Meet our Board of Trustees

Connie Hawk joined the Licking County Foundation in Newark as director in November 2007.  The Foundation is a public charitable organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for all citizens in the community.  In this position, she oversees development, fundraising, marketing communications, grantmaking, and community outreach.  Previously, she worked at the Midland Theatre for three years as assistant director.  Before joining the Midland, Connie was executive director of Ohio Ballet in Akron for two years.  Connie also has 16 years of experience in advertising and marketing communications with a prominent Akron-based advertising firm, Hitchcock Fleming & Associates, Inc.

Currently, Connie is an active member of the Granville Rotary Club (past president).  She has served on the boards of the Licking County Chamber of Commerce and the Granville Rotary Foundation.  She also served as a panelist for the Ohio Arts Council’s grant programs in 2010 (Arts Access) and 2011 (Sustainability).  Connie, along with her husband Steve, lives in Granville.  She enjoys attending arts performances, antiquing, reading, cooking, gardening, and travel.

Leslie Dunford manages the foundation's facilities, office services, and risk-management programs, and serves as the executive director of Suite 1300 Services, Inc., an affiliate of the Cleveland Foundation that provides support services to the foundation’s resident-led, community-building program.

From 1997 through 2014, Leslie also served as the foundation's corporate secretary and liaison to its board of directors and legal counsel, advising on matters of regulatory compliance and governance.

A graduate of Cleveland Bridge Builders and Leadership Cleveland, Leslie serves on the boards of Philanthropy Ohio, Cleveland Leadership Center and Vocational Guidance Services. She is an honorary life trustee of Youth Opportunities Unlimited and a past recipient of the YWCA’s Women of Professional Excellence award. From 2005 through 2011, Leslie served as a standards reviewer for the Community Foundations National Standards Board. She has a Certificate for Non-Profit Board Consulting from BoardSource.

Leslie earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Gannon University in Pennsylvania.

Denise joined Burton D. Morgan Foundation in 2007 as Chief Financial Officer and was elected Secretary and Assistant Treasurer for the Foundation in 2010. She previously served as the President and managing partner of Brott Mardis & Co., a local public accounting firm in Akron, Ohio. Denise is a Certified Public Accountant and has assisted a wide variety of nonprofit organizations with financial-statement audits, tax compliance work, and consulting engagements including internal-control implementation, board governance, and benefit plans. Denise is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and is a past Board Chair of Project Learn of Summit County. Denise currently serves as a board member of Philanthropy Ohio and on the Finance Committee of the Fund for Our Economic Future.  She received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Steven, in addition to working with donors and their professional advisors to identify charitable goals, plays a lead role in supporting and growing organization endowment funds and philanthropic activities beyond central Ohio. Steven serves as a liaison to the Pickaway County Community Foundation, the Dublin Foundation, and other regional community foundations.

Prior to his current position, he served as grants administrator for Huckleberry House, Inc. and was associate director of foundation relations at The Ohio State University. From 1997-1999, he was a community research and grants management officer for the Foundation.

Steven currently serves on the Nominating Committee for the Columbus Metropolitan Club, Philanthropy Ohio’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, the Shumate African-American Outreach and Engagement Council of the Wexner Center for the Arts, and the Advisory Board for Besa. He is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Steven holds a bachelor of arts from Hampton University and a master in public administration from The Ohio State University.

Eric Avner joined The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation in April, 2008. As Vice President, he directs all Community Development grantmaking, focusing on Cincinnati’s distinctive urban neighborhoods, a talented regional workforce, and a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.  Eric is also Founder and CEO of People’s Liberty (peoplesliberty.org), the foundation’s 8,000sf philanthropic lab in Over-the-Rhine that explores a new role for foundations interested in place-based grantmaking and civic re-engagement.  

Previously, Eric has advised Cincinnati's top CEOs on economic development issues as Associate Director of the Cincinnati Business Committee; launched Soapboxmedia.com, a weekly magazine focused on the region’s economic and physical transformation; and led efforts to convert an abandoned railroad bridge across the Ohio River into an award-winning linear pedestrian park, the “Purple People Bridge.”

Eric attended McGill (Montreal) and Cornell Universities and he serves on the boards of Philanthropy Ohio, ArtWorks Cincinnati, and Cincinnati Development Fund.

Harold Brown currently serves as Vice President of Community Strategies at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF). In this role, Harold provides executive leadership and vision for GCF’s comprehensive array of grantmaking programs, including developing an in-depth strategy to advance its community leadership work. In addition, he partners with GCF donors to help fulfill their philanthropic goals by ensuring they are aware of our region’s greatest needs and opportunities.

For 16+ years prior to joining GCF, Harold Brown served in a variety of leadership roles at KnowledgeWorks. In his most recent role of Senior Officer for the Advancement of Underserved Learners, Harold explored and developed opportunities for KnowledgeWorks to invest and partner in initiatives designed to dramatically improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged youth. His most recent initiative was a statewide effort to dismantle the so-called “school-to-prison pipeline” and support quality educational options for youth who have not succeeded in traditional schools or who may be reentering their communities following incarceration.

