Eric P. Avner

Vice President and Senior Program Manager, The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, People’s Liberty

As vice president of The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr. Foundation since April 2008, Eric Avner directs the foundation’s community development grantmaking, focusing on Cincinnati’s distinctive urban neighborhoods, talented regional workforce, and culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. He is also founder and CEO of People’s Liberty, the foundation’s 8,000 ft² philanthropic lab for foundations interested in investing in place by investing in people.

Previously, Eric 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 holds a BA in urban systems from McGill University (Montréal) and an MA in historic preservation planning from Cornell University. He serves on the boards of Philanthropy Ohio, Cincinnati Development Fund, Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern Kentucky, and ArtWorks Cincinnati.

Keith Burwell

President and Chief Executive Officer, Toledo Community Foundation

Keith Burwell is president and chief executive officer of the Toledo Community Foundation, a community foundation serving northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan, with an emphasis on the Greater Toledo area. Since assuming his role in February 2004, he has led his staff in a variety of roles—including responsive grant maker, educator, catalyst, and convener for key community issues—that have contributed to the foundation’s success as the largest philanthropic organization in northwestern Ohio.

He has also served in leadership roles and is collaborating with partners on several initiatives, including the Overland Industrial Park project, a human trafficking initiative, a low-birth-weight reduction project, and several education initiatives.

Keith holds a BA from Campbell University and an MDiv in philosphy and religion from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Kim Frazier

Director of Growth Initiatives, Entrepreneurs’ Center

Kim Frazier is the director of growth initiatives at the Entrepreneurs’ Center (EC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting regional entrepreneurs. In this role, she identifies gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and develops initiatives to address them. Her current focus is strengthening capital access, which includes building an angel investor network and developing new investment tools. She is also working to enhance diversity and inclusion across the entrepreneurial community.

Kim has spent her professional career focused on economic development, from international organizations based in Washington DC to her hometown in Springfield, Ohio, where she opened a restaurant.

She holds a BA from the University of Cincinnati and a MA from Boston University.

Presley L. Gillespie

President, Neighborhood Allies

Presley Gillespie is the inaugural president of Neighborhood Allies, a community development intermediary that supports the people, organizations, and partnerships committed to creating and maintaining thriving neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is responsible for working collaboratively with the organization’s board of directors, the community, key funders, and staff to launch this new entity, and he has ultimate responsibility for the overall management of the organization.

Most recently, Presley served as the founding executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC), the first citywide community development corporation in Youngstown, Ohio. He came to the nonprofit sector after a successful 18-year banking career, primarily focused on community development lending and community revitalization.

Presley holds a BA in organizational communication and management from Youngstown State University.

Terry Gore

Senior Director of Financial Services and FinTech, JobsOhio

Terry Gore is senior director of Financial Services and FinTech at JobsOhio. In this role, Terry leads Ohio’s growth strategy for economic development within the financial services sector. He partners with stakeholders in Ohio, across the United States, and around the globe to drive job creation and capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, expansion, and retention efforts.

Prior to JobsOhio, Terry served as vice president and senior relationship manager at BBVA Compass, for which he was responsible for opening the Ohio market and expanding the correspondent banking footprint of the bank. Having held roles with a nationally known check printer, First Data, and Fiserv, Terry has more than 20 years of sales experience in the financial services industry.

He holds a BSBA in marketing from Xavier University and an MBA from Anderson University.

Ernest E. Hogan

Executive Director, Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group

Ernie Hogan is the Executive Director for the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG), for which he uses his more than 30 years of experience as a community development practitioner to advance a neighborhood-driven agenda of economic growth. Organized in 1988, PCRG originally formed to provide a coordinated response to financial institutions’ practice of redlining and to be an “on the ground” watchdog for the Community Reinvestment Act. Now 60 members strong, PCRG focuses on mobility, land, and capital in western Pennsylvania’s communities.

Ernie is an integral part of Pittsburgh’s community development system, and his work has made an impressive impact on the communities he has served. Utilizing commercial financing, government development programs, tax credits, and private grants to improve housing, retail space, and jobs, he has been a part of some of the city’s most dramatic neighborhood transformations.

Ernie holds a BA in organizational communication and management from Youngstown State University.

Joyce Pan Huang

Vice President of Community Development, MidTown Cleveland, Inc.

Joyce Pan Huang is the vice president of community development at MidTown Cleveland, Inc., an economic and community development organization for the MidTown and AsiaTown neighborhoods. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing the urban planning, community development, and placebuilding and placekeeping efforts in the neighborhood. Racial equity and belonging are the key driving principles that undergird her planning and place-based efforts.

Joyce holds a BS in sociology from the University of Michigan and a master of urban planning, design, and development from Cleveland State University. She is a board member of several organizations, including Building Hope in the City, the Cleveland Asian Festival, and the NOACA’s Emerging Leaders Council.

Tawana S. Jones

Community and Economic Development Operations Manager, Montgomery County Development Services

Tawana Jones is the community and economic development operations manager for Montgomery County Development Services in Dayton, Ohio. She has been employed by Montgomery County for more than 20 years and has held a number of positions during this period.

Prior to working for Montgomery County, Tawana was employed by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government in Lexington, Kentucky, and by the Cumberland Valley Area Development District in London, Kentucky.

Tawana holds a BS in psychology and sociology from Union College and an MPA from Eastern Kentucky University.

