About Team Neo
Board of Directors

Leaders who share our vision for a vibrant regional economy.

Our staff is guided by a highly engaged board of business, economic development, and civic leaders who are committed to advancing the Northeast Ohio Region.

Chairman

Peter W. Broer

President and CEO: Lumitex Inc.

Chairwoman Emeritus

Jodi L. Berg, Ph.D.

Retired 4th Generation CEO and President: Vitamix Corporation

Vice Chair

Kimberly Riley

Chief Operating Officer, Northeast Region: Hylant

Secretary

Andy Jones

CEO: Fortress

Treasurer

Doug Sibila

President & CEO: Peoples Services, Inc.

Board of Directors


Dr. Marcia Ballinger

President:
Lorain Community College

Chris Bast

Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Operations Support: The Davey Tree Expert Company

Dr. Michael A. Baston

President: Cuyahoga Community College

Brendan Buescher

Ohio Managing Partner: McKinsey & Company

Nicholas M. Buzzelli

Senior Vice President, Regional Head of Commercial Banking: Fifth Third Bank

Frank Carrino

Chief Legal Officer and Secretary:
Westfield Group

Carol Caruso

President: Caruso Public Affairs LLC

Robert Davis

President and COO: Aqua Ohio, Inc.

Dr. Todd Diacon

President: Kent State University

Jeroen Diderich

SVP & General Manager, Label and Graphic Materials: North America Avery Dennison

Terrell Dillard

President: ZayMat Distributors & Jan-Pro of Cleveland / Akron / Toledo

Bill Epling

President:
SummaCare

James Gasior

Senior Executive Vice President and Corporate Development Officer: Farmers National Bank

Charles T. George

CEO: Hapco Inc., Strangepresse and Triptech

Dr. Albert M. Green

Founder and CEO:
AMG Consulting Group

Neal Grode

Executive Director: United Health Care

Deborah D. Hoover

Chief Executive Officer: Entrepreneurship Education Consortium

Ariane Kirkpatrick

CEO and President:
The AKA Team

Eric A. Logan

Principal:
KPMG, LLP

Kevin E. Martin

President and CEO: Ideastream

Marc Merklin

Managing Partner: Brouse McDowell

Allen J. Mistysyn

Senior Vice President/Finance and CFO: The Sherwin-Williams Company

Rajiv Prasad

President and CEO: Hyster-Yale Group

Glenn Richardson

Managing Director: JobsOhio

Mark J. Samolczyk

President: Stark Community Foundation

William R. Seelbach

Operating Partner:
The Riverside Company

Gary M. Small

President & CEO:
Premier Financial Corp. and Premier Bank

Aaron J. Swartz

Office Managing Partner: Ernst & Young

Don Taylor

President & CEO: Welty Building Company

Damian Thomas

Market President, Cleveland: RCF Group

Ward J. “Tim” Timken, Jr.

CEO: McKinley Strategies

Dan Weekley

President and General Manager of Ohio Distribution: Dominion Energy

Partner Directors


Bethia Burke

President: The Fund for Our Economic Future

Guy Coviello

President & CEO: Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber

Ray Hexamer

President: Stark Economic Development Board

Steve Millard

President & CEO:
Greater Akron Chamber

Baiju Shah

President & CEO: Greater Cleveland Partnership

Board Observers


Ethan Karp

President and CEO: MAGNET

Kevin Chambers

Managing Director, Logistics, Distribution and Supply Chain: JobsOhio

Business Development Council


Team NEO’s Business Development Council (BDC), comprised of senior economic development leaders and regional business leaders, drives Team NEO and Northeast Ohio partners toward a strategic and collaborative approach to business development.

