Our Team
Our Board Leadership
![augsburger_mary.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8cdd34_19cbdcdc2ac64b3ca5f57429a394859b~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_53,w_1200,h_1198/fill/w_200,h_200,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/augsburger_mary.jpg)
Mary Augsburger
Board Member
Mary Amos Augsburger holds the distinction of being the first female CEO of the Ohio State Bar Association and only the fourth leader in the organization’s 143-year history. Augsburger leads and directs this $10 million professional membership association that represents more than 25,000 Ohio lawyers, judges, and law students. Pursuing her passion to give back to her community, Augsburger also serves on a number of boards and professional organizations.
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Lisa A. Gray
Board Member
Lisa is the president of Ohio Excels. Her career has been dedicated to improving the educational outcomes of ALL of Ohio’s students. Prior to leading Ohio Excels, Lisa had her own consulting practice specializing in public policy development, government relations, advocacy, strategic planning, and project management—with emphasis on public education.
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David Melin
Board Member
David is regional president for PNC Bank in Dayton, Ohio. Melin has overall client, community and employee responsibilities, which include Corporate & Institutional Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management covering a 12-county territory across the Miami Valley area. He has over 30 years of executive leadership experience.
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Laura DiCola
Board Member
Laura is the Senior Program Officer for Education for the GAR Foundation. As such, Laura's role is to refine and lead the implementation of the Foundation’s education strategy, rooted in collaborative, interconnected grantmaking work and systems-level change initiatives. Most recently, Laura served as Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Strategic Partnerships at the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health. Prior to that, she led strategic and policy initiatives at Summit Education Initiative. Laura also practiced law in the private sector for nearly 20 years, becoming a national expert on state & local taxation and litigating matters in more than 35 states and the US Supreme Court.
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Eric Kearney
Board Member
Eric is President/CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce and has had a career in law, business, and politics. As a state senator, Eric served as Ohio Senate Minority Leader. On a national level, Eric was a member of President Barack Obama's national finance committee when he ran for U.S. Senate and President. Eric has been a leader in Ohio's legal community and is a managing partner of Kearney & Kearney, LPA.
![Ron_Rees_headshot.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8cdd34_9bca726337824ffb9f1fedb6031f588e~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_623,h_623/fill/w_200,h_200,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Ron_Rees_headshot.jpg)
Ron Rees
Board Member
Ron Rees is a retired social justice advocate who most recently served as the Executive Director for COAD, the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, in Athens, Ohio. He also served as the Executive Director of the Washington County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Board for nearly 18 years. Prior to that, Ron spent time in San Diego as part of the Department of Social Services.
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Dr. Rebekah Dorman
Board Member
Dr. Dorman is a Developmental Psychologist and founder/principal of Kadima Consulting LLC. She has been working on behalf of children and families for the past 40 years in positions that have spanned the academic, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government sectors. Most recently she served as Director of Invest in Children, a public-private partnership in Cuyahoga County and Director of the Cuyahoga County Office of Early Childhood for thirteen years. She is a Cum Laude graduate of Brandeis University and received her doctorate from Cornell University.
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Robyn Lightcap
Board Chair
Robyn is Executive Director at Preschool Promise. Robyn also serves on the Governor's Early Childhood Advisory Council. She has led complex projects in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, including at IBM, Chicago's Willow Creek Community Church and Evenflo. Robyn has a business degree from Wake Forest University.
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Cheryl Rose
Board Member
Cheryl is a partner with Constellation Wealth Advisors, advising business owners and families of significant wealth. Prior to Constellation, Cheryl spent over 20 years leading investment management and wealth businesses for 5/3 and PNC Banks. Cheryl is a passionate advocate for expanding early childhood access in our communities. After serving on the board of Success by 6, Cheryl helped lead the effort to make the Cincinnati Preschool Promise become a reality and was an inaugural Trustee and its Treasurer.