business Development. Prior to joining the Bengals front office he served as Hamilton County Commissioner, Director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections and Clerk for Delhi Township. In addition to serving on the SAF Board, Bob has served on many community Boards including the Kenton County Airport Board, Accountability and Credibility Together (ACT), Hamilton County Child and Family First Board, Hamilton County Solid Waste Management, Hamilton County General Health District and Talbert.
Sydney Fine
Board Member
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As Senior Director of Impact at ArtWorks, Sydney leads the strategic direction, management, and evaluation of ArtWorks’ programming and project impact. Sydney has dedicated her career to improving opportunities and outcomes for youth and communities.
Prior to joining ArtWorks, Sydney was a Teach for America corps member in Milwaukee, WI. Her experience in the classroom and leadership in the camping world ignited her passion for youth development work and led her to Future 5, a youth development nonprofit organization in Stamford, CT where she led fundraising. A life-long learner of visual and performing arts, it was a natural fit for Sydney to join the ArtWorks team in 2018 team to combine her passions for meaningful educational and creative opportunities.
Sydney received her BA from the University of Michigan, where she double-majored in Anthropology and Film, Television, & Media and holds an MA in Education from Alverno College. Outside of ArtWorks, Sydney serves on the board of ish, a Cincinnati-based community engagement organization centering Jewish arts and cultural traditions as a platform for connecting artists with communities to create new experiences and inspire pride in Jewish and intersectional identity.
Charley Frank
Board Member
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Charley Frank began as the executive director of the Reds Community Fund in 2004. He has directed the fund’s field renovation efforts, developed the youth baseball/softball funding programs and expanded the Reds Rookie Success League throughout the region. He has established annual fundraisers such as the Marty Brennaman Golf Classic, Redlegs Run and the Father’s Day Catch and is currently leading a capital campaign for the expansion of the Community Fund’s “Urban Youth Academy.” Frank also serves on the board of the Miracle League of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, as well as Cincinnati Public School’s Student Activity Foundation. Previously, Frank spent 11 years with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, serving as vice president of communications. Frank is a Northwestern University and Walnut Hills High School graduate. He and his wife, Amy, reside in Wyoming with their son, Sam, and daughter, Avery.
Richard E. Friedman
President
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Richard E. Friedman retired from the University of Cincinnati in June, 2013 after 42 years of service. He served for 14 years as the Assistant to the President, and 14 years as a Dean in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences and directed the campus-wide McMicken Honors program. As a member of the faculty he offered course work in Philosophy, including ethics, logic, and value theory and developed an electronic on-line learning module.
Friedman’s community service has included a number of leadership roles on many non- profit agency boards and foundations. He has served as the President of the boards of trustees of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Cincinnati. Additionally, he is a current board member and served as the chair of the board of the American Heart Association’s Cincinnati Metro, Great Rivers Affiliate, the Vice Chair of the Hoxworth Blood Center board, and was the board chair of the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities. He currently serves on the boards of the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame, the Talbert House Advisory Board, Activities Beyond the Classroom, Tennis for Charity and the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He also chairs the Advisory Council of the Nonprofit Leadership Institute of Greater Cincinnati and is the Immediate Past President of the Cincinnati Seasongood Faculty Club Board of Governors at the University of Cincinnati.
He was the recipient of the Mayor’s Friendship Medallion presented by the Cincinnati Human Relations Council and he received the Robert V. Goldstein Volunteer of the Year award given by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.
Carol Gibbs
Board Member
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Carol Gibbs, a long-time community activist and volunteer, is currently the President and CEO of the Mt. Auburn Community Development Corporation, which Gibbs founded in 2015 to strengthen and coordinate business and housing development in Mt. Auburn. Prior to her current role, she spent 15 years in the role of President and CEO of ACT (Accountability and Credibility Together), an organization she founded to increase self-sufficiency skills of families to reduce their need for public assistance.
In addition to her professional roles, Gibbs has been involved in a number of Cincinnati organizations, including the Strategic Engagement and Planning Committee for Cincinnati Public Schools, Mt. Auburn Community Council, Taft Elementary School, William Howard Raft Historic Site, Neighborhoods of Uptown Leadership, Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Ohio Foodbank Association, and more.
Brandon Holmes
Board Member
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Brandon is the Director of Real Estate & Operations for the Avondale Development Corporation (ADC). Prior to joining ADC Brandon served as a Program Officer for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in Cincinnati and served as the founding Executive Director of the Peoria LISC office which opened late 2012. Brandon has spent a majority of his career utilizing his real estate, community development, and finance expertise to help improve and rebuild economically challenged neighborhoods. Brandon earned a BBA with a concentration in real estate and finance from the University of Kentucky, attended grad school at the University of Cincinnati, and in 2014 was honored with a national recognition from Next City as being one of the top urban leaders in the US under the age of 40.
