For more than 8 years, Donya Buchanan has been a leader and an advocate of domestic violence movements in Portage County. Donya has served on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network since 2015 and has co-chaired the Women of Color Caucus. Donya received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Kent State University and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Donya’s current role is the Director of Domestic Violence and Visitation Services at Safer Futures. In this role, Donya brings unwavering passion and commitment to educating the community about the importance of healthy relationships, domestic violence prevention, and diversity and inclusion. Around the state, Donya has worked closely with public officials and community leaders to encourage the implementation of trauma-informed approaches and strengthen service providers’ responses to the needs of all survivors of domestic violence. As Donya continuously grows and develops her own knowledge base, her hope is that the message she spreads and the ideas she instills will change the way domestic violence is viewed by public officials and local agencies. Most importantly, Donya seeks to empower survivors to not only find their voice but also create safer futures.

As director of finance & administration for the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Kayla manages the Council’s human resources, benefits, and the preparation of the budget, financial statements, and accounting and technology systems. Prior to joining the Arts Council, Kayla was the head accountant of a small manufacturing company and an auditor at a public accounting firm. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Management from Marietta College and is currently the Treasurer of the Board of Ohio Domestic Violence Network.

Bridget Mahoney, Board Chair, is an activist and advocate dedicated to the prevention and education of domestic violence and child abuse. Joining forces with educational pioneers Jim & Elsa Croucher, Ms. Mahoney presented “Dating Violence: 101” to tens of thousands of high school students and was instrumental in the passage of the Tina Croucher Act which mandates dating violence education in all Ohio schools. Ms. Mahoney and her daughter, Julie Boak, have nationally shared their family’s journey through abuse and are currently assisting the effort for Anti-SLAPP legislation in Ohio that would protect the First Amendment rights of survivors and victims who want to share their stories or report crimes without fear of a meritless defamation lawsuit. Ms. Mahoney is a graduate of The Ohio State University and was formerly a television news anchor.

Sheryl Clinger serves as the Director of Advocacy/Policy and Community Engagement for The Center for Family Safety and Healing (TCFSH) and has been a part of the organization since 2005. As part of her role, Sheryl oversees the training and advocacy department at TCFSH, which offers customized family violence education and training for employers, faith-based organizations, healthcare systems, legal systems, schools, and other social service organizations. With an increase in demand over the last five years, Sheryl and her team have delivered family violence education to hundreds of systems in central Ohio and surrounding areas. Additionally, the training and advocacy department has presented at local, state, and national conferences. Sheryl serves on various local and state committees that focus on family violence and participates in case review teams. In 2018, she joined the board for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. Sheryl earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education from Bowling Green State University. She has a passion for helping people and strengthening our community through education and prevention.

Kelly Cooke, LISW-S, is the Executive Director of My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence program providing shelter, counseling, and court advocacy in Athens, Hocking, and Vinton Counties. Cooke has been in the field since 1997 when she attended a volunteer orientation at My Sister’s Place as a college sophomore. Kelly serves on the board of ODVN out of a drive to further justice for women who have been abused and to assist the coalition with providing needed support to programs across Ohio.

Tia Payne is the Executive Director of Legacy 31 and has had 12 years of successful experience advocating on behalf of others who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence. Legacy 31 was founded to begin breaking the silence on intimate partner violence that happens in the church. Legacy 31’s mission is founded in the scripture Proverbs 31:25 “She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future”. Tia released her first book “reflections of a PK” breaking the silence on growing up with a father who was a Pastor, but also an abuser. Tia is a strong believer that speaking louder and breaking the silence will begin to bring light to hidden issues of intimate partner violence.

Dave Riber is AVP of Enterprise Risk Management for Safelite AutoGlass and has been with Safelite since 2003. Safelite serves over 10 million customers annually and employs 15,000 people throughout the United States. As AVP of Enterprise Risk Management, Riber has an extensive list of responsibilities at Safelite including, insurance, associate safety, business continuity, and physical security. Riber graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and completed a capstone through the Fisher College of Business with an emphasis on Human Resources. As of 2015, Riber has participated as a board member for ODVN.

Brian Worth has extensive knowledge of human resources management as well as substantial executive leadership experience. He is currently serving as Senior Vice President to Human Resources for Cardinal Health, a global, integrated healthcare services and products company, providing customized solutions for hospital systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices worldwide. Over his twenty-plus years with Cardinal Health, he has held several leadership positions across the human resources function. Before working with Cardinal Health, Worth worked with two other Central Ohio based corporations. He also serves as an active board member with the non-profit, Ohio Domestic Violence Network, and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Brian Worth is a graduate of The Ohio State University earning a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration majoring in Human Resources Management.

Lynn Jacquot of Northwest Ohio has worked as an advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence since college. Running a crisis DV shelter for almost 9 years and has contributed to the body of work ODVN has authored in terms of Best Practices for serving survivors. She owned her own small business for 15 years with locations in Lucas and Wood County and frequently travels overseas in search of treasures. While attending the University of Michigan Graduate School, Lynn included the first question about domestic violence in the Detroit Area Study. She currently serves on the newly organized Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity on the ODVN Board.

Sarah Kincaid is the Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA). In her position, Kincaid’s main duty is advocating for children’s healthcare at both the federal and state levels of government. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from The John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University and her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Wittenberg University in 2008.

Taylor Swope has been a board member for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network since 2017. She volunteered with a women’s shelter during her time at the College of Wooster and is dedicated to raising awareness about domestic and intimate partner violence in her community. Taylor has spent the last five years in advertising, working for Ologie and GSW. Currently, she is a project manager for IBM iX; she works with cross-disciplinary teams primarily on mobile commerce app development. When she is not working, Taylor enjoys taking spinning classes, volunteering, writing, and spending time with family, friends, and her cat, Emmy.

Deidra Lashley, LSW MPH is the Executive Director of Bethany House, which has provided long-term transitional shelter and support services to domestic violence victims and their children in Toledo-Lucas County and Northwest Ohio for over 30 years. Deidra brings her twenty years of victim advocacy experience to the Board of ODVN because she believes our state coalition provides essential leadership and expertise to stakeholders and enhances the work of local domestic violence programs.