Who We Are :: Board
Board of Trustees 2009 Biographies
Seated, front row, left to right:
OFFICERS:
2nd Vice Chair: Bernadette (Bernie) Kerrigan, LISW --- Chief Operation Officer, Center for Families and Children
Bernadette Kerrigan (Bernie) is the Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Families and Children (CFC), a private, non-profit human services organization. She is responsible for all program services. Bernie came to CFC after 17 years at United Way Services of Greater Cleveland, most recently as Vice President, Community Investment for the Community Vision Council, a position she held for six years. During her tenure at United Way, she led a community process to invest over $300 million into local health and human services agencies. She is recognized nationally and locally for her work in launching outcomes measurements for United Way in Cuyahoga, Medina, and Geauga counties. She was co-leader of a national United Way of America outcomes measurement standard of practice initiative, which insured that local investments of United Way were based on best practices and outcomes measurement data results. In addition, she was staff lead for United Way’s core services planning project that researched best practices and outcomes data for 81 core services areas including child care, mental health and family programs. Bernie holds a bachelor’s degree in Clinic Social Work from Ohio State University and a Master of Science degree in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University. She began her career as a medical social worker at University Hospitals of Cleveland. Bernie is proud to be the single adoptive parent of two adorable daughters – Emma, age 3, and Kiara, age 2.
1st Vice Chair: JoAnn Uhlik --- Senior Director for Organization Advancement, The Greater Cleveland Partnership
JoAnn Uhlik is the Senior Director for Organization Advancement at The Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP). The Greater Cleveland Partnership is one of the largest chambers of commerce in the country. With over 17,500 members, they represent a wide range of business interests. JoAnn’s current role includes assisting with the implementation of the organization’s strategic plan and special projects. Current projects include assisting the business community in addressing the region’s environmental and energy challenges, as well as supporting the start up efforts of the Cleveland Plus Marketing Alliance (CPMA). JoAnn previously worked at the Greater Cleveland Growth Association/COSE where she helped small business think and act more creativity, thereby improving their top and bottom lines. Prior to joining COSE, JoAnn was a Vice-President in commercial lending for a local bank. JoAnn resides in North Olmsted, along with her husband, Jeff, and their 17-year old internationally adopted son, Alex. JoAnn also serves on the Saint Ignatius Loyola Society Mothers Club Board. She is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College.
Chair: Madeline A. Cain --- Office of County Administrator, Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners
Former Mayor Madeline A. Cain currently works in the Office of County Administrator. She formerly served as Manager of Community and Economic Development in the Cuyahoga County Department of Development and teaches urban politics and public administration at Cleveland State University. Prior to serving eight years as Mayor of the City of Lakewood, Ohio, Madeline served four terms as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives representing Lakewood and much of the West Side of Cleveland. As the first woman mayor of Ohio’s fourteenth largest city, Mayor Cain successfully focused her efforts on responsibly managing public dollars, developing a long term economic development strategy and securing federal, state and private foundation grant dollars to preserve and expand model health and human service programs for seniors, children and at risk families in the city. Madeline is most proud that under her leadership the City of Lakewood achieved a Bond Rating upgrade to AA2 from Moody’s Investors.
Secretary: Nicole K. Wilson --- Associate, Thompson Hine LLP
Nicole is a senior associate at Thompson Hine LLP, where she practices in both the Business Litigation group and the Products Liability group. Originally from Warren, Ohio, Nicole received a Liberal Arts degree from Thomas Aquinas College and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law before returning to Ohio 2001. Nicole came to Adoption Network Cleveland Board in 2005 through Business Volunteers Unlimited, having no immediate connection to the adoption triad, and sees her role on the Board in part as providing an “outsider’s” perspective to adoption issues.