Barry Lucas
Treasurer
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Barry Lucas served as President & CEO of Superior Jewelry from 1975 thru 2000. Superior Jewelry Company was the #2 domestic distributor of popular price costume Jewelry in the USA, serving the mass merchandising and drug store category, with revenues in excess of $20 million. In 2000, the business was sold to AAI/Foster Grant in an industry rollup and served as President of the Superior Jewelry /Drug Store Division. Lucas retired in 2004. Since that time has been a consultant in sourcing product from the Far East. Lucas is currently serving on numerous business & charity boards. Lucas was raised in Cincinnati and is married to wife Alice. They have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. The Lucas family currently resides in the Kenwood area.
Alexandra Simons
Board Member
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Alex was named the Director of Community Engagement for the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2022. The 2022-23 NFL season marks Alex’s 13th season with the Bengals.
She spent her first five seasons responsible for Paul Brown Stadium’s 150+ private events where she had the opportunity to experience and help oversee the building operations for a number of multi-million-dollar concert productions. In 2015 she moved to the football side of the business to work on the premium seating and suite services team where her understanding of the business side of sports started to take shape. In 2018 she accepted the role of Director of Partnership Activation where she and her team were responsible for year-round activation of the club’s sponsorships. In her 12 seasons, she has been part of countless cross-functional projects which always offer a new learning opportunity.
Before joining the Bengals Alex spent two years in marketing and communications for a non-profit and two years in the community marketing department for a financial institution. Alex is a volunteer Parks & Recreation Board Member for her local community. She and her husband are the proud parents of 4 boys, ages 5 through 13, who are active, young athletes across several sports, including of course, football.
Kate Solomon
Board Member
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In October 2018, Solomon was named Vice President, Community Relations & Executive Director of the FC Cincinnati Foundation. Prior to this new role, she led the Marketing & Community Engagement team of FC Cincinnati for nearly three years.
In her roles with FC Cincinnati and the FC Cincinnati Foundation, Solomon oversaw the marketing strategy for FC Cincinnati for its first three seasons, and led the launch of the FC Cincinnati Foundation. The Foundation’s focus is to improve the lives of children through soccer, which it does by supporting various youth soccer initiatives throughout the city as well as installing mini soccer fields, or “mini pitches,” in communities that lack soccer facilities.
In addition to her professional roles, Solomon serves on the Board of Directors of the Carl H. Lindner YMCA and is an adjunct faculty member at her alma mater, the University of Dayton. Solomon lives in Montgomery with her husband Stuart and son Jack.
Alex Stillpass
Board Member
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Since joining RSA in 1992, Alex has focused his practice on the relationships and intersections of public and corporate finance. He has experience with many types of clients and transaction structures. Current and recent engagements include corporate, state and local public finance issuers. His experience with finance structures include: New Market Tax Credits, Energy Credits, Environmental Credits, State and Federal Tax Incentives, General Obligation Bonds, Revenue Bonds, Special Assessment Districts, Economic Development, and focused programmatic issuance. Alex especially enjoys complex and multi-dimensional transactions that require collaboration among parties. Alex has fostered relationships between Public and Private issuers that have resulted in successful partnerships that have benefited local communities. He is currently on the Board of Trustees of the Walnut Hills High School Association and advises several private companies. He holds a degree from the Murphy Institute of Political Economy at Tulane University and the FINRA designation as General Securities Representative (Series 7), Investment Banking Representative (Series 79), and Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63).
Lisa Thal
Board Member Emeritus
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Lisa Thal is the General Sales Manager at WREW radio which is owned by Hubbard Interactive, which also owns and operates WUBE/WYGY, WKRQ, cincysavers.com and 2060Digital.com. She has over 27 years in broadcasting experience in the Cincinnati. She is passionate about helping businesses create conversations with new customers while retaining their current customer base. She specializes in stimulating conversations by marketing companies to over 1.2 million people and 120,000 loyal Facebook followers. Lisa has served as President of Activities Beyond the Classroom since 2009 and as a board member since 2007. She also serves on the board of Life Center Organ and Tissue Donation and the Patty Brisben Foundation. Lisa is a University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music graduate. She understands the impact after school activities can have on students and the community.