Frank Carrino, Co-Chair

Chief Legal Officer and Secretary:
Westfield Group

Eric A. Logan, Co-Chair

Principal: KPMG, LLP

Peter Broer

President: Lumitex

Brent M. Buckley

Business Attorney and Managing Partner:
Buckley King, LPA

Bethia Burke

President: The Fund for Our Economic Future

Guy Coviello

President & CEO:
Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

Gregg Cramer

Vice President: Economic Development Greater Akron Chamber

Shawn DaVis

Vice President: Greater Cleveland Partnership

Bethany Dentler

Executive Director: Medina County Economic Development Corporation

Terrell Dillard

President: ZayMat Distributors

Jason Dodson

Consulting Solutions Director:
Roetzel & Andress

Rob Duncan

Director: Lorain County Community Development

Bill Elliott

Senior Vice President: Dollar Bank

Michael Elliot

Director of Neighborhood Economic Development: Cleveland Neighborhood Progress

Barbara Ewing

Chief Executive Officer: Youngstown Business Incubator

Steve Fritsch

Vice President, Industry Advancement, and Engagement: Team NEO

Dr. Albert M. Green

CEO: AMG Consulting Group

Paul Herdeg

Director: Cuyahoga County Department of Development

Ray Hexamar

President & CEO:
Stark Economic Development Board

Amanda Hinkel

Director of Career Services & Workforce Development:
Stark State College

Joe Jankowski

Chief Innovation Officer, Office of Research and Technology Management: Case Western Reserve University

Kurt Kappa

SVP, Chief Lending Officer:
First Federal of Lakewood

Ethan Karp

President & CEO: MAGNET

Pat Kelly

Director of Economic Development: FirstEnergy Corporation

Bill Koehler

CEO: Team NEO

Gina Kucera

Director- Credits & Incentives:
Grant Thornton

Shawn Lyden

Chief Strategy Officer: Akron Children’s Hospital

Shea MacMillan

VP, Economic Development: Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber

Kevin Malecek

Director of Economic Development: City of Mentor

John McLaughlin

Vice President,
Business Development: Stark Economic Development Board

Marc Merklin

Managing Partner: Brouse McDowell

Steve Millard

President & CEO: Greater Akron Chamber

Marsha Mockabee

President/CEO:
Urban League of Greater Cleveland

Christine Nelson

Vice President,
Project Management, Site Selection & Talent:
Team NEO

Jon Park

Chairman & CEO: Westfield Bank

Ken Patsey

President & Executive Director:
Manufacturing Works

Glenn Richardson

Managing Director, Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace & Aviation: JobsOhio

Kimberly Riley

COO- Northeast Region and President Hylant Cleveland: Hylant

Phil Rudolph Jr.

Vice President of Business Development: Rudolph Libbe Group

Jim Ruhlin

CEO: The Ruhlin Company

Jim Ruhlin, Jr.

President & COO: The Ruhlin Company

Bill Seelbach

Senior Advisor:
The Riverside Company

Barrett Thomas

Director of Economic Development: Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development

Damien Thomas

Market President: RCF Group

Penny Traina

Executive Director: Columbiana County Port Authority

Anthony Trevena

Executive Director: Western Reserve Port Authority

Thomas Young

Manager, Economic Development: Columbia Gas of Ohio

Marketing Advisory Council


The Marketing Advisory Council (MAC), a collaboration of senior business and marketing leaders, highlights the Northeast Ohio Region’s strategic assets, rallies regional stakeholders and influencers to support collective promotional strategies, and drives performance, equity, and accountability in marketing outcomes related to the regional brand.

Kevin Martin, Co-Chair

President & CEO: Ideastream

Al Mistysyn, Co-Chair

Chief Financial Officer & Senior VP, Finance: Sherwin-Williams

Dennis Burnside

President: Vestian

Christina Capadona-Schmitz

Chief Marketing Officer: Oswald Companies

Michelle Comerford

Project Director: Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Company, LLC

Jamie Dalton

Vice President: Falls & Co.

Rob Falls

President & CEO: Falls & Co.

Jenny Febbo

Vice President, Integrated Communications: Cuyahoga Community College

Sara Greicius

Director, Cleveland Talent Alliance: Destination Cleveland

Neal Grode

Executive Director: United HealthCare

Caroline Guscott

Managing President, Strategic Communication: Greater Cleveland Partnership

Maureen Harper

Senior Vice President, Public Affairs: Falls & Co.