An Oxford, Ohio native and graduate of Harvard University, Harold began his career as a Senior Researcher at WGBH Boston and also directed Multicultural Enrollment Services at Miami University.  Harold serves or has recently served on a number of national and local boards, including the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, GreenLight Cincinnati Advisory Board, National College Access Network Board, AchievePoint Career Academies, and the Cincinnati Police Chief’s Community Advisory Board.

Keith Burwell is president of Greater Toledo Community Foundation, a position he has held since 2004. He currently oversees an annual grants program averaging $14 million. At Greater Toledo Community Foundation, a responsive grantmaker, Keith leads in a variety of civic roles such as educator, catalyst and convener on key community issues, making available his expertise and that of his 14 professional staff to a wide range of community efforts. The foundation team directs annual grantmaking and gifting in the region, making Greater Toledo Community Foundation the largest philanthropic organization in Northwest Ohio. Keith has a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from Campbell University.

Amy Eyman is the Executive Director of the Fairfield County Foundation and celebrated her 20^th year with the Foundation on September 1, 2019.  The Foundation is a public charitable organization with a mission to build a legacy through philanthropy and stewardship for a stronger community.

The Fairfield County Foundation celebrated 30 years of serving the community in April 2019.  In her role as Executive Director, Amy manages a staff of 4 and is primarily responsible for development, fundraising, marketing & communications and community outreach.

Amy is a native of Lancaster, a graduate of Lancaster High School and a proud graduate of Ohio University, Athens. 

Amy recently completed her 12th year as a member of the Lancaster City Schools Board of Education and was re-elected to a 4^th 4-year term in November. She just completed a 3-year term on the Ohio School Boards Association Board and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Central Region of Ohio School Boards Association.  Amy serves as a Board member of the Lancaster Rotary Club and the Lancaster Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce. Amy is a member of Charitable Gift Planners of Central Ohio.  Amy and her husband John live in Lancaster and have 2 sons, Andrew (25) a graduate of Ohio University and William (20) is a Junior in the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Brady Groves has served as president of the Richland County Foundation since 2011. During his tenure, he has helped create a five-year economic development investment strategy, developed a nonprofit capacity-building academy and positioned the community foundation to lead important community conversations. Currently, Brady is working to change the paradigm of responsive grantmaker to a system of social capital and impact. Prior to the community foundation, he served in leadership roles in business development for OhioHealth – Mansfield Hospital, business banking, human resources and sales. Brady received his MBA from Ashland University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bowling Green State University.

Robert Jaquay became associate director of the Foundation in 1996 and oversees grantmaking in community revitalization and economic development as well as the Foundation’s program-related investing. He also manages the Foundation’s financial functions and serves as in-house counsel.  Before joining the Foundation, Jaquay worked in Northeast Ohio as an urban planner, municipal attorney and executive assistant to Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich. Early in his career, he served on the legislative staff of the U.S. House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee. 

Bob is past chair of Mission Investors Exchange, Neighborhood Funders Group and the Foundation Center – Cleveland. He currently serves as an officer of the Fund for Our Economic Future and a board member of Philanthropy Ohio. He has a B.S. in business administration from John Carroll University, an M.P.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Cleveland State University.

As Director of Corporate and Community Partnerships for ScottsMiracle-Gro, Su is responsible for the company’s key business and philanthropic partnerships, enterprise-wide corporate giving strategy, and community outreach programming.  She also serves as Vice President of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and Secretary of The Hagedorn Legacy Foundation.

Her career as a communications and philanthropy professional has included positions at AT&T, Lucent Technologies and Huntington National Bank.

Su is active in her community through volunteerism and board service.

She served as Chair of the Mount Carmel Foundation, and led the Foundation’s Marketing Advisory Council, as well as the Development and Governance Committee.

Su is also a Trustee for Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and currently serves as Board President.  She also supports Keep Ohio Beautiful as a Board Member and chair of the group’s Board Development Committee.

A graduate of The Ohio State University, Su earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, with a minor in Communications.

Holley Martens serves as a trustee and administrator for The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation. A licensed independent social worker, she integrates her social work background in her role as Foundation administrator, bringing a unique perspective to the grant making process.  She is one of the co-founders of a local group of small-staffed foundations that is trying to increase the leverage in funding that small foundations have in the Cleveland area.

Upon graduating from Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences in 2007, Holley was employed by Shaker Heights Youth Center and placed in Student Assistance at Shaker Heights Middle School. There she worked with students, families, and school staff on student academic success and school affiliation. She created partnerships with prevention providers and coalitions in NE Ohio while organizing community engagement programs and projects pertaining to student social and emotional health.

Community involvement has always been a priority of Holley’s. Her undergraduate degree in psychology from DePaul University (1990) aided her in working with several youth-serving organizations, ranging from a half-way house for teens in San Diego to designing an alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention program for Cleveland area middle schoolers.

Holley and her husband Rob have lived in the Cleveland area since 2001, and have three children, Alycia, Charlie and Claire.