Sally Grimes
Executive Director
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As a mother of two girls, both Cincinnati Public Schools students, Sally is passionate about ensuring that all CPS children, regardless of their background, have access to opportunities that will help them succeed in life.
Sally began her nonprofit management career right out of college, and over the years, has filled many roles in a variety of organizations, including Executive Director, Director of Communications, and Director of Marketing. Now in the role of Executive Director at ABC, Sally oversees all aspects of the organization.
As a side job, Sally acts as a de facto cab driver, taking her girls and four rescue pittie mixes to extracurricular activities, hikes, dog parks, road trips, campouts, and more. And any chance she gets, she rounds up her family and takes them to their favorite local Indian restaurant.
Adam Kozlove
Marketing & Events Coordinator
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Starting with ABC in 2018 as the Annual Report Coordinator, Adam has moved up to the role of Marketing and Events Coordinator. Adam is responsible for planning and organizing ABC events, managing website content & social media channels, and assisting in fundraising and grant writing efforts for ABC programs.
A graduate of Ohio State University, Adam is very passionate about giving back to others, and has spent over six years as a volunteer at Save The Animals Foundation, an animal shelter, where he cares for and medicates cats.
Carmen Lawrence-Bille
Director of Advancement
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Carmen’s personal mission statement is to “be a force of positive change in the world,” and she can think of no better way to accomplish that than by investing in and supporting our youth.
A former actor, Carmen stepped into the nonprofit field to increase accessibility, equity, and diversity in the arts. She managed two small theatre companies before pursuing her graduation education at the University of Cincinnati, where she earned an MBA and MA in nonprofit administration. She’s worn a lot of hats in her work, including Camps Coordinator, Manager of Individual Giving, Director of Development, Managing Director, Marketing Manager, and Administrative Consultant. As she steps into the role of Director of Advancement at ABC, Carmen will oversee fundraising, marketing, community outreach, organizational storytelling, and data management.
In her spare time, Carmen can be found hiking with her dog, playing old video games, spending time with family, reading, and writing.
Brian Leshner
Emeritus Director
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Brian is a graduate of Walnut Hills High School as well as Northwestern University. After serving as the Executive Director of ABC from 2004-2021, and the Director of Special Initiatives in 2022, Brian is now taking on the role of Emeritus Director.
Prior to accepting a position as Executive Director of ABC, Brian served as the Regional Director for the Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation. Mr. Leshner currently serves on the Board of the Cincinnati Tennis Club. He has also served as Co-Chairman for the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame, and numerous boards in and around the Cincinnati area.
Vanessa Macy
Member Services Manager
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Vanessa Macy is the Member Services Manager for Activities Beyond the Classroom and joining the team in September 2022. Prior to working at ABC, she spent 17 years working in the museum field at Cincinnati Museum Center where she served in many roles such as Director of Cincinnati History Museum and Senior Director of Museum Experience where she oversaw operations and program
development for the Cincinnati History Museum, The Children’s Museum, and the Museum of Natural History & Science.
Vanessa earned her Master’s in Public History and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Northern Kentucky University. For the past seven years she has been an adjunct professor at NKU teaching graduate students in their Public History program.
In her spare time, Vanessa serves as the Vice President of her local community group in Covington Ky. She is a wife, proud mom of two daughters who attend the University of Cincinnati, as well as mom to two Bernedoodles, an adorable rescue cat, and quite a few plants. She and her husband love to hike and camp and are currently trying to reach a goal of visiting every National Park.
Sophia Scott
Director of Operations
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Sophia Scott is the Director of Operations for Activities Beyond the Classroom and joined the team in 2021. Sophia brings with her a diversity of experiences from growing up in a single family home, being a first-generation college student, obtaining an advance degree in Integrative Studies concentration in Public Administration and Social Work, as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management (NPM).
Prior to coming to ABC, Sophia held various community roles including United Way of Greater Cincinnati where she fulfilled both finance and program management roles. Sophia is the mom of 3 and can be found enjoying life with her husband, also in non-profit community work.
Colleen Cheek
AAA Pathway District Manager
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Colleen Cheek joined Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC) in 2021 as the AAA (Athletic and Academic Accountability) Pathway Manager. In this role, Colleen oversees the AAA Pathway, which is a comprehensive student-athlete development program designed to provide CPS athletes the supports needed to achieve success in both their academics and athletics. Colleen looks forward to using her decade of experience in the professional sports world to build upon an already impressive program.
Colleen comes to ABC from the Reds Community Fund (RCF) where she worked over seven years rising to Senior Outreach Manager. With the RCF, Colleen managed the Reds Rookie Success League in five locations, created the Reds Home Base program, implemented educational programs for the P&G Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy, analyzed RCF program data, and more. Before that, Colleen managed educational programs and donations for more than three years in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets in Community Relations.