Treasurer: John Bonfiglio --- Partner, Bellini & Bonfiglio
John Bonfiglio, CPA is a principal at Skoda, Minotti & Co. with over fifteen years of experience in the accounting profession. He focuses on assisting clients in a variety of industries maximize their opportunities for growth through sound accounting and business advice as well as creative tax planning. John started his career with an international accounting firm and, prior to joining Skoda, Minotti & Co., was a manager with a regional bank’s corporate audit group. He recently opened his own firm, Bellini & Bonfiglio. John is a magna cum laude graduate of Baldwin Wallace where he obtained a B.A. in Accounting. He is also a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Case Western Reserve University where he holds a Masters Degree in Accounting with a concentration in Tax from the Weatherhead School of Management. John is also an adjunct professor in the Weatherhead School of Management. John has graduated from the 2003 class of the Cleveland Bridge Builder program, which was created to train and channel emerging leaders for effective community involvement. A former Eagle Scout, John remains active with the Boy Scouts as well as Junior Achievement. John is also a member of the American Institute and Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Second row:
Janice Eaton --- Retired, Executive Director, Near West Side/May Dugan Multi-Service Center
Janice Eaton served as Executive Director of the Near West Side/May Dugan Multi-Service Center for 10 years overseeing the fiscal and program management of the large multi-service center. Under her tenure, the agency developed HIV Education/Prevention programs through partnerships with local Cleveland public schools, and other organizations through the support from the City of Cleveland Department of Public Health and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. The agency also implemented a city wide Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative (MOMS First) program. Jan served as the Ombudsman for the Cuyahoga County Neighborhood Counseling Services (currently Recovery Resources). She received her MS, Urban Studies from Cleveland State University.
Alec Berezin --- Partner, Dworken & Bernstein
“My introduction to Adoption Network Cleveland was through a young woman for whose adoption I acted as the attorney. She was part of Operation Babylift in 1975, and she contacted me 25 years after her adoption for information and assistance in locating her birthmother in Vietnam. I am an attorney specializing in civil litigation with the law firm of Dworkin & Bernstein. I have served as president of my Synagogue, and I am currently an active member of the Board of Trustees of Menorah Park. I am active in several Bar Associations including the Lake County Bar Association, The Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers, and The Cleveland Academy of Trial Attorneys. I have a wonderful wife, Marcia, an audiologist, and two fabulous children, both grown and involved in worthwhile and important careers, teaching and social work.”
Lisa A. Buescher
Lisa is an adoptee born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Her parents adopted her, and her younger brother, at birth. After having her first child, Lisa appreciated even more the importance of the loving and stable home her parents had provided. Giving birth also raised her interest in looking into her biological past. Searching for answers, Lisa connected with Adoption Network Cleveland’s Search & Reunion program. She feels that her first exposure to the greater value of Adoption Network Cleveland came from a General Meeting she attended four years ago. A brief, but memorable, interaction that evening with a prospective adoptive parent who was wondering if she was doing the right thing made Lisa feel that maybe she could help. This was the beginning of her involvement with Adoption Network Cleveland as a volunteer and member of the Events Sub-Committee, which she now chairs. Lisa received her bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Wright State University and her master’s degree in Engineering from the University of Michigan. She has worked in product liability, product design, and manufacturing. She is currently a full-time mother and lives with her husband and their two toddlers in Twinsburg. When not chasing after a little one, she is involved with her local primary schools, serves as a committee chair for North Coast Community Homes, and volunteers with the MS Society.
Sue Puffer --- Regional Admissions Representative, Johnson & Wales University
Susan Pufferhas a Bachelor’s degree in Education. For the past 19 years, she has been a Regional Admissions Representative recruiting students for Johnson & Wales University. She works independently from her home office. Eight years ago, her sister adopted Jesse in Asheville, North Carolina when he was 13 years old. This brought to her awareness the plight and needs of older youth in foster care. She saw Jesse’s three older brothers age out of the system in North Carolina with no place to go and no one to turn to. She became aware of the need for mentors, foster families, and adoptive families for these children. As a result, she has developed a passion for youth in the foster care system and has become very involved as a volunteer with raising the level of awareness of youth in foster care in Cuyahoga County. Her goal is to begin residential Life Centers for young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
Maria Shinn --- Attorney, Private Practice
Maria Shinnis a mother of four, two of whom are being adopted from Cuyahoga County. She is also an ANC Permanency Champion (mentor) and a former foster parent. Maria has served as a Volunteer Attorney with Hospice & Palliative Care Partners of Ohio (formerly VNA Hospice) since 1998. She received that organization’s 2005 Volunteer of the Year Award. Professionally, Maria is an attorney specializing in estate planning, probate administration, and elder law matters. Maria is a summa cum laude graduate of Muskingum College and holds bachelor’s degrees in business and public affairs. She is also a magna cum laude graduate of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She and her family reside in Lakewood.
Dr. Peggy Kranyak, M.D. --- Radiation Oncologist, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Peggy Kranyak, M.D. is a Radiation Oncologist for the Cleveland Clinic, and serves as the Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at the Moll Pavilion at Fairview Hospital. She is a Cleveland native, graduating from Magnificat High School. She completed both her undergraduate and medical school training at the University of Cincinnati, and completed her Residency at the University of Virginia. After four years in Massachusetts, she returned to the greater Cleveland area. Peggy has two biological children, now grown, and was a single mom for many of those years. She adopted her now 10-year old son as a single mom, and thus began her journey into the world of transracial adoption, which has been one of the greatest blessings in her life! Peggy subsequently married, and she and her husband, Jeff, adopted two beautiful girls, now ages 3 and 5, and they live in Richfield, Ohio. Her adopted children were both adopted as infants, with varying degrees of contact with the birthmothers. Attempts to adopt another son through the foster system were futile but interesting! She has inspired her nanny to adopt two beautiful kids from the county, also as a single mom, and has established a support group for families created by transracial adoption. On a personal level, Peggy is quick to speak of adoption within our own country, and encourages people to be open to children from all races and cultures.
Third row:
Fred Snowden --- Retired, Former Treasurer & Secretary, Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
I am an adoptee and have served as a member of the board through its transition from a small budget organization focused on meeting the need of its triad and professional membership through it selection by the UW Vision Council to lead the adopt Cuyahoga’s Kids program and am familiar with the history and details of the transition and transformation of the organization. I also bring the experience of twenty years as the Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Ohio and have served on the boards of eight non-profit organizations. During that service I have held responsibilities for budgeting, personnel, strategic planning, and capital campaign administration. Community service includes serving on several citizens committees for the Shaker Heights School district and special planning committee for the American Red Cross.
Dale Fellows --- President and Co-Owner, Morgan Litho, Inc. & Eagle Advertising, LLC
Dale Fellowsis a reunited adoptee. He has been the owner of a prominent Cleveland printing company-- Morgan Litho--since the early 1980s, and was a college-level instructor and tutor. His list of public service positions, government experience, and awards received is extensive in Lake County--including serving as Lake County Commissioner and being inducted into the Lakeland Community College “Hall of Fame.” His background in community involvement also scans the horizons in land and water preservation, the Boy Scouts, the Salvation Army, several business and Chambers of Commerce, and the Lions Club. He has also been very active in the world of sports, as a former Hockey player and coach of the Lakeland Community College Hockey Team, Assistant Hockey Coach at Cleveland State University, and coach for various other youth programs – baseball, soccer, basketball, and football. Dale is a graduate of Kent State University. He and his wife, Nancy reside in Willoughby Hills and are the parents of two sons, Erik (24), and Aaron (28) recently deceased.
Craig Dorn --- VP of Programs, Youth Opportunities Unlimited
Craig is an adoptive father who lives in Lakewood with his family. He has been involved with ANC for over five years as s a user of services, volunteer, and Board member. Craig oversees program delivery, outcome monitoring, strategic planning, and government finding at Youth Opportunities Unlimited. He has a Master’s Degree in Education from Syracuse University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Bowling Green University. “As a life-long Clevelander, I look forward to continuing to work with ANC leadership to ensure Adoption Network continues to be one of the gems of our community by providing high quality programs and services to the adoption and foster care community.”
Terence E. Copeland --- General Council, CEOGC
Terence presently serves as General Council to the Council for Economic Opportunities of Greater Cleveland. CEOGC is one of the largest non-profit corporations in Ohio. It administers the Head Start program for both the federal government and state of Ohio. He is an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University Law School and an acting judge in Shaker Heights Municipal Court. He is a graduate of John Adams High School, Williams College, and Harvard Law School. Terence’s parents have served as foster parents for nearly fifty years and his brother recently adopted a newborn.
Anita Miller --- Director of Corporate Development, Eaton Corporation
Anita Miller is the Director of Corporate Development for the Eaton Corporation, where she leads teams in the strategic assessment and execution of merger and acquisition projects for Eaton. Before coming to Eaton, Anita held various product development and engineering roles at Ford Motor Company in Detroit. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan. As a native Clevelander, she was happy to have the opportunity to return to the area and was thrilled to discover ANC while researching local area adoption resources. Anita and her husband Joe live in Shaker Heights with their three children – Ava, age 4, Isaac, age 3 and Eleanor, age 9 months – all of who joined their family through domestic adoption. They enjoy relationships with varying degrees of openness with all three of their children’s birth families and feel very strongly about advocating for openness in adoption.
Back row:
Lynn Roman --- Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Lynn Roman is a native to Cleveland and an adoptive parent. Her education includes Associates Degree from Cuyahoga Community College, a BS from The Ohio State University in Heal Education and a MS from University of Cincinnati in Health Planning and Administration. Professionally, Lynn has work primarily in the healthcare sector for more than 25 years as a healthcare administrator running health programs, departments and divisions. Her current position is with the Cleveland Clinic where she has held three division administrator positions over 13 years. In these positions she manages the daily operations including tasks such as budgeting, goals, metrics, new program/facility start ups, human resourcing as well as service line responsibility for numerous departments with upwards management of 200 employees. Over the course of more than 20 years Lynn has served on non-profit committees and boards or large campaigns. Lynn and her husband Joe are the proud parents of an adopted son, Peter (10) and their biological daughter, Rebecca (18).
Ladosha Wright --- Salon Owner, Stephano & Co.
Ladosha Wrightworked for 14 years as a family life educator. In her tenure in the social service field, she worked on program development, proposal writing and staff development. In 2000 she transitioned from social work to owning her own business, Reverence Salon. She partnered with Stephano & Co. to become more effective and provide more services to women. Commitment to the community is a constant in the partnership and philanthropy and public service is a priority. She received the Community Service Award for outstanding leadership from the National Council of Negro Women in 2006.She has provided services, presentations and motivational speaking to organizations such as Adoption Network Cleveland, Dress for Success Cleveland, Case Western Reserve and Cleveland Institute of the Arts.
Peter Ehlers --- Sales and Marketing Manger, Swagelok Company
Peter Ehlersis the second oldest of a family of five adopted children. Professionally, he has worked as an engineer over 10 years in the field of alternative energy and has been involved primarily in projects related to establishing alternative fuels for transportation purposes. Peter enjoys developing strategic plans and has the transformational leadership required moving companies into new and uncharted spaces. He and his wife Catherine have two children – a five year old son, Maximillian and a four year old daughter, Sophia
Nicole Koharik --- Marketing Manager, GOJO Industries
As an infant, Nicole was abandoned by her mother and left with a sitter. When she was a toddler, the sitter, a single man, became her adoptive father. Knowing firsthand the benefits of adoption, Nicole is motivated to advocate for all people touched by adoption. Nicole is the Marketing Manager of GOJO Industries. She earned her BA in Applied Communications from Notre Dame College where she graduated cum laude and won several awards, including the Communications Award, graphic design, and photography awards. Nicole is currently pursuing a Masters degree in communication management from John Carroll University where she received the Professional Encouragement award. Nicole is an Adoption Network volunteer and serves on the special events committee, and chairs of the Marketing Committee.
John Habat --- Senior Fellow and Director, Public Policy and Advocacy, Center for Community Solutions
John is past president of the Board of Trustees. He has served on the board for eight years. He holds a J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, and a M.A. Ohio University. He is a nonprofit and legal professional with extensive experience in administration, finance, labor relations, strategic planning, public relations and advocacy, project management and organizational development. John has a varied background in leadership, process management, Communication, consensus-building, trouble-shooting and problem-solving. He enjoys an extensive network of relationships with senior executives in business, government, professional, philanthropic, non-profit, media and academic communities. John currently serves as Senior Fellow and Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the Center for Community Solutions. He was formerly Executive Vice President of Finance and Business Services at Cuyahoga Community College, Vice President at Youngstown State University, and Vice President of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. He is an adoptive parent and advocate.
(not pictured) David Matia – Judge, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Judge Matia was adopted as an infant by loving parents. He made contact with his biological parents 14 years ago and has a great story to tell. As an elected official, he is in a unique position to educate others on the positives of the adoption experience. Judge Matia served on previous boards including, Cuyahoga County Bar Association, and CWRU School of Law Board of Governors where he served as secretary.
|