Nikki Hubbard

Vice President, Marketing: JumpStart

Roderick Ingram

Chief Marketing Officer: NEOMED

Patrick Kelly

Director, Economic Development: FirstEnergy

Ariane Kirkpatrick

Owner & President: AKA Team

Sam Pines

SVP/Partner: Good Karma Brands

Marie Scalia

Chief Marketing Officer: Destination Cleveland

Mike Toth

President & CEO:
Westfield Bank

Sheila Trauernicht

Chief Communications Officer:
Westfield Group

RightSites Council


The RightSites Council (RSC) is comprised of regional leaders from real estate, construction, development, finance and utilities. The RSC helps to identify and define market gaps, as well as recommend potential solutions for developing both short- and long-term strategies to identify competitive locations and increase Northeast Ohio’s inventory.

Bethia Burke, Co-Chair

President: The Fund for Our Economic Future

Patrick Kelly, Co-Chair

Director, Economic Development:
First Energy Corporation

Seth Balkanyi

Manager, Strategic Initiatives & Market Research:
Brookfield Properties Development

Christopher Bast

Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Operations Support: The Davey Tree Expert Company

Christopher Bednar

Director of Civil Engineering: Karpinski Engineering

Mike Beegle

Business Sales Director: Verizon

India Birdsong-Terry

General Manager and CEO: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Keith Brandt

Executive Vice President: Industrial Commerical Properties, LLC

David Browning

Managing Director, Northeast Ohio Market: CBRE

Michael Cantor

Managing Director/Principal: Allegro Real Estate

Tom Charek

President: Welty Building Company

Andrew Coleman

First Vice President: CBRE

Bryan J. Dardis

Partner: Meyers,
Roman, Friedberg & Lewis

Alec Davidson

Associate: McDonald Hopkins

Tony DiGeronimo

President & Co-Founder: Precision Environmental Co.

James Doyle

Principal: Bellwether Real Estate Capital

Joshua Fragoso

Vice President, Director of Sales, Property & Casualty: Oswald Companies

Bob Fridrich

Senior Vice President: GEIS Construction

William Friedman

President & Chief Executive Officer: Port of Cleveland

Matthew Hammer

Senior Project Manager: TRC Companies

Chandra Hart

Major Account Executive: Everstream

Jaime Hart

Business Development Manager, Northeast Ohio: Rudolph Libbe Group

Matt Heisey

Principal:
Vocon

Mark Hill

SVP, Business Development: Premier Development Partners

Matt Hils

Principal: OHM Advisors

Dan Hinkel

Partner: Frantz Ward

Sean Joyce

President: inSITE Advisory Group

Kenneth Kalynchuk

Director and Principal:
Project Management Consultants

Wendy Kraft

Economic Development Consultant: Dominion Energy

Brian Laubscher

Director of Preconstruction: Shook Construction

Stu Lichter

President & Chairman of the Board: Industrial Realty Group

Tim Linville

CEO: Construction Employers Association

Richard A. Morehouse

Partner, Kohrman, Jackson & Krantz, LLP

Jacqueline Muhammad

Senior Manager of Government & Customer Relations: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Christine Nelson

Vice President/Project Management, Site Selection and Talent: Team NEO

Marcus Notaro

Associate Attorney: Thompson Hine LLP

William O’Gorman

Business Development Director: American Structurepoint

Dominic Ozanne

President & CEO: Ozanne Construction

Jason Pastor

Vice President, Preconstruction Services: The Albert M. Higley Company

Jason D. Phillips

Senior Vice President & Market Manager: PNC Bank

Jim Reed

Real Estate Manager: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Phil Rudolph, Jr

Vice President of Business Development: Rudolph Libbe Group

Austin Semarjian

Acquisitions and Leasing Associate: Industrial Commercial Properties LLC

Terry Slaybaugh

Managing Director of Infrastructure: JobsOhio

Dave Sobochan, CPA

Tax Partner & Market Leader Real Estate & Construction:
Cohen & Company

Tari Stahl

Director of Development Operations: DiGeronimo Companies

James Stephens

Director: BMO Commercial Bank

Bryce Sylvester

Senior Director, Site Strategies: Team NEO

Anthony Tavrell

Senior Vice President
KeyBank Real Estate Capital:
Income Property Group

Shannon Thorsen

Director of Business Development: Karpinski Engineering

Brad Whitehead

Senior Advisor: The Fund for Our Economic Future

Sandra R. Williams

Director, Government Affairs: Charter Communications

Ryan Wilson

Senior Manager, Economic Development: Amazon

Tommy Young

Economic Development Manager:
Columbia Gas of Ohio, Inc.

