Board of Directors
Board of Directors

Donya Buchanan
Board Chair

Deidra Lashley
Chair Elect
Executive Director at Bethany House

Dana Apostolec
Treasurer
Manager on the Finance team at VS&Co.

Reem Aly
Secretary
Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Groundwork Ohio
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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.
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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.
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Dana brings over a decade of experience in accounting and staff development. She is currently working as a Manager on the Finance team at VS&Co. Prior to joining the Board of Ohio Domestic Violence Network, Dana served as Treasurer for Breath of Hope, a nonprofit lung cancer charity supporting the James Thoracic Oncology Center at the OSUMC. In her role as Treasurer, she was responsible for the areas of accounting, financial reporting, budget management, 1099 filing, technology procurement, and implementation. Dana is passionate about the mission ODVN is focused on and is grateful for the opportunity to further support the community through her position on the Board.
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Ms. Aly holds a Juris Doctorate and Master’s of Health Administration, as well as a Bachelor’s of Science in psychology and a Bachelor’s of Arts in international relations from the Ohio State University.
Board Members

Sheryl Clinger
Board Member
Director of External Affairs at The Center for Family Safety and Healing

R. Sam Gilley
Board Member
Attorney at Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP

Helena Josue
Board Member
Chief Human Resources Officer at T. Marzetti Company

Jane Keiffer
Board Member
Executive Director of Artemis Center
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Sheryl Clinger serves as the Director of External Affairs 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.
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Sam Gilley, Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, is a commercial litigation attorney who started his legal career in federal court. Sam has quickly become a go-to for clients looking for representation in financial industry, construction, manufacturing, benefits administration, and healthcare matters. He has been named to Ohio Super Lawyer’s Rising Stars list each year since 2020. Sam has assisted survivors in legal matters pro bono for the last two years. With his board service, Sam joins his wife, an elementary school teacher, in the quest to assist those who need our help the most.
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Helena Josue is Chief Human Resources Officer for The T. Marzetti Company, the largest food and beverage company headquartered in Central Ohio. Helena brings more than 20 years of human resources management experience to the board. Before joining T. Marzetti, she worked at Procter & Gamble and Wendy’s, where she was accountable for several large, complex assignments on increasing responsibilities across five countries in Europe and the United States. A native of Portugal, Helena attained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration at Catholic University of Portugal.
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Jane Keiffer is the Executive Director of Artemis Center. She received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Kentucky and her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Toledo. Jane has been an employee of Artemis Center for the past 25 years, serving as Clinical Director for 9 years following several years as the Crisis Services supervisor. She has served as an expert witness as well as participated on several committees in the community, advancing best practices for working with victims of domestic violence. She has also provided numerous trainings to the community which includes police officers, prosecutors, victim advocates, and many other professionals on intimate partner violence. In her free time, Jane enjoys volunteering for Hospice as a baker. Jane is a passionate advocate for equality and human rights.

Kelly Madewell
Board Member
Executive Director at My Sister’s Place

Dr. Cecilia Mengo
Board Member
Assistant Professor at the College of Social Work, The Ohio State University