Lark T. Mallory, Esq.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County

Lark Mallory is the president and chief executive officer of the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, an organization that provides low-interest-rate loans to developers of affordable housing. In her role, Lark is responsible for all aspects of the organization’s mission, including its private investment fund and its real estate loan portfolio.

Prior to joining Affordable Housing Trust, Lark was a law partner who served the needs of businesses, individuals, and business owners, with regard to transactions involving corporate and business law, taxation, financing, and commercial real estate.

Lark is a CPA (inactive) and holds a BSBA in accounting and a JD from the Ohio State University and an LLM in taxation from the University of Florida. She serves on the board of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, cochairing its Community Engagement Committee.

August A. Napoli

President and Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Greater Cleveland

August Napoli is president and chief executive officer of United Way of Greater Cleveland, the largest private funder of health and human services in the Greater Cleveland region. Prior to joining United Way of Greater Cleveland in June 2016, he served as deputy director and chief advancement officer of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he oversaw the successful campaign to raise $320 million in support of the renowned institution’s historic renovation and expansion project and led the division that included fundraising, community engagement, marketing, visitor experience, and audience research.

August has more than 40 years of nonprofit executive experience in Northeast Ohio. He has led institutional advancement activities at several universities and directed charitable and healthcare foundations in the region.

August earned a bachelor’s degree from Franciscan University.

James M. Stark

Chief Executive Officer, Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc.

James Stark is chief executive officer of Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc., an agency that employs a holistic approach to delivering services to the residents of Fayette County. The agency’s comprehensive services include education and training, emergency food and housing, services for senior citizens, and community and housing development.

Jim has more than 30 years of experience managing nonprofit organizations, and his expertise includes a variety of social issues, including poverty, homelessness, and health and human service needs. His areas of focus include development, strategic and program planning, financial management, community development, management systems, organizational development, and reengineering systems.

Jim holds a BA in social science and an MPA with a focus on economic development and public management from the University of Pittsburgh.

Stephanie Stiene

Director of Financial Wellness and Volunteer Engagement, Brighton Center, Inc.

Stephanie Stiene is director of financial wellness and volunteer engagement at Brighton Center, Inc., a northern Kentucky private, not-for-profit, community-based agency with the mission to create opportunities for individuals and families to reach self-sufficiency. For more than 17 years, Stephanie has led financial wellness to develop a full continuum of financial service programs, including foreclosure prevention, homeownership education, reverse mortgage counseling, individual development account (IDA) creation, small-dollar loan application, financial coaching, and volunteer income tax assistance (VITA).

Passionate about meeting families where they are by educating and providing resources and tools that empower them to improve their lives, Stephanie has engaged banking, lending, insurance, and many local business leaders and volunteers to serve thousands of individuals in the northern Kentucky area. In 2012, she was presented with the White House’s “Champions of Change” award for outstanding commitment and achievement in the field of housing counseling across the United States.

Stephanie holds a BA in psychology from Northern Kentucky University.

Robie Suggs

Chief Lending Officer, Cincinnati Development Fund

Robie Suggs is the chief lending officer at the Cincinnati Development Fund, a nonprofit lending institution that provides funding for real estate development in underserved markets in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Fund also offers facilities and equipment funding for nonprofit organizations in the region. In her role, Robie is responsible for all lending-related activity, including loan processing, underwriting, construction management, and credit risk and asset management.

Prior to her current role, Robie served as vice president of strategic partnerships, economic development, and community outreach at First Financial Bank. Before joining First Financial Bank, she served as vice president of community development, Southwest Ohio/northern Kentucky, at PNC Bank.

Robie holds a business coaching and mentorship certificate from the University of Cincinnati and was trained in Enneagram at the Conscious Living Center. She is a member of several boards, including LISC of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, and Homebase Cincinnati.

Jeff Whitehead

Executive Director, Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc.

Jeff Whitehead is executive director of the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) and its local workforce investment board (WIB), which together provide workforce and employer services to 23 rural counties in Appalachian Kentucky. Jeff is dedicated to the mission of preparing, advancing, and expanding the workforce of eastern Kentucky, and he believes this mission is best accomplished by embracing partnerships and service strategies that expand opportunities for workers while being responsive to industry needs. He is working to ensure that eastern Kentucky and its workforce are discovered as a solution to industry needs statewide and beyond and that they are well equipped to compete in a global and digital economy.

Jeff is a member of the Advisory Council for Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), serves as chair of the Education and Retraining Roundtable, provides leadership to the National Economic Council’s Tech Hire Initiative in Eastern Kentucky, and serves on the board of directors for the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation and the FAHE Recovery Task Force.

He holds a BS in psychology from Morehead State University.

Danny R. Williams

President and Chief Executive Officer, Eliza Bryant Village

Danny Williams is president and chief executive officer of Eliza Bryant Village, a 122-year-old, long-term care facility that provides skilled nursing, affordable independent housing, and adult day and home care services for some of Greater Cleveland’s poorest and most vulnerable elderly citizens. Eliza Bryant serves approximately 1,200 individuals each year in furtherance of its mission to provide quality services, outreach programs, and a dignified, compassionate, and secure environment for seniors.

Danny has spent his professional career serving the Greater Cleveland community as a practicing attorney, public official, and nonprofit executive. He assumed his current position in January 2017 after serving the previous 10 years as executive director of Circle Health Services (formerly the Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland).

Danny holds an AB in psychology from Princeton University, an MNO from Case Western Reserve University, and a JD from the University of Michigan.