Talent Development Council


Team NEO’s Talent Development Council (TDC) provides a forum through which higher education institutions, companies and workforce organizations advance initiatives related to Northeast Ohio’s talent development. The council does this by focusing on four key areas: pipeline, policy, pilots, and performance.

Dr. Marcia Ballinger, Co-Chair

President: Lorain Community College

Andy Jones, Co-Chair

CEO: Fortress, A Division of MCPc

Dr. Michael A. Baston

President: Cuyahoga Community College

Suzanne B. Bausch, Ph.D.

Vice President, Research & Business Engagement: The University of Akron

Dr. Morris Beverage

President: Lakeland Community College

Dr. Laura Bloomberg

President: Cleveland State University

Bethia Burke

President: The Fund for Our Economic Future

Dr. Carlos Campo

President: Ashland University

Carol Caruso

President:
Caruso Public Affairs LLC

Kristi Clouse

Executive Director of Operations:
JobsOhio

Jessica Cohen

Manager, State Government Affairs: Verizon Business Group

Michelle Cassetty Collins

Vice President: ConxusNEO

Debbie Connelly

Senior VP,
Human Resources: Hyland

Gina Cronin

Chief Talent Officer: Cleveland Clinic

Courtney DeOreo

Executive Director, RITE, Senior Director Tech Talent: Greater Cleveland Partnership

Dr. Dorey Diab

President: North Central State College

Mildred M. Porter-Duncan

Manager, Talent Management & Development Human Resources: MetroHealth

Jacob Duritsky

Vice President, Research and Strategy: Team NEO

William Gary, Sr.

Executive Vice President: Cuyahoga Community College

Dr. Albert M. Green

Founder & CEO, AMG Consulting Group

Aaron Grossman

President and CEO: TalentLaunch

David P. Haney, Ph.D.

President: Hiram College

Dr. Robert Helmer

President: Baldwin Wallace University

Deborah D. Hoover

Chief Executive Officer: Entrepreneurship Education Consortium

Rachel Hosler, EdD

Chief of Staff: Walsh University

Dr. Para Jones

President: Stark State College

Ethan Karp

President and CEO: MAGNET

Grant Keating

Partner: Dworken & Bernstein Co.,L.P.A.

Rhonda Talford Knight, Ph.D.

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer: Bricker & Eckler

Bill Koehler

CEO: Team NEO

Andrew Kurtz, Ph.D.

Dean:
Bowling Green State University Firelands College

Shana Marbury

Executive Vice President, Workforce, Community & Economic Development:
Cuyahoga Community College

Brian McDonald

Market Executive, Global Commercial Bank Middle Market:
Bank of America

Alan R. Miciak, Ph.D.

President: John Carroll University

Dr. Gary L. Miller

President: The University of Akron

Dr. Karen Miller

Provost and Chief Academic Officer: Cuyahoga Community College

Jackie Aronica Morgan

Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition: Eaton Corporation

Michelle M. Mulhern

Chief of Staff, Office of the President: Northeast Ohio Medical University

Jennifer Oddo

Executive Director, Division of Workforce Education and Innovation: Youngstown State University

Jacqueline Opal

Global HR Leader: Babcock & Wilcox

Emily Garr Pacetti

Vice President & Community Affairs Officer: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Craig Platt

Managing Director, IT Sector Partnership: Greater Cleveland Partnership

Rajiv Prasad

President and CEO: Hyster-Yale

J. Michael Pressimone, Ed.D.

Anne Richards

President and CEO: Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, Inc.

Jenn O. Ruggles

Assistant Vice President, Government Relations: Case Western Reserve University

Joseph M. Saponaro

Partner: Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis

Michael Schoop

SVP, Talent: Greater Cleveland Partnership

Peggy Shadduck, Ph.D.

Vice President for Regional Campuses: Kent State University

Tom Snowberger

Chief Human Resources Officer:
University Hospitals of Cleveland

Nate Stansberry

Managing Director: Rust Belt Recruiting

Joana Swim

HR Director, North America: Synthomer

Julie Szeltner

Director, Talent Engagement:
Team NEO

Mark Trew

Chief Operations Officer: Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, Inc.

Andrea Zadd

Director, Talent Acquisition and HR Services: Swagelok