Allma Miller
Board Member
Senior Attorney at Legal Aid of Western Ohio

Kathy Mull
Board Member
Executive Director at The Cocoon
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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.
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Dr. Cecilia Mengo is an Assistant Professor at the College of Social Work, The Ohio State University. Dr. Mengo received her Bachelor’s in Human Geography from Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. She completed her Masters of Social Work from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green Kentucky. Dr. Mengo earned her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). Dr. Mengo has also received certificate trainings in Community-Based Participatory Research from City University of New York and poverty reduction strategies from Weitz Center for Development Studies in Rehovot, Israel. Violence against women is an epidemic and needs to end. Dr. Mengo’s aim is to extend and expand her research by contributing to prevention and intervention efforts that can control and end violence against women and girls. Dr. Mengo is particularly interested in exploring the intersections of individual, structural, and cultural factors that keep women in the cycle of violence and poverty.
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Allma Miller is a Senior Attorney at Legal Aid of Western Ohio. She works in the Safety and Independence for Survivors practice group providing representation to domestic abuse survivors. Prior to joining Legal Aid, she served as the Executive Director of Northwest Ohio CASA, a non-profit organization that trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children. She also spent several years in private practice focusing on family and juvenile law matters, including working as a Parenting Coordinator, Mediator and Guardian ad Litem. She was also a Research Assistant for Praxis International where she worked in conjunction with the Battered Women’s Justice Project and has also served as a victim advocate.
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Kathy Mull joined The Cocoon in 2012 as the Program Director and was promoted to Executive Director in 2017. The Cocoon has been providing services to domestic and sexual violence survivors in Wood County for 16 years. Kathy is a Licensed Social Worker having earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Toledo and a Master of Social Work from Eastern Michigan. Kathy brings 17 years of experience serving domestic and sexual violence survivors and is only one of only 290 individuals to complete the Advocacy Learning Center course through Praxis International. In her free time, Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband and son, reading a good book, and exploring the outdoors. Kathy believes in the power of community and knows change can be powerful when we come together and is committed to raising survivors’ voices and ending violence.

Tia Payne
Board Member
Executive Director at Legacy31

David Riber
Board Member
President, Riber Security Consulting, LLC

Amber Scott
Board Member
President/CEO at Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter

Wendy Waters-Connell
Board Member
CEO at YWCA Hamilton
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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.
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Dave Riber has over 30 years of experience as a trusted advisor and strategic partner for executive teams and law firms. He is president of Riber Security Consulting. RSC assists corporations and law firms with compliance, physical security, litigation support, civil, criminal, and policy investigations. Prior to opening his own firm, he was an executive for 17 years with a national auto glass replacement and insurance claims company with over $2.8B in annual sales. While with this company he led corporate security, enterprise risk, insurance, business continuity, and internal audit. Dave has volunteered with several non-profits and has been honored to be on the Ohio Domestic Violence Network board since 2015. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Criminology.
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Amber Scott is the President/CEO at Turning Point Domestic Violence Shelter providing advocacy and support services in six counties including Marion, Delaware, Wyandot, Crawford, Union, and Morrow. Amber has over 17 years in the nonprofit sector, with experience working in workforce development, adult and teen prevention, re-entry, and transitional housing programs.
She is a Certified Instructor/Facilitator through the Langevin Learning Center and holds a Lethality Assessment certification to support law enforcement with the successful transition of survivors. She holds certifications as a Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Certified Life Coach (CLC) and Certified Goal Attainment Coach (CGAC) Amber is an adult literacy instructor for group-based learning in the area of workplace essentials and GED connection. She is also a proctor of the National Work Readiness Examination.
Amber has a bachelor’s degree in Pre-law with a minor in Criminal Justice and holds a master’s degree in the area of Adult Education and Curriculum Design. She is currently enrolled in the School of Education Ph.D. program through Capella University. She is also a member of The Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW), and The National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP).
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Wendy Waters-Connell has been CEO of the YWCA Hamilton since 2018. Since then, Wendy has helped the organization secure a plan for a brand-new campus with expanded housing and domestic violence shelter services. Prior to this role, Wendy served as Executive Director/CEO for the Quaker Heights Care Community for more than 18 years.
Wendy has been a board member and officer for national professional liability and healthcare insurance organizations, serving on underwriting and risk management committees. Wendy is a member of the inaugural Women of Color Cohort for YWCA USA. She is a member of the Ohio Council of YWCA Associations, serving as Secretary. Wendy is also a member of the Butler County anti-human trafficking workgroup, the Butler County infant mortality workgroup, the Butler County Homeless Coalition, and she is working to develop a Butler County coalition against hate.
Wendy has an undergraduate nursing degree from Miami University and an MS in Nursing Administration from Wright State University.

Dr. Susan Yoon
Board Member
Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University
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Dr. Susan Yoon is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. She received her BA and MSW from Ewha Women’s University in South Korea and earned her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Yoon’s research seeks to promote resilience and well-being in children who have experienced childhood trauma, including child maltreatment.
Associate Board Members

Bridget Mahoney
Immediate Past Chair

Taylor Swope
Associate Board Member
Senior Producer at Digitas Health
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Bridget Mahoney, the immediate past 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.
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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.
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