Prior to her career, Colleen graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science, in Sport Science. Being born and raised in Cincinnati, Colleen and her husband love all things Cincinnati. Colleen and her husband reside in Silverton with their rescue animals: two cats and a dog. In 2020, they became foster parents with Beech Acres and are now proud foster parents to two CPS high school students.
Austin Gullett
Athletics Coordinator
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James Lacey
Senior Manager of Resource Coordination
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James Lacey is the Senior Manager of Resource Coordination at ABC. Prior to this role, James was the Resource Coordinator at Woodford Academy, where he is still very active.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, James is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Marketing. James’ background in marketing and brand strategy has given him a unique set of skills that allow for the successful implementation of programs and strategies to keep families and the CPS community!
Ricky Miller
Senior Manager of Athletics
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Ricky Miller is the Senior Manager of Athletics at Activities Beyond the Classroom. Joining ABC at the start of the 2022-23 school year, Ricky oversees, manages, and assists ABC’s high school athletic directors at Cincinnati Public Schools.
Prior to joining ABC, Ricky held the role of Assistant District Athletics Manager at Cincinnati Public Schools for five years. Ricky was pivotal to the planning and organizing of the inaugural CPS Athletics Basketball All-Star Showcase, which was held at Fifth Third Arena in March 2022.
Kim Ronnebaum
Programs Manager
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Kim Ronnebaum is a Programs Manager at ABC. Kim started with Activities Beyond the Classroom in 2014 as the Assistant Program Coordinator at Riverview East Academy, before being promoted to the Family Literacy Specialist in 2015. She began working for non-profit organizations in 2009, beginning with Sisters of Charity as an STNA and then transitioned from a Program Leader to the Assistant Program Coordinator at Saylor Park Elementary with Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati (BGCGC). Kim received an award in July of 2014 for ‘Programmer of the year’ from BGCGC. She is actively involved in her own children’s education and extracurricular activities, as well as dedicating time to her photography.
Kaitlin Schiltz
Enrichment Coordinator
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Mary Smith
Programs Manager
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After starting with ABC in 2019 as the Administrative Assistant, Mary’s dedication and work ethic have earned her the promotion to Programs Manager. As the Programs Manager, Mary will aid the organizational efforts of elementary programs such as ABC Clubs, tennis, soccer, and ABC Safety Patrol.
A graduate of Aiken High School, Mary has extensive experience in administration and payroll. Before joining ABC’s team, she was a payroll specialist for a location construction company, and prior to that, spent five years as Office Manager at a hair school.
When not working, Mary enjoys crafting and volunteering at her daughter’s school.
Rachel Stallings
Deputy Director
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Rachel Stallings joined Activities Beyond the Classroom in 2015 as a site coordinator under the Ohio Department of Education 21st Century Grant, and most recently as the Program Director. Recently promoted to Deputy Director, Rachel writes and manages grant funding for several CPS sites. Rachel also directs the extracurricular programs such as ABC Clubs, tennis, soccer and ABC Safety Patrol for elementary students. Prior to her career with ABC, Rachel received her architectural engineering degree from The University of Cincinnati. After working on federal projects for several years, Rachel followed her passion to better the lives of children working as a tutor, parent coordinator, and after school coordinator. Rachel prides herself on learning from and utilizing her experiences with students, families and the community to provide quality programming to students attending Cincinnati Public Schools.
Gage Bley
Riverview East Academy
Paul Brownfield
Aiken High School
Jacob Buchanan
Asst. Athletic Director: Walnut Hills High School
Chloe Mayfield-Brown
Asst. Athletic Director: Western Hills / Dater High Schools
David Miller
Gamble Montessori High School
Jabreel Moton
Woodward Career Technical High School
Andrew Mueller
Hughes High School
Don Newberry
Shroder High School
Chris O'Brien
Oyler School
Phillip O'Neal
Western Hills / Dater High Schools
Romell Salone
Taft High School
Davis Schaefer
Spencer Center
Shauniece Steele
Walnut Hills High School
Jeff Wiles
Clark Montessori High School
Regina Williams
Withrow High School
Darcus Anderson
Roselawn Condon School
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Darcus Anderson is the Community Resource Coordinator for Roselawn Condon School, she is employed by Activities Beyond the Classroom. Darcus previously worked for Talbert House as a Mental Health Provider, where she coordinated resources and facilitated individual, group, and classroom presentations to help increase students social skills. Darcus has a M.Ed in Counseling and a Bachelors in Psychology.
Dana Bierman
Aiken High School
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Dana Bierman is the Community Resource Coordinator for Aiken New Tech High School, employed by Activities Beyond the Classroom. She coordinates and implements community partnerships and programs by engaging families and residents to support students in learning and life skills. She also facilitates the alignment of district-wide initiatives and community involvement to strengthen services for students and families. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Dana worked in HR management in the private sector for more than 20 years before entering the field of education.
Onyango Collier
Cheviot School
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Prior to joining ABC in 2019, Onyango served as the School Resource Coordinator at Cheviot School, starting in 2013, where he will continue in that role. He has a bachelor’s degree in studio art from Central State University, specializing in Graphic Arts. He also worked for Beech Acres Parenting Center as a School Based Case Manager, providing him experience as a qualified mental-health specialist. He provided crisis support for students to assist them with emotional issues and traumatic events while they were at school. He also worked for Children’s Home of Cincinnati as a behavioral health technician, providing direct service to children with mental-health needs in an after-school program.
As a Resource Coordinator at Cheviot School/Cincinnati Gifted Academy West, he has been able to attain some newsworthy events and programs, such as having the first Community Health Fair at the school, and partnering with a farmer’s market that is open year-round to combat lack of healthy food resources in the area. In May of 2019, Mt. St. Joseph University awarded him with the honor of being named the Community Partner of the Year, representing Cheviot School.
Ashley Davis
Woodford Academy
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Ashley Davis is the Resource Coordinator at Woodford Paideia Academy. She started with ABC at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
Heather England
Rockdale Academy
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Heather England is the Resource Coordinator at Rockdale Academy. Heather has connected with ABC’s partners to strengthen Rockdale and its community. She loves working with the family and students. Her plan is to continue communication with students, staff and the community and create new partnerships.
Prior to her role at Rockdale, Heather worked in roles to support preschool children for over 20 years.
Angel Griffin
Frederick Douglass Elementary School
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Angel Griffin is the Resource Coordinator at Frederick Douglass Elementary School. Angel loves engaging with the community and partners to better service the students.
Karen Hordinski
Spencer Center
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Karen Hordinski is the Resource Coordinator at Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students, joining ABC in the fall of 2022. She is passionate about helping students grow in competency and self-confidence through enrichment opportunities, service-learning, and leadership.
Karen has a M.Ed and a B.A. in Social Work and Psychology. Having raised two daughters in Cincinnati Public Schools, she is thrilled to be on the ABC team and provide opportunities to children in our city. Prior to ABC, Karen served as a Case Worker for the FreeStore, a youth director, and was the Director of Student Outreach for over twenty-five years at a private school in Cincinnati.
Cheri Jordan
Silverton Elementary
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Cheri Jordan has worked within the Cincinnati Public School district in various key roles for the past thirteen years. Most recently she was able to build meaningful community partnerships for the students within CPS as the Volunteer Manager with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative.
Cheri’s main goal in her role as the Resource Coordinator for Silverton Elementary, is to build and continue meaningful relationships between the surrounding community and the families of the school.
Aside from work, Cheri is a wife and mother of three. She enjoys outdoor activities, music and anything else fun that allows her family to enjoy life together!
Cyril Martin
Hartwell School
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Cyril Martin is the Resource Coordinator at the Hartwell School.
Taneeka Porter
Covedale School
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Taneeka Porter is the Resource Coordinator for Covedale School. She is a graduate of Wright State University with a degree in Liberal Studies and Sociology. Taneeka has over ten years of experience working with youth in her community in several different aspects such as; Camp Counselor, Preschool Teacher, Paraprofessional, Mentor Coordinator and Mentor. In her role here at ABC she coordinates and implements community partnerships and programs by engaging Covedale families and the community.
Tywanna Watson
Kilgour School
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Tywanna Watson is the Resource Coordinator at the Kilgour School.
Shelby Zimmer
Winton Hills Academy
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Shelby has been involved with Cincinnati Public Schools in various capacities for more than 15 years. Her involvement started through her children at Fairview-Clifton German Language School and Walnut Hills High School.
She started working at Winton Hills Academy in 2015 as the resource community assistant and technology teacher and was promoted to the Community Resource Coordinator in November of 2016. She is striving for greatness in the community and is excited to be a part of the Activities Beyond the Classroom team.
When she isn’t helping the school and community, Shelby enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter in 3rd grade, son in 6th grade and oldest daughter who is attending college in Hawaii.