Cinnamon Pelly’s passion for equity and supporting the success of families, women and girls, has been a theme throughout her career.  She is the founder and Principal at C&A Consulting having most recently served as Chief Marketing and Community Engagement Officer for a private education fund. Prior to that she led the $29.5-million-dollar Federal White House Choice Neighborhood Initiative in the Avondale neighborhood responsible for working with 5 Federal Departments to implement a thoughtful, high-impact strategy in Cincinnati to improve the quality of life for hundreds of families. Ms. Pelly served as Vice President of Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase Foundation managing the Firm’s $5.3+ million charitable giving portfolio in Ohio, West Virginia and Northern Kentucky. Pelly has been recognized as a Forty under 40 Award Recipient in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus and holds degrees from The Ohio State University and Franklin University. She enjoys volunteering and supporting efforts that promote education and social justice. She is a life member and past national and regional board member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated, a member Junior League, The Links, Incorporated, and serves as a board member at Philanthropy Ohio.

Lissy Rand serves as vice president, grantmaking & strategy, for Deaconess Foundation. She joined the foundation as a program officer in 2014, after nearly 10 years with Foundation Management Services in Cleveland where she served as program officer for five client foundations with funding priorities across health, human services and education. Previously, Lissy worked in a programmatic and policy capacity with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Easter Seal Society, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, and NetWellness. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and received a Master of Social Work degree from University of Michigan and a Master of Public Health degree from University of Illinois.

Cecilia is currently the Executive Director of the Nordson Corporation Foundation based in Westlake, OH.  She has been at the Foundation since 1999 starting as the Program Officer.  Prior to Nordson, Cecilia was employed in the field of education.  She is actively involved in the Philanthropy Ohio Education Advisory Committee and Corporate Funders group, ReacHigher, the Lorain County P-16 council and the STEM education workgroup with the Association of Corporate Contribution Professionals.  She has worked as an advisor for Cleveland Scholarship Programs and the Educational Opportunity Program at Tri-C.  Cecilia has also been a part-time instructor at Cleveland State University in the School of Education.  She holds a M.Ed. from CSU with a concentration in Adult Learning and Development and a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Child Development from Smith College.

Cecilia is the 2015 Leadership Lorain County Eric Nord Award for Excellence in Leadership recipient and is currently on the boards of Philanthropy Ohio and Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals.

Anthony Richardson is executive director of The Nord Family Foundation in Amherst, OH.

In 2011, Anthony was elected as a councilman at-large in the City of Lorain, becoming the youngest person of color elected to an At-Large seat. During his second term, Anthony served as chairman of the Police, Fire, and Legislative Standing Committee, and sponsored legislation to increase hiring goal percentages for racial minorities and women on city projects.  In 2012, Anthony served as the civic and political chair for the Lorain City Schools Levy Committee, which helped the school district pass its first levy for new operating dollars since 1992. Later that year, Anthony was invited by the Obama Administration to attend a “Working Meeting on Fiscal Cliff” at the White House.  In 2017, he was appointed by Ohio’s Superintendent of Public Instruction to serve as chairman of the Lorain Academic Distress Commission, a joint local and state committee established to turnaround Lorain City School District.

On a national level, Anthony serves as a board member for The Center for Effective Philanthropy, The Corella & Bertram F. Bonner Foundation and Funders Together to End Homelessness.   

In 2017, Anthony received Philanthropy Ohio’s Emerging Philanthropist Award.  He is also featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “The Influencers: People Quietly Changing the Nonprofit World.”

Anthony holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and a juris doctorate from The Ohio State University’s Michael E. Moritz College of Law.

Susan Cole Urano has been Executive Director of the Athens Foundation (community foundation) since 2004. In this capacity she manages a staff of 2, a budget of $650,000 and assets over $5,000,000. The foundation offers two funding cycles as well as funding of special initiatives. In 2005, Urano founded the first Leadership Athens County program which has graduated 150 leaders in the community. In 2010, she initiated Athens Professionals for Philanthropy to increase involvement of younger donors. She serves as a member of the Appalachia Ohio Funders Group, Philanthropy Ohio and the Council on Foundations.

Susan has nearly 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to her work at the foundation, Urano served as executive director of three arts organizations in Ohio and Virginia; the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge and ArtSpace Lima. She is a practicing artist and teacher and has exhibited her work internationally. She holds a BFA degree from Kent State University, an MA from Ohio State and an MFA from Ohio University.

Karen White is the senior vice president and senior program officer, corporate philanthropy, for KeyBank. She is KeyBank Foundation’s Neighbors strategy leader and guides strategic grantmaking in Key’s Great Lakes and Western Pennsylvania regions. Karen leads Key’s national signature volunteer effort “Neighbors Makes the Difference Day” and has oversight of Key’s United Way Campaign activities across the United States. For KeyBank Foundation, she manages a grant portfolio of nearly $40 million. In Northeast Ohio, Karen manages strategic grantmaking for the foundation in the areas of arts and culture and community economic impact. She is a graduate of Sawyer College of Business.