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About Us

Partners & Exec Core


Our Partners

Established in 2007 through a partnership between the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce and the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, the Ohio Leadership Advisory Council (OLAC) is a statewide advisory and study group comprised of representatives from Ohio’s education and professional associations, higher education, state and regional agencies, and practitioners in the field, including:

Executive Core Members

The work of OLAC is guided by the following Executive Core Members:

Suzanne Amos, Founder, Collective Wonder Communications

David Axner, Ph.D. - Executive Director, Buckeye Association of School Administrators

Rebecca Baum - Director of Professional Issues, Ohio Federation of Teachers

Eugene Blalock, - Superintendent, North College Hill City Schools

Craig Burford - Executive Director, Ohio Educational Service Center Association (OESCA)

Debbie Campbell - Search Consultant, K12 Business Consulting

Demetrice Davis - Ed Policy & Practice Consultant, Ohio Education Association

Kathy Demers - Director of Member Development, Buckeye Association of School Administrators

Earl Focht - Education Program Specialist, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce

Tim Freeman, Ed.D. - Executive Director, Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators (OASSA)

Jim Gay, Ph.D. - Project Support, OLAC

Nick Gurich - Director, Educational Policy, Ohio Education Association

Barb Hansen, Ph.D. - Director of Graduate Programs of Education, Muskingum University

Kathleen Herrmann, Ph.D. - Assistant Director, Office of Educator Effectiveness, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce

Chad Hilliker, Superintendent, Hamilton County Educational Service Center

Rebecca Hornberger, Ph.D. - Executive Director, Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA)

Cathy Johnson - Board of Trustees, Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA)

Meryl Johnson - Board Member, District 11, Ohio State Board of Education

Paul Johnson, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Ed. Admin. and Leadership Studies, Bowling Green State University; Board Member, Bucyrus City Schools

Mark Jones - Member Services Director, Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA)

Cathy LaForme - Consultant, Ashlan Consulting

Jim Lloyd, Ph.D. - Superintendent, Olmsted Falls City Schools

Elizabeth Lolli, Ph.D. - Project Consultant, OLAC

Gale Marsh - Deputy Superintendent,ESC of Central Ohio

Krista Maxson, Ph.D. - Assoc Vice-Chancellor, P16 Initiatives, Ohio Department of Higher Education

Carly McVey - Program Director, Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI)

Kim Miller-Smith - Senior Student Achievement Consultant, Ohio School Boards Association

Mark Neal - Superintendent, Tri-Valley Local Schools

Karel Oxley - Project Support, OLAC

Kimberly Pietsch Miller - Chief of Leadership Development, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce

Julia Simmerer - Senior Executive Director, Center for the Teaching Profession

Sheila Smith - Assistant Director, Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI)

Julie Turner - Project Coordinator, OLAC

Deb Telfer, Ph.D. - Director & Research Associate, University of Cincinnati Systems Development & Improvement Center

Michael Trego - Program Director, OLAC

Jo Hannah Ward - Administrator, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce

Chris Woolard, Ph.D. - Chief Program Officer